Parishioner: A Novel

by Walter Mosley

"Walter Mosley is on my Mount Rushmore of crime fiction."—S.A. Cosby

"One of contemporary literature's pre-eminent crime novelists."—New York Times

Crooks make the best detectives. They know how the guilty think and where the guilty hide.

From bestselling "master of the genre" (Washington Post) Walter Mosley, a thrilling novel about a hardened criminal who regrets his violent past—but whose only hope for redemption is to sin again

In a small town between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, a simple white-stone church sits atop a hill. It belongs to no denomination. Its priest, Father Frank, never speaks of God. The members of his congregation have broken every one of the commandments. They have gathered here to seek forgiveness.

Xavier Rule—Ecks to his friends—didn't come to California searching for salvation. A thief and a killer on the run from the law, he expected to disappear. But under Father Frank's strange ministry, Ecks has started to forgive himself and others for past misdeeds. Then Benol Richards walks through the door. Twenty-three years ago, she helped her lover kidnap three baby boys and sold them on the black market—she has carried the guilt with her ever since. Now she wants to know what became of the children, and Father Frank gives Ecks the job of finding out.

Crooks make the best detectives. They know how the guilty think and where the guilty hide. But if Ecks is to pick up this trail and follow where it leads, he will have to fight his old, lethal instincts—and know when justice demands he give in to them.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, African American, Thriller, Crime, Noir

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Walter Mosley (b. 1952) is the author of the bestselling mystery series featuring Easy Rawlins, as well as numerous other works, from literary fiction and science fiction to a young adult novel and political monographs. His short fiction has been widely published, and his nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times Magazine and the Nation, among other publications. Mosley is the winner of numerous awards, including an O. Henry Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, a Grammy, and PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Ryan Davison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Egbert Noland, known as Xavier Rule, or Ecks, lived as a pimp, gangster, vicious killer and all-around violent criminal for most of his life. He still tempers violent urges, but now is on a redemptive path, working as a simple newspaper delivery man. Ecks is active on Sundays in a non-denomination “church”, led by self-appointed “Father” Franks. Franks leads a congregation full of reformed criminals and saved Ecks a few years back. Sometimes Franks assigns parishioners to do a little saving of others on their own.

A new face appears one Sunday, a lady named Benol Richards, and a type of a confession occurs between Benol to Ecks. She was involved with a man who sold three blond baby boys to a group that illegally adopted them and after consideration Ecks begins the process of identifying and tracking down the child-traffickers, from twenty years past. He is one of the most non-traditional detectives a reader will ever encounter and engages in a series of violent, but heart-felt events. For being a bad man his actions are imbued with an impressive degree of emotion.

Our story is set in 2012, and does feels modern, but characters emit the wisdom found in older souls from simpler times. Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler flavor the atmosphere, especially when cops and criminals directly interact. As Xavier works the case, creating and discovering a significant number of corpses, a new side of him emerges. Ecks doesn’t search for his identity so much as he does his purpose throughout the story. At some point Old Ecks drifts away and New Ecks emerges in the same skin.

This is a dark book, with key characters not being who they seem. It deals with some extremely prickly subject matter but is not vulgar for the sake of offending the reader. Ecks has seen it all so is able encounters victims who have endured unimaginable pain and walk on as if he’s strolling in the park. This coldness helps him help. Part of the effectiveness of the finale of Parishioner is how abruptly it ends.

Recommended to fans of Mosley and hard-boiled detective stories. This novel was first published in 2012 but is being reissued by Atlantic Crime. Thanks to NetGalley, Edelweiss+ and Atlantic Crime for a review copy.

[Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The nameless church was a safe harbor were a sinner was free to brand himself. Rich men and even royalty resided inside Father Frank's walls. But there, on the hillside of Seabreeze city, all congregants were equal under the Sun and Moon. They didn't mention God because just the word was a weapon in the mouths of men."

Egbert Noland who also goes by the name of Xavier also known as Ecks by most people, you may find him donned in attire of a chocolate shirt and lime jacket, cranberry socks and grapefruit shoes don't let this mislead you a bit.
He can be a cold blooded killer, he has crimes to his name in the past, killed and pimped but since meeting with Father Frank of the church of no name he has become a parishioner, he and any many others like him have had a new lease of life and a chance to turn around their lives through the help of Frank.
He fixes a few things for Frank, some jobs aiding a few desperate souls who want to find missing people or remedy a wrong.
At Frank's behest one job is undertaken by Ecks, it uncovers all kinds of unspeakable crimes, mainly involving the kidnapping, killing and selling of children.

There is a warning here of adult content contained within, various women throw themselves at Ecks, and there are some very serious crimes discussed awakened and uncovered from the past of characters in this tale.

This is a gripping narrative with great dialogue, hypnotic reading.
Mosley can write so well, with sentences with the right words that deliver the moment and pace efficiently, he keeps the reader in the unravelling of mysteries, the characters are felt and seen in your mind due to his well crafted writing. You will learn of characters from different walks of life and of their wanting to do right out of wrong and some just plain bad.

