Book Series Guide

Walter Mosley

Author guide

Walter Mosley Books in Order

Walter Mosley is an American author whose work spans mystery fiction, literary fiction, science fiction, short stories, nonfiction, plays, and graphic narratives. He is best known for the Easy Rawlins mysteries, while also creating the Fearless Jones, Leonid McGill, King Oliver, and Socrates Fortlow series. His books explore Black life, history, politics, identity, violence, and social justice across contemporary, historical, and speculative settings.

mysterycrime fictionliterary fictionscience fictionshort storiesnonfictionmemoirplaysgraphic novelsyoung adult fictionerotica

Walter Mosley's Newest Book

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of Devil in a Blue Dress

Devil in a Blue Dress

The best entry point to the Easy Rawlins mysteries and Mosley's crime fiction.

Cover of Blue Light

Blue Light

A strong entry point to Mosley's speculative and science fiction.

Cover of Workin' on the Chain Gang: Shaking off the Dead Hand of History

Workin' on the Chain Gang: Shaking off the Dead Hand of History

An accessible entry point to his political nonfiction.

Read in order

Books by series

mystery-series · ongoing

Easy Rawlins Mysteries

Crime mysteries featuring Los Angeles private investigator Ezekiel Porterhouse Rawlins.

Series guide →
  1. 1 Cover of Devil in a Blue Dress
    Devil in a Blue Dress

    Book 1 · mystery-novel · 1990

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2 Cover of A Red Death
    A Red Death

    Book 2 · mystery-novel · 1991

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3 Cover of White Butterfly
    White Butterfly

    Book 3 · mystery-novel · 1992

    Amazon ↗
  4. 4 Cover of Black Betty
    Black Betty

    Book 4 · mystery-novel · 1994

    Amazon ↗
  5. 5 Cover of A Little Yellow Dog
    A Little Yellow Dog

    Book 5 · mystery-novel · 1996

    Amazon ↗
  6. 6 Cover of Gone Fishin'
    Gone Fishin'

    Book 6 · mystery-novel · 1997

    Amazon ↗
  7. 7 Cover of Bad Boy Brawly Brown
    Bad Boy Brawly Brown

    Book 7 · mystery-novel · 2002

    Amazon ↗
  8. 8 Cover of Six Easy Pieces
    Six Easy Pieces

    Book 8 · short-story-collection · 2003

    Amazon ↗
  9. 9 Cover of Little Scarlet
    Little Scarlet

    Book 9 · mystery-novel · 2004

    Amazon ↗
  10. 10 Cover of Cinnamon Kiss
    Cinnamon Kiss

    Book 10 · mystery-novel · 2005

    Amazon ↗
  11. 11 Cover of Blonde Faith
    Blonde Faith

    Book 11 · mystery-novel · 2007

    Amazon ↗
  12. 12 Cover of Little Green
    Little Green

    Book 12 · mystery-novel · 2013

    Amazon ↗
  13. 13 Cover of Rose Gold
    Rose Gold

    Book 13 · mystery-novel · 2014

    Amazon ↗
  14. 14 Cover of Charcoal Joe
    Charcoal Joe

    Book 14 · mystery-novel · 2016

    Amazon ↗
  15. 15 Cover of Blood Grove
    Blood Grove

    Book 15 · mystery-novel · 2021

    Amazon ↗
  16. 16 Cover of Farewell, Amethystine
    Farewell, Amethystine

    Book 16 · mystery-novel · 2024

    Amazon ↗
  17. 17 Cover of Gray Dawn
    Gray Dawn

    Book 17 · mystery-novel · 2025

    Amazon ↗

mystery-series · completed

Fearless Jones Mysteries

Mysteries featuring Los Angeles bookseller and investigator Paris Minton and his friend Fearless Jones.

Series guide →
  1. 1 Cover of Fearless Jones
    Fearless Jones

    Book 1 · mystery-novel · 2001

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2
    Fear Itself

    Book 2 · mystery-novel · 2003

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3 Cover of Fear of the Dark
    Fear of the Dark

    Book 3 · mystery-novel · 2006

    Amazon ↗

mystery-series · ongoing

King Oliver Mysteries

Mysteries featuring investigator Joe King Oliver.

Series guide →
  1. 1 Cover of Down the River unto the Sea
    Down the River unto the Sea

    Book 1 · mystery-novel · 2018

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2 Cover of Every Man a King
    Every Man a King

    Book 2 · mystery-novel · 2023

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3 Cover of Been Wrong So Long It Feels Like Right
    Been Wrong So Long It Feels Like Right

    Book 3 · mystery-novel · 2025

    Amazon ↗
  4. 4
    Hanging and Burning

    Book 4 · mystery-novel · 2026

    Amazon ↗

mystery-series · completed

Leonid McGill Mysteries

New York mysteries featuring private investigator Leonid McGill.

Series guide →
  1. 1 Cover of The Long Fall
    The Long Fall

    Book 1 · mystery-novel · 2009

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2 Cover of Known to Evil
    Known to Evil

    Book 2 · mystery-novel · 2010

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3 Cover of When the Thrill Is Gone
    When the Thrill Is Gone

    Book 3 · mystery-novel · 2011

    Amazon ↗
  4. 4 Cover of All I Did Was Shoot My Man
    All I Did Was Shoot My Man

    Book 4 · mystery-novel · 2012

    Amazon ↗
  5. 5 Cover of And Sometimes I Wonder About You
    And Sometimes I Wonder About You

    Book 5 · mystery-novel · 2015

    Amazon ↗
  6. 6 Cover of Trouble Is What I Do
    Trouble Is What I Do

    Book 6 · mystery-novel · 2020

    Amazon ↗

literary-fiction-series · completed

Socrates Fortlow Novels

Stories and novels centered on Socrates Fortlow, an ex-convict living in Los Angeles.

