Easy Rawlins Books in Order
Rate this series:
Set in 1940s to 1960s Los Angeles, the Easy Rawlins series follows the titular character, a Black man navigating the racial and social tensions of his time while investigating disappearances and murders. The stories often involve Easy's moral dilemmas and his complex relationships with friends, clients, and the police. Each mystery reflects the broader struggles of African Americans in a society marked by inequality and violence.
Books in this series
Ordered by first publication where known. The official numbering for this series is incomplete in our sources, so we don't show series numbers we can't verify.
-
Buy on AmazonDEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS (Easy Rawlins Mysteries)
1990 · Walter Mosley
Easy Rawlins, a young black veteran in late-1940s Southern California, is fired from his job at an aircraft plant and in danger of losing his home…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1991 · Walter Mosley
In 1953 Red-baiting, blacklisting Los Angeles, Easy Rawlins is out of the hurting business and into the housing business when a racist IRS agent…
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonWhite Butterfly (Easy Rawlins Mysteries)
1992 · Walter Mosley
In Los Angeles in 1956, police only get involved after a third girl dies, since it takes more than one murdered black girl to draw their interest.…
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonBlack Betty (Easy Rowlins Mysteries)
1994 · Walter Mosley
Set in 1961 Los Angeles, Easy Rawlins's quiet real-estate empire is deep in debt, so he accepts $200 from white private eye Saul Lynx to track down…
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonA Little Yellow Dog (Easy Rowlins Mysteries)
1996 · Walter Mosley
Black PI Easy Rawlins, working as a school janitor in Los Angeles, is seduced by a teacher into taking her dog, which her husband is threatening to…
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonGone Fishin' (Easy Rawlins Mysteries)
1997 · Walter Mosley
Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins and Raymond "Mouse" Alexander, two young men setting out in life, hit the road in a borrowed '36 Ford headed for Pariah,…
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonBad Boy Brawly Brown (Easy Rawlins Mysteries)
2001 · Walter Mosley
Easy Rawlins is out of the investigation business and as far from crime as a black man can be in 1960s Los Angeles. But living around desperate men…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon2003 · Walter Mosley
Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins works as senior head custodian of Sojourner Truth High School, living a law-abiding life with a house, garden, and family,…
Read more → -
Buy on AmazonLittle Scarlet (Easy Rawlins Mysteries)
2004 · Walter Mosley
At the height of the riots that cripple Los Angeles in the summer of 1965, a white man is pulled from his car by a mob and escapes into a nearby…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
- Buy on Amazon
-
Buy on Amazon2013 · Walter Mosley
Surviving a near-fatal car wreck, Easy Rawlins cruises the streets of the Sunset Strip during the heyday of the late 1960s while investigating the…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon2014 · Walter Mosley
A boxer-turned-revolutionary kidnaps the daughter of a weapons manufacturer, threatening to publicly execute her unless he receives a lucrative…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon2016 · Walter Mosley
Easy Rawlins is back, running a new detective agency and taking on a new mystery. Charcoal Joe asks Easy to help clear his son, who was found…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
- Buy on Amazon
- Buy on Amazon
Frequently asked questions
What order should I read the Easy Rawlins books in?
Read them in publication order — the list above is sorted by first publication where known, starting with “DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS (Easy Rawlins Mysteries)”.
How many books are in the Easy Rawlins series?
We list 17 books by Walter Mosley , published between 1990–2025.
Where can I buy the Easy Rawlins books?
Each title above links to Amazon. See our affiliate disclosure.
More series like Easy Rawlins
Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted a wrong order, a missing book, or any other mistake? and we'll correct it.