I (Nick) listen to public radio a lot and the woman who hosts the morning show is a bibliophile. She regularly interviews authors and makes non literary guests talk about books. One of her favorite authors (because of the Easy Rawlins series) is Walter Mosley. I've heard her interview Mosley and when I saw his name at the library I figured it would be a safe bet.
Summary: In this book we follow Errol Porter in his journey of despair. Before the book starts, his father dies, he loses his job, his wife moves out to be with another man and he rents out the garage of the home he once owned. To cope with his misery he finds comfort in the arms of women. Many women. As he sleeps in his makeshift studio apartment, his phone wakes him up in the middle of the night, over and over. Instead of reporting the prank caller, Errol takes it upon himself to find the obviously disturbed man and care for him. What he learns is that the man is infected with a strange bacteria that wield powerful and awesome abilities. The Department of Homeland Security quickly moves in to get a handle on the situation and are eager to violate civil rights. In this crazy adventure Errol learns secrets about his father, the government and the history of life on earth.
What We Liked: Nick liked the idea of the bacteria invasion and plan to use it in a role-playing game I am running. Tami didn't like much about the book, other than the fact that some of plot choices were ludicrous to the point of laughter.
What We Didn't Like: Errol sleeps with a surprising number of women, which is hilarious because the main character comes across as totally unappealing. And Mosley describes a surprising number of men naked without advancing the plot. There were a lot of scenes where Mosley just tells you something happened or told you how the characters felt when he could have painted a mental picture. It made the book feel distant and poorly written. As a reader I didn't feel any emotional connection to the characters, so I didn't really care when Errol was probed or probed someone himself. (And that happened quite a bit.)
Rating: Not recommended. I might try his Easy Rawlins series, but I'm in no hurry.
Also Read By This Author: Nothing. And it might just stay that way.
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