The Long Fall (Leonid McGill Series #1)

This is an intriguing private investigative Noir

Albany, New York private investigator Ambrose Thurman hires Manhattan based sleuth Leonid McGill to find four black men who were close friends to two decades ago. He gives Leonid their nicknames as that is all his client gave him. Leonid has turned over a new leaf about being morally correct when it comes to working cases to include no jobs for the mob and being straight with his wife Katrina to include no more affairs with Aura and raise his three children; two not sired by him.

He learns James "Big Jim" Wright is dead; Frankie "Jumper" Tork is in the Tombs awaiting sentencing for B&E; Theodore "Toolie" Nelson is doing 86 years; and Roger "B-Brain" Brown is a successful financier. He reports the information to Ambrose, but soon afterward Jumper and B-Brain are killed; Toolie is stabbed; followed by Ambrose whose real name is Norman Fell also being murdered. As NYPD Detective Kitteridge tries to nail him, Leonid works on finding who the client was as he feels he owes B-Brain for exposing him; he also works a case involving a mobster seeking an accountant hiding in Coney Island and his teenage son Twill planning to kill an abusive pedophile father.

This is an intriguing private investigative Noir starring a man who in his fifties has found scruples that makes his job that much more difficult. The prime investigation is action-packed as Leonid realizes he indirectly caused the murders and almost dies too; yet feels he must uncover the truth even flying in a prop to Albany to do so. The other two sleuthing subplots, some musings by the hero into his unprincipled past and his family drama are well handled and enable the audience to better understand Leonid's motives. Although the king of the city seems over the Empire State Building, fans will enjoy this Walter Mosley's fine opening Manhattan (and Albany) murder mystery.

Harriet Klausner

5 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

The Long Fall-Not Mosley's Best

Being a long time fan of Walter Mosley I was very much looking forward to this new series. Unfortunately, I found the plot to be all over the place and to have too many characters. This is the first Mosley book that I didn't have to fight not to finish in one sitting.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Less Than Stellar

Big fan of WM; however this is a very poor effort. I am disappointed. Character development is poor; the plot wanders; the main character rambles. I have often given WM books to new readers. I will not pass this one along.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Liked it.

Private detective Leonid McGill is trying to go straight, leaving his less than legal life behind. But honesty becomes challenging as he is hired by Albany private detective Ambrose Thurman to find four young men. The only information that Ambrose provides him with is the street names the young men used when they were teenagers. Leonid finds the men in question but there is something fishy about the whole situation and he is uncomfortable with certain aspects of the case. But the rent on his office is due and he needs the money so he shelves his doubts and hands over the names and addresses of the men to Ambrose. But all of Leonid's fears are confirmed when he finds out that the young men are suddenly turning up dead. In addition to all of this, Twill, Leonid's son is involved in something non too legal, his estranged wife has recently returned to his life and the woman who he truly cares for, is unavailable to him. Worst of all, as the men die, the police begin to look at him as a suspect.

There is much to like about the story. I was drawn in almost from the beginning and intrigued by Leonid's life and dealings. The author has created a character who you know has a very checkered past but you almost can't help rooting for. But one of the first things that really bothered me about the book was the author's constant references to race. Characters were almost always described on a racial basis and interactions had many racial undertones. In a very small way I understand what the author was driving at when he first made certain racial references but after awhile it was extreme overkill. Also the resolution of the story was just not good enough. You spend all this time getting invested but when you find out what really happened you feel cheated. The author tried very hard to give the reader a feel for who Leonid was and brought in other story lines that were not related to the main mystery. Unfortunately, the detours became distractions and as interesting as they may have been, they became hindrance rather than help. But despite these problems I am not averse to reading more in this series(this is the first Leonid McGill mystery). I will definitely look out for the next book as I want to see what Leonid gets into the next time around.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Loved It!