Walter Mosley has a great way of showing you the characters and the scene, read this passage describing a Parishioner:

"There were two skinny women with huge breasts and in impossibly small bikinis sunning themselves in beach chairs on the upper deck of Charlie Mother's yacht; white girls with blond hair, red lips, and skinny legs that looked like they could crush walnuts the size of pillows.
"Ecks!" A man shouted.
He was at least a demigod. Six-six with bronze skin and yellow hair. His eyes were the colour of the ocean, and the muscles beneath the skin of his bare chest and arms undulated like huge snakes under a stain sheet. This defied man strode easily from the pilot's dais onto the upper-deck.
He wore dark blue sweatpants cinched tight to his thirty-inch waist, and his smile belonged to a presidential hopeful: white and contagious."

Ecks is definitely a character I would love the author to take further and I am sure we will hear more from the parishioners. This is a read and an author that many may not know of but needs to be known of.

http://more2read.com/review/parishioner-by-walter-mosley/

[Andre(Read-A-Lot) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is vintage Walter Mosley, abundant characters, good story and suspense aplenty. The Parishioner centers around Egbert Noland, aka Xavier Rule, who goes by the name Ecks. There aren't many who are better than Mosley when it comes to creating depth in his protagonists. He does this with Ecks to great effect. He fills in the contours of his life throughout the course of the novel, so you never get the feeling that Ecks is somewhat fanciful. This is very important to this particular story, because there is a lot going on and many crazy individuals doing many kooky things.

The Parishioner is a busy novel, and honestly it may be a bit convoluted. You may need a scorecard to keep up with all the murder and mayhem. There is a "church" of no denomination, a kidnapping scheme, a killer for hire scenario and some porn thrown in for good measure. So, you may find yourself saying, "what?" Mosley tries to wrap all this around Ecks, a parishioner of the church, who is asked to find 3 boys who were stolen at a young age.

Mosley mostly succeeds in this endeavor mainly for the reasons I mention below. If there is a failing, it is in the ending. It's like Mosley got tired of writing and said let me tie all this together and bring it to a close. The conclusion feels rushed like he was running out of time. I've experienced this before with other Mosley books and I find it problematic. Not that I expect a nice tidy feel-great conclusion, but you can't seemingly have everything come together and details rushing from everywhere in a conversation between two characters, that feeds the feeling of clumsiness and hastiness.

Every time I finish a Mosley novel, I find myself people watching, I mean really watching and noting details about strangers. The way he depicts people, their color, features, style and disposition is uncanny. And so in real life, I find myself often wondering how Mosley would describe a particular individual. I absolutely love this about Mosley, that skill of vividness really puts you right in the book and keeps you interested in all the various characters you meet in a Mosley novel.


Thanks to the ebook revolution, authors are able to be more productive without waiting for the traditionally slow publishing cycle. I hope more authors of Mosley's stature take the opportunity to write ebooks. The consumer will be the ultimate winner. As for The Parishioner, it is definitely worth reading, and despite the busyness of the novel, and the hasty ending, I will go 4.5 stars, just short of 5! Spoiler Alert: I read this book back in 2012, as it was published then and I guessing the 2027 release is a reprint or republish. Shishh🤫 Thanks to Edelweiss and Atlantic Crime for an advanced DRC. Book will drop 02/27

[David Dacosta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 stars

Shades of Leonid McGill. Despite beginning as the story of reformed criminals seeking redemption through guidance from a church leader, Parishioner is not too far removed from a McGill mystery. The services of a former gangster known as Xavier Rule have been called upon by his mentor Father Frank to look into, or investigate, a woman at the heart of a child kidnapping scheme dating back decades. Rule’s street smart maneuvering and repartee with cops and people in general closely mirrors another former underworld figure turned sleuth created from the mind of Walter Mosley.

In the spirit of The Man in My Basement, Mosley is once again colouring outside of the lines of his two detective series. His writing remains of a high caliber though there’s a noticeable difference in tone. Something more sinister is at play with Parishioner. Darker and more twisted details surface as this tale progresses. Sure, this is fiction, but a fiction nonetheless based on real happenings in our morally conflicted world.

There’s good, very good, and then there’s masterful. As an author, Walter Mosley deservingly belongs within that latter category. There are attributes to his writing that are unparalleled within the literary space. Whether it be the internal and external dialogue of his characters, or his wildly original descriptions of people, places and things. And then there’s the output. Two, sometimes three titles per year. When I interviewed the author back in 2012, he disclosed that he wrote no more than three hours per day. Those must be very productive daily sessions.

[Jon Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from NetGalley

Originally published as an ebook in 2012, Walter Mosley's Parishioner is being rereleased with a nice looking hardcover edition. I am guessing Mosley is going to continue the story of the protagonist Xavier "Ecks" Rule and this is a reintroduction to the character? Either way, fans of darker hard boiled stories will enjoy this one.

