A Review of Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large by Walter Mosley

I’m an
avid fan of Walter Mosley’s crime fiction novels. I love the way he crafts his
characters – flawed with some sense of justice and humanity in a world filled
with crazy twists and turns. Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large fits
the mold seamlessly.

So, let’s
meet Felix Orlean, a journalism student at Columbia University originally from New
Orleans whose interest has been piqued by an ad for a “scribe” to work with “A.
LAWLESS IN THE TESSLA BUILDING.” When he appears to meet Archibald Lawless at
ten to six in the morning, he has no idea what he was getting into because Archibald
seemed like an oddball. Nevertheless, Felix’s curiosity gets the better of him
and he decides to try out the gig. 

Archibald
gives Felix a piece of paper to check up on a list of people to make sure they
are fine. But when Felix starts doing so, some of them start asking lots of
questions and he even witnesses one of them die from an alleged heart attack.
But then he gets arrested on suspicion of murder and then sprung by a police
captain who knows Archibald. Felix is still perplexed and trying to understand
what is going on. Eventually, it’s all about stolen diamonds, suspects, and
assassins. 

Overall,
this was a quick and intriguing read. I thoroughly enjoyed the story,
especially the quirks blended in with the intellect of Archibald (some may even
call him crazy). He’s a man of many talents, wielding and dealing with high
class and some seedy folks amidst a political background which makes you
question whether he’s a good or bad guy. There were a lot of twists and turns
and although Felix felt uneasy and wanted to quit, he couldn’t resist staying
on the gig just to see Archibald get his Aunt Alberta out of jail. There is so
much more I would love to see happen in this novella, but it has potential to
explore the characters in another novel. 

A must-read.
Two thumbs up! 

Some of my
favorite lines: 

Rating: 4
stars  

“What do
you mean?” I asked. “You don’t expect that I’m going to come work for you after
what I’ve been through.”

“Sure I
do.”

“Why?”

“Because
of your aunt, of course. You’ll agree to work for me for a specified amount of
time and I will agree to do what your father refused to do, free your aunt from
jail.”

The hairs
on the back of my neck rose up then. I hadn’t even considered this option until
the middle of the night before. My face must have exposed my surprise.

“I need
you, Felix,” Lawless said. “You complete a faulty circuit in my head. You give
me the three years that your aunt has left on her sentence and I will make sure
that she’s out of the joint by Sunday next.”

Originally Published on https://vocalexpressions.blogspot.com

Deliah Lawrence Attorney, Author, Blogger, Workshop Facilitator

Deliah Lawrence is a Maryland-based attorney and award-winning author of two romantic suspense novels (Gotta Let It Go and Gotta Get It Back) set in Baltimore. She’s also a blogger and workshop facilitator who writes poetry and short stories.

When Deliah isn’t writing, you can find her reading a book, indulging in her addiction to investigation discovery shows; or painting her yet-to-be exhibited oil artworks of landscapes, portraits or whatever else comes to her creative mind. Constantly on the go, she is also a member of the Black Writers’ Guild of Maryland and Sisters in Crime.