I personally couldn't get into the Easy Rawlins series. I tried years ago but I didn't like the movie Devil in a Blue Dress so it just didn't work for me. Maybe I'll try them again, years later and after reading this book. I read Man in the Basement and that was waaay too freaky for me but I highly commend Mr. Mosley with Leonid. I loved him from the very beginning. I can't see how anyone doesn't. I'm looking forward the other series. Yes, it has a lot of characters and yes there are some words I have to look up in the dictionary and ask...why didn't he just say that in the first place?! But I'm a nerd like that!! I enjoy flipping back and re-reading about a character. I keep a list of the words I dont' know & look them up later. I enjoy being challenged and Mr. Mosley challenges you but keeps you entertained.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Mosley does it again

The Long Fall by Walter Mosley introduces a new PI named Leonid McGill. A little background on McGill: He is African-American, average height, a boxer in a previous life, the son of a communist, married to a woman who had children by other men during their marriage and used to take on unscrupulous jobs if paid the right price. With all that said, McGill is trying to make up for his past by taking jobs that won't ruin the lives of others. But sometimes getting out of the life is hard to do.

Mosley weaved together a great story of personal redemption while maintaining an excellent mystery. McGill, with all his flaws, is a likable character that you want to see succeed. By using his experience as a former boxer and using his own interpretation of what his communist father was trying to teach him as a child, McGill fights his way through several dangerous scraps and uses insight that is uncommon in most mystery novels.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Disappointing

I was generally disappointed with this book . I found the story confusing and difficult to follow . There were some good parts, such as the interaction of the main character and his "son" . However, overall I wish Mr. Mosley had continued the Easy Rawlins series .

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Can't Put it Down

Just when you thought there could never be a character as cool and engaging as Easy Rawlins Walter Mosley gives us Leonid McGill. It's a great read, I went on to get and read the last three books in the series. I'm finishing up #4 right now. I don't want the series to end.

Worth the read for Mosley fans

If you generally like the irreverent, sometimes intense or offbeat style of Mr. Mosley, you should enjoy this book. There are a lot of nuances that some may miss the humor in, like the main character's name (the spelling), Leonid... or maybe it's just me- I thought that was funny. But I love these stories and his Fearless Jones series.The characters are just right, reminiscent of the old school detective novels. Leonid McGill is not a super hero. He is just barely legal and looking over his shoulder for those who would do him bad.There are enough twists and turns to keep you turning pages and an occasional laugh-out-loud moment. I think The Long Fall is worth the read and if you like it, try the Fearless Jones series.

Quick fast paced read

An excellent novel that sweeps up the reader for.a twisting fast paced journey.

Still entertaining...

Leonid McGill stories are not the stuff of Easy Rawlins' stories. And yet, I found it entertaining, descriptive,and vivid. I could empathize (however unlikely it seemed) with McGill. I could see what he was made of, what he had done, who he wanted to be. And why. So, just put Easy Rawlins out of your mind and try this other world on, on it's own measures. You might just find, that, like me, you are entertained and want to read more. In some ways, I see McGill as Danny Glover, (known as Murtough in the Leathal Weapon movies.) Black, solidly built, long years in as a detective, McGill could almost say the same phrase "I'm too old for this..." and yet he continues the work.

Don't waste your money

This is not a good write for Mosley. I did not enjoy the book because it was not well written like Mosley other books. The characters were just too many to keep up with the story and the plot was not all that good. I felt Mosley was trying to hard to introduce this new PI.

The Long Fall East

I've love Walter Mosley's gritty, insightful, tales of life in Los Angeles. Now Mr. Mosley has moved and his protagonist (this book is labeled as the first Leonid McGill novel) is at home in the Big Apple. I don't know New York as well as L.A., but then I didn't know L.A. nearly as well until I read Mr. Mosley's books. Was a move to New York a wise? We'll see McGill stands up to Easy and Socrates.

Very unhappy...

Although I am not a Walter Mosely fan, I thought that I might give this book a shot. I read a couple of chapters and the characters were all over the place. No layers, very weak story. It was painful reading this book. I hate this book. I am going to try to return it. Horrible! I wasted my money. I hope that I can get a refund. No seriously, this book is NOT worth the money. I would not even rent it from a library.

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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