I’m an
avid fan of Walter Mosley’s crime fiction novels. I love the way he crafts his
characters - flawed with some sense of justice and humanity in a world filled
with crazy twists and turns. Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large fits
the mold seamlessly.
So, let’s meet Felix Orlean, a journalism student at Columbia University originally from New Orleans whose interest has been piqued by an ad for a “scribe” to work with “A. LAWLESS IN THE TESSLA BUILDING.” When he appears to meet Archibald Lawless at ten to six in the morning, he has no idea what he was getting into because Archibald seemed like an oddball. Nevertheless, Felix’s curiosity gets the better of him and he decides to try out the gig.
Archibald gives Felix a piece of paper to check up on a list of people to make sure they are fine. But when Felix starts doing so, some of them start asking lots of questions and he even witnesses one of them die from an alleged heart attack. But then he gets arrested on suspicion of murder and then sprung by a police captain who knows Archibald. Felix is still perplexed and trying to understand what is going on. Eventually, it’s all about stolen diamonds, suspects, and assassins.
Overall, this was a quick and intriguing read. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, especially the quirks blended in with the intellect of Archibald (some may even call him crazy). He’s a man of many talents, wielding and dealing with high class and some seedy folks amidst a political background which makes you question whether he’s a good or bad guy. There were a lot of twists and turns and although Felix felt uneasy and wanted to quit, he couldn’t resist staying on the gig just to see Archibald get his Aunt Alberta out of jail. There is so much more I would love to see happen in this novella, but it has potential to explore the characters in another novel.
A must-read. Two thumbs up!
Some of my favorite lines:
Rating: 4 stars
“What do
you mean?” I asked. “You don’t expect that I’m going to come work for you after
what I’ve been through.”
“Sure I
do.”
“Why?”
“Because
of your aunt, of course. You’ll agree to work for me for a specified amount of
time and I will agree to do what your father refused to do, free your aunt from
jail.”
The hairs
on the back of my neck rose up then. I hadn’t even considered this option until
the middle of the night before. My face must have exposed my surprise.
“I need
you, Felix,” Lawless said. “You complete a faulty circuit in my head. You give
me the three years that your aunt has left on her sentence and I will make sure
that she’s out of the joint by Sunday next.”
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