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Black Betty
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So would chapter headings have killed them?
- By S. Kennedy on 01-05-17
-
Devil in a Blue Dress
- An Easy Rawlins Mystery
- By: Walter Mosley
- Narrated by: Michael Boatman
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Los Angeles, 1948: Easy Rawlins is a black war veteran just fired from his job at a defense plant. Easy is drinking in a friend's bar, wondering how he'll meet his mortgage, when a white man in a linen suit walks in, offering good money if Easy will simply locate Miss Daphne Money, a blonde beauty known to frequent black jazz clubs.
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-
Brilliant book
- By John Warwick on 12-11-16
-
A Little Yellow Dog
- An Easy Rawlins Mystery
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- Narrated by: Paul Winfield
- Length: 3 hrs and 12 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Easy Rawlins may have left the streets, but he hasn't been forgotten. The world is changing faster than he can keep up. Now, the police believe that Easy is involved in a double-murder. And old enemies are waiting to get even.
-
Down the River unto the Sea
- By: Walter Mosley
- Narrated by: Ben Onwukwe
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joe King Oliver was one of the NYPD's finest investigators until, dispatched to arrest a well-heeled car thief, he is framed for assault, a charge that lands him in the notorious Rikers Island prison. A decade later, King is a private detective, running his agency with the help of his teenage daughter, Aja-Denise. When he receives a card in the mail from the woman who admits she was paid by someone in the NYPD to frame him all those years ago, King realises that he has no choice but to take his own case....
-
Judge Dredd
- Year One: Omnibus
- By: Matt Smith, Al Ewing, Michael Carroll
- Narrated by: Jordan Harold
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
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Mega-City One, 2080. Judge Joe Dredd's first year on the streets as a full-eagle Judge. Bred for justice, trained in law, Dredd's no helpless rookie, but he's not the seasoned veteran we know either. Three tales follow the first adventures of the future city's greatest lawman. With an introduction by the Mighty Tharg!
-
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great voice for Dredd and rico. <br />
- By John Mcnamara on 02-12-17
-
George Cragge: In the Red & Other Mysteries
- By: Mark Tavener
- Narrated by: Barry Foster, full cast, Hugh Laurie, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A collection of four blackly humorous crime mysteries featuring the fictional BBC Radio crime correspondent, George Cragge. Adapted from the novel by Mark Tavener, In the Red sees the anarchic George Cragge investigate a spree of bizarre murders in the world of City finance, a small political party contesting a by-election, and a plan to overthrow the Director-General of the BBC. The sequel, In the Balance, features George Cragge kicking off a murder trail during the FIFA World Cup at Wembley Stadium. And with Europe becoming a hot potato, can the Prime Minister hold on to his job? In the Chair follows the maverick hack as he looks into a series of murders of dentists linked to New Labour policy. The final drama, In the End, sees George Cragge investigating a series of murders of journalists.
-
-
Prequel to BBC Radio 4's ‘Absolute Power’
- By Nigel on 17-03-18
-
Raymond Chandler: The BBC Radio Drama Collection
- By: Raymond Chandler
- Narrated by: Toby Stephens
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The complete collection of landmark BBC Radio dramas of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe mysteries. Philip Marlowe is the archetypal noir detective: wisecracking and world weary, hard boiled yet honourable. This volume includes all eight dramatisations of Raymond Chandler's groundbreaking crime novels featuring his iconic hero.
-
-
So would chapter headings have killed them?
- By S. Kennedy on 01-05-17
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- Mike
- Southampton, United Kingdom
- 23-12-12
Facinating
I read this because John Grisham mentioned the author in the Racketeer. I have found this and other Walter Mosley books very interesting. They have provided me with new insights.