Series guide →
  1. 1 Cover of Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned
    Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned

    Book 1 · short-story-collection · 1997

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2 Cover of Walkin' the Dog
    Walkin' the Dog

    Book 2 · short-story-collection · 1999

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3 Cover of The Right Mistake
    The Right Mistake

    Book 3 · literary-novel · 2008

    Amazon ↗

science-fiction-novella-series · completed

Crosstown to Oblivion

A speculative novella series about ordinary people confronting mythic and world-altering forces.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    The Gift of Fire / On the Head of a Pin

    Book 1 · science-fiction-novella-collection · 2012

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2 Cover of Merge / Disciple
    Merge / Disciple

    Book 2 · science-fiction-novella-collection · 2012

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3
    Stepping Stone / The Love Machine

    Book 3 · science-fiction-novella-collection · 2013

    Amazon ↗

crime-anthology-series · completed

Transgressions

An anthology series of crime novellas by multiple authors, including Mosley's Walking the Line.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    Walking the Line

    Book 1 · crime-novella · 2005

    Amazon ↗

graphic-comics-series · completed

The Thing

A six-issue Marvel graphic series written by Walter Mosley with art by Tom Reilly.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    The Thing (2021) #1

    Book 1 · comic-book · 2021

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2
    The Thing (2021) #2

    Book 2 · comic-book · 2021

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3
    The Thing (2021) #3

    Book 3 · comic-book · 2022

    Amazon ↗
  4. 4
    The Thing (2021) #4

    Book 4 · comic-book · 2022

    Amazon ↗
  5. 5
    The Thing (2021) #5

    Book 5 · comic-book · 2022

    Amazon ↗
  6. 6
    The Thing (2021) #6

    Book 6 · comic-book · 2022

    Amazon ↗

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (22)
  1. Cover of R.L.'s Dream
    R.L.'s Dream

    literary-novel · 1995

    Amazon ↗
  2. Cover of Blue Light
    Blue Light

    science-fiction-novel · 1998

    Amazon ↗
  3. Cover of Workin' on the Chain Gang: Shaking off the Dead Hand of History
    Workin' on the Chain Gang: Shaking off the Dead Hand of History

    nonfiction · 2000

    Amazon ↗
  4. What Next: An African American Initiative Toward World Peace

    nonfiction · 2003

    Amazon ↗
  5. Cover of The Man in My Basement
    The Man in My Basement

    literary-novel · 2004

    Amazon ↗
  6. Cover of The Wave
    The Wave

    science-fiction-novel · 2005

    Amazon ↗
  7. Cover of 47
    47

    young-adult-novel · 2005

    Amazon ↗
  8. Maximum Fantastic Four

    graphic-novel · 2005

    Amazon ↗
  9. Cover of Fortunate Son
    Fortunate Son

    literary-novel · 2006

    Amazon ↗
  10. Cover of Killing Johnny Fry: A Sexistential Novel
    Killing Johnny Fry: A Sexistential Novel

    erotic-novel · 2006

    Amazon ↗
  11. Life Out of Context: Which Includes a Proposal for the Non-violent Takeover of the House of Representatives

    nonfiction · 2006

    Amazon ↗
  12. Cover of Diablerie
    Diablerie

    erotic-fiction · 2007

    Amazon ↗
  13. Cover of The Tempest Tales
    The Tempest Tales

    literary-fiction · 2008

    Amazon ↗
  14. Cover of The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
    The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey

    literary-novel · 2010

    Amazon ↗
  15. Cover of Twelve Steps Toward Political Revelation
    Twelve Steps Toward Political Revelation

    nonfiction · 2011

    Amazon ↗
  16. Cover of Parishioner
    Parishioner

    literary-novel · 2012

    Amazon ↗
  17. Cover of Odyssey
    Odyssey

    science-fiction-novel · 2013

    Amazon ↗
  18. Cover of Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore
    Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore

    literary-novel · 2014

    Amazon ↗
  19. Cover of Inside a Silver Box
    Inside a Silver Box

    science-fiction-novel · 2015

    Amazon ↗
  20. Cover of John Woman
    John Woman

    literary-novel · 2018

    Amazon ↗
  21. Cover of Touched
    Touched

    science-fiction-novel · 2023

    Amazon ↗
  22. Ghalen: A Romance in Black

    literary-novel · 2026

    Amazon ↗
Nonfiction (2)
  1. Cover of This Year You Write Your Novel
    This Year You Write Your Novel

    writing-guide · 2007

    Amazon ↗
  2. Cover of Elements of Fiction
    Elements of Fiction

    writing-guide · 2019

    Amazon ↗
Short fiction (3)
  1. Futureland: Nine Stories of an Imminent World

    science-fiction-short-story-collection · 2001

    Amazon ↗
  2. Cover of The Further Tales of Tempest Landry
    The Further Tales of Tempest Landry

    short-story-collection · 2015

    Amazon ↗
  3. Cover of The Awkward Black Man
    The Awkward Black Man

    short-story-collection · 2020

    Amazon ↗
Plays (2)
  1. The Fall of Heaven

    play · 2011

    Amazon ↗
  2. Lift

    play · 2014

    Amazon ↗