In order to make the novel's intricacies of plot and character work for the reader, Mosley employs a realism that emanates from his own childhood knowledge of South Central Los Angeles. Easy's vocation and his real-estate investments are based upon the actual employment of Mosley's parents with the Board of Education. Mosley's father Leroy Mosley was a school custodian who also owned rental properties. Easy's occasional recollections of a harsh, racist past in Louisiana and Texas are based upon the actual background of Leroy Mosley and his friends, who often talked about the pre-1950s South they knew. In addition to general praise for the characterizations of Easy Rawlins and those with whom he interacts, critics cite Mosley's ability to create dialogue that is true to varying dialects and rhythms of speech.

There are enough characters in the novel to intimidate the most attentive reader, but this too...