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- Xavier
- 05-05-17
I'm already looking fwd 2 my next "Easy" adventure
Colorful characters from the inner city. Insight into life in Los Angeles inner city life from the perspective of a patriotic African American veteran of WWII who lives life in the "gray". He knows life is not clear cut "black and white" on moral issues living in a community that is still steeped in the traditions of America's previous 400 years. He has the heart of "Sir Lancelot" but he knows he does not live in "Camelot". He helps people and he hurts people as a pseudo private detective. He works with the "establishment" and he breaks the rules and would be treated an outlaw if caught breaking the rules of law when he sees a higher moral justification. I love other genre's such as counterespionage, detective, adventure and historical fiction but I find the "Easy Rawlins" series so comfortably enjoyable. It reminds me of past characters in my early life in the 50's and 60's before leaving the south side of Chicago, going off to college in small town Iowa and subsequently becoming a officer in the USMC during the final two years of the Vietnam War era. I really find this series so enjoyable and I regret the books in this series are less than 10 hours long. I wish they were 16 to 24 hours long so I could enjoy a longer story.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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- Dupree1956
- 14-05-11
persumej1
I love Walter Mosley, and Black Betty did not let me down. It was a great Easy Rawlins contuation. great book.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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- Pat in VW
- 29-11-11
Beyond dark with unecessary foul language
This review is written purely from my own likes and biases which may, or may not, agree with your own.
The narrator missed the mark here. I felt like he wasn't interested in the book as he was reading it. There is a difference between reading dialogue from a dark, sullen character and reading with seeming disinterest. This is a shame since the narrator is a talented actor with the ability to "act" this book better.
The book itself starts off VERY slowly. Having previous knowledge of the character Easy Rawlins may have helped. The beginning of the book seems to be dragging out a character development that could have happened faster. Easy Rawlins is not a likable character and most of his interactions are with equally distasteful characters. Easy reluctantly lumbers through life as if the very act of living is both tedious and painful. This book doesn't just teeter on the edge of despair, but gleefully wallows in the deepest depths. I am able to enjoy dark novels, but this one seems to be trying too hard to reach a new low in hopelessness.
I was disappointed by the amount of foul language in this book. It seemed to be purposely peppered within the text as if the author was trying to fill a quota. I did not read the entire book. In fact, I removed the book from my device before I reached the halfway point.
This is definitely not a book for everyone. However, if you like books filled with crushing melancholy then you should check this one out.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
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- Cassandra Perkins
- 16-11-18
Too Much<br />
There were far too many deaths for my liking- got a bit unrealistic to me
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- Anonymous User
- 20-12-17
Decent
Not my favorite Easy R. story but entertaining nonetheless. Love the talented narrators voice. Yay!
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- Bridgett
- 26-11-16
Great story!
Loved following Easy's story. Through the author I was able to see all the details of Easu's encounters. Will recommend to my friends.
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- Ronald Jean
- 30-10-16
i like the story
this book is fun to read. i enjoyed it. i world highly recommended.
great story line
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- Theresa
- 22-08-12
A good listen!
I liked the few Easy Rawlins' audiobooks I have purchased including Black Betty especially after the defect in the audio was fixed.
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- Jonathan I. Rosenblatt
- 30-07-12
Elegant and wise
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Absolutely. Its careful crafting of plot, character and language take you deep into its moment in history, while maintaining a broad human perspective. It is a detective book fashioned out of literary fabric.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Some boyhood memories can move men.
Any additional comments?
Mosley is among the most sophisticated writers in America's ongoing quest to formulate its complex narrative of race. Easy Rawlins speaks on many levels, in many voices, tweaking the assumptions of many audiences. Mosley will be on the classics bookshelf forever.
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- Danielle
- 19-12-11
Great Read!
Would you listen to Black Betty again? Why?
Yes. It was suspenseful, intriguing, and entertaining!
Which character – as performed by Michael Boatman – was your favorite?
Easy Rawlings is always my favorite. Mouse is second in line.
Any additional comments?
Walter Mosley is an exceptional author. I love just about all of his work!