Set in 1950s Los Angeles, Fear
of the Dark is the third in the series of Mosley’s "Fearless
Jones" novels.  The narrator is Paris Minton, a self-educated book store
owner who is notable for his cowardice and his sexual prowess.  During a
liaison on the floor of his store with a new girl, her boyfriend Tiny storms in
knocking down the door and Paris flees.  When Paris returns, he finds Tiny
sprawled on the floor with a bullet in his head.  Then Paris’ aunt Three Hearts
enlists him in the search for her no-good son known as "Useless," who
has gone missing.  This leads them to meet different people in the city, and
shows the reader various sides of life.  Eventually Three Hearts herself goes
missing, and Paris gets his friend Fearless Jones to help.  Jones has
incredible strength, and is ready to do anything he can in the loyalty of
friendship.  So they get into all sorts of adventures sorting out the mystery,
uncovering intrigue and corruption.

While this is set a decade earlier
than the Easy Rawlins mysteries, and so is in a less politically charged time,
Mosley still paints a vivid portrait of African American society of this time. 
There are the familiar Mosley elements here: lots of reflection on the
interaction between blacks and whites, a generous sprinkling of sex, and a
pinch of the supernatural and mystical.  The characters are strong, although
maybe not quite as interesting as those in the Easy Rawlins series.  The plot
is rather meandering and forgettable.  The novel is entertaining, but not one
of Mosley’s best.

The unabridged audiobook is read by
Michael Boatman, who has read several of Mosley’s other novels.  Boatman is
good at accents and keeps the energy level high, and this is a strong
performance.

© 2006 Christian
Perring. All rights reserved.

Christian
Perring, Ph.D., is Academic Chair of the Arts & Humanities
Division and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island. He is also editor of Metapsychology Online Reviews.  His main
research is on philosophical issues in medicine, psychiatry and psychology.

Categories: Fiction, AudioBooks