🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Walter Mosley
His book Devil in a Blue Dress, was made into a 1995 movie starring Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Don Cheadle, and Jennifer Beals. Set in 1948 in Los Angeles, the movie features Mosley’s signature character Easy Rawlins, an African American detective and World War II veteran that is hired to find Daphane Monet, engaged to the wealthy Todd Carter, a favorite for the mayoral race, believed to be hiding out in the black community. Rawlins finds himself mixed up with crooked cops, political scandal and murder before he knows it. The movie was well received. Mosley’s book Always Outnumbered was made into a movie in 1998. It starred Lawrence Fishburne as Socrates Fortlow, an ex-con who tries to find work in Los Angeles and fights for a position.
All Book Series by Walter Mosley
The Gift of Fire and On the Head of a Pin
Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 2012
Stepping Stone and Love Machine
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2013
Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned
Series opener · book 1 of 3 · published 1997
Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large
Latest in the series · book 5 of 5 · published 2016
The Elements of Fiction Writing
Latest in the series · book 7 of 7 · published 2019
Transgressions
Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 2005 Co-authored · Stephen King,Lawrence Block,Anne Perry,Jeffery Deaver,Sharyn McCrumb,Ed McBain,Donald E. Westlake,Bonnie Jeanne Perry,Joyce Carol Oates,John Farris
Transgressions, Vol. 2
Book 2 of 4 · published 2006 Anthology · Stephen King,Lawrence Block,Ed McBain,John Farris
Transgressions, Vol. 3
Book 3 of 4 · published 2006 Anthology · Anne Perry,Sharyn McCrumb,Ed McBain,Donald E. Westlake,John Farris
Transgressions, Vol. 4
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2006 Anthology · Anne Perry,Sharyn McCrumb,Ed McBain
A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora
Book 4 of 18 · published 2000
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Walter Mosley?
His book Devil in a Blue Dress, was made into a 1995 movie starring Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Don Cheadle, and Jennifer Beals. Set in 1948 in Los Angeles, the movie features Mosley's signature character Easy Rawlins, an African American detective and World War II veteran that is hired to find Daphane Monet, engaged to the wealthy Todd Carter, a favorite for the mayoral race, believed to be hiding out in the black community. Rawlins finds himself mixed up with crooked cops, political scandal and murder before he knows it.
Which Walter Mosley series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Easy Rawlins series, the earliest of Walter Mosley's multi-book series: it opens with Devil in a Blue Dress (1990) and runs to 17 books across 1990–2025, ending with Gray Dawn (2025). Walter Mosley's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Walter Mosley written?
Walter Mosley has 215 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1990 and 2026. 163 of them belong to 8 named series — the largest being the Easy Rawlins series with 17 books — and 52 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Walter Mosley's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Walter Mosley's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Easy Rawlins (1990–2025, 17 books), Socrates Fortlow (1997–2008, 3 books) and Fearless Jones (2001–2006, 3 books), plus 3 more.
How are Walter Mosley's books organised into series?
This guide splits Walter Mosley's 215 books into 8 named series and 52 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Easy Rawlins (17 books, 1990–2025); Leonid McGill (7 books, 2009–2020); Crosstown to Oblivion (4 books, 2012–2013); King Oliver (4 books, 2018–2026); Fearless Jones (3 books, 2001–2006), plus 3 further series.