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There are many reasons for readers to love Walter Mosley's new novel, WHEN THE THRILL IS GONE. The most obvious one is the private investigator Leonid McGill, whose life and affairs are more complicated than most. From his relationship with his father, who labeled him with a Russian name to reflect his own philosophical leanings, to his relationship to his own son, in whom he sees his own mistake-ridden past, to the many (both romantic and platonic) female relationships in his life, McGill entrances.
The plotline, too, is intriguing. A beautiful woman shows up in his office with a bundle of cash and a story about how her husband (now on his third marriage) is trying to kill her. She claims she's an artist who married a wealthy collector who murdered his first two wives and now appears intent on making her number three. McGill smells something fishy, but the financial state of his own life just won't let him turn her case down.
Meanwhile back at home, his own wife is having an affair, his son seems destined for trouble, and his mentor lies dying of cancer at McGill's residence. All these complications just hit the tip of the iceberg that is McGill's life. There are more characters in his latest mystery than a 500-page Russian novel, but it all makes for great reading, surprisingly enough. Each relationship gives McGill depth and keeps things moving along.
From his local boxing gym in New York to the streets of Baltimore, the mystery and McGill's life ducks and weaves like a good boxing match. There is never a moment of boredom in McGill's life or any of his family or acquaintances. Very little of what appears on the surface turns out to have a basis in fact, once McGill sorts it out.
The woman who appears in his office is not who she says she is, although her fear is apparently justified. The same can be said for so many characters in this story. What Mosley does well is not provide neat wrap-ups yet he answers all the fundamental questions of the mystery.
If there can be any criticism of the book, it's that the ending is a little weak, but with having given his readers such a powerful experience, it's hardly worth mentioning. WHEN THE THRILL IS GONE is sure to satisfy on many levels, not least in its rich characterization and unique commentary on life.
§Christine Zibas is a freelance writer and former director of publications for a Chicago nonprofit.
Reviewed by Christine Zibas, March 2011
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