16 of 17
Rose Gold
320 pages; Vintage
The Premise: In Mosley's most recent Easy Rawlins mystery (the first was Devil in a Blue Dress), the P.I. is hired to find the kidnapped daughter of a wealthy weapons manufacturer. The story unfolds in L.A. during the era of radical black nationalism and the Patty Hearst kidnapping—and while the prime suspect is a black man, Easy is convinced he's innocent and fears that the police will kill him if they find him first.  

Why the Ending Is a Stunner: This unputdownable story is filled with twists and turns, but the real shock to the system lies in Mosley's social commentary about an era that makes you think even harder about today's headlines.
— Dawn Raffel