Xavier Rule is a former harlem pimp, killer, thief and all around bad guy who is came to LA to escape his old life. He gets involved with a culty church, led by an enigmatic leader who offers redemption to criminals like Xavier, having them use their criminal prowess to do good or right wrongs in an effort at redemption. Xavier's job is to help a former child trafficker find three men who were sold as babies and attempt to make amends. As you can imagine, the plot is dark - anyone who has issues reading about child/sexual abuse should be aware as it figures heavily in the plot.

Mosley throws you straight into his world in this one. The bad guys are awful and the "good guys" might be worse. Each character is almost like a supervillain - there is a hacker who almost caused global armegeddon. A getaway driver who has never been caught. A femme fatale who leads billionaires to financial and personal ruin with their sexual prowess. And Xavier himself who can seemingly beat any man in hand to hand combat while getting any woman to throw themselves at him within a few minutes of meeting him. Mosley borders on exploitation with this one, but once you allow yourself to settle into the world he created, you can enjoy the ride.

The plot does get convoluted and is classic LA hard boiled insanity, full of double crosses, femme fatales, corrupt oligarchs and crooked cops. At one point I wish I had written down some of the characters to keep track of things, as new people with involved backstories are introduced often. In typical Mosley fashion, the plot is always moving forward, and you'll find yourself wanting to read a little bit more to get to the conclusion.

Any Mosley fans will surely want to check this out. This is also a good introduction for fans of SA Cosby who credits Mosley as a big influence or LA crime writers like Jordan Harper. I'm interested in seeing what else Mosley does with Xavier Rule - hopefully we haven't read the last of him.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parishioner is a well-written, compelling tale of a man looking for redemption of past deeds that explores the uncommon depth of the dark side of humanity. Mosley’s distinctive mark of flawed complex characters that often need to examine their darker nature against their personal moral agenda coupled with good old-fashioned storytelling is present front and center in this book. The story builds tension with the twists and turns as the crimes past and present are revealed. Some questions were answered at the end but others are left opened, but I am hoping this means it is a start of a new series with these intriguing characters. I recommend to Walter Mosley fans and those who enjoy a dark gritty mystery.

[Terri Weitze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walter Mosley always delivers. While, this is about an existing character, it can be read as a stand alone with no problem. Transplanting his East coast gangster Xavier Rule to the West coast doesn't soften the urban reality of this character in the least. The plot moves quickly and is so tangled that it is amazing (and satisfying) to see it all resolve. The characters are interesting and diverse, each with their own story, swept up into this action packed mystery. Once you start reading Mosley, you will be hooked and happily he is a prolific writer so there is plenty more to read.

[Gloria Feit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Xavier “Ecks” Rule is the 46-year-old eponymous protagonist in this standalone from Walter Mosley, the author of several novels, most notably the Easy Rawlins series, holds the title of Deacon in a nameless church in Southern California, led by a self-ordained minister. It should be said that the church has no denomination, and the 96 members of the congregation, deacons all, have backgrounds as thieves, murders, rapists and one state-certified anarchist. But they have either been drawn to the “church” or been recruited by Father Frank, its leader, who then at some point gives each “missions” in which the skills acquired in their violent pasts are put to good use, all as part of the redemption they seek: “The church was like a prison that worked on the honor system. You were free to repent, but always as an inmate serving a life sentence, with Father Frank as both warden and confessor. . . The one rule of their church was to refrain from passing judgment on one another.”

At its heart, this is a tale of human trafficking and three lost boys, and tracking them, at the behest of another Parishioner, is the mission assigned to Ecks, a former Harlem gangster now making his living delivering newspapers, as well as taking a correspondence course studying religion and literature. The book is replete with unrelenting violence, sex and brutality, seemingly as natural as breathing to the continually growing cast of characters, this last making the book frequently difficult to navigate and at times to distinguish one from another. Needless to say, there are numerous murders and much other violence throughout the book.

The often poetic writing is typical of this author’s work. I particularly liked the descriptions of many of the characters, e.g., “he was so thin and wan that he blended into the washed-out fabric like a chameleon might subtly come to resemble branch and leaf.” A dark world is portrayed here, one that I suspect is foreign to many, if not most, readers, but that said, there is much to enjoy here, and with that caveat, it is recommended.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terrible people. Dark, sordid, and disturbing characters trying to make amends but doing it in violent and deceitful ways. Not your typical church. More like a cult for reformed reprobates. It gets too complicated and incomprehensible with all the deceit and aliases. It's all about the Benjamins. The main character I kept visualizing Ice Cube portraying him. He's a killer with a code who is on a quest to do the right thing. I enjoyed his journey but he waded through so much evil and nastiness.

[Ellis Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was keen to read this novel as one of the 8 noirs Sara Gran recommended in the NYT.

It's a stand-alone book, set in California in the present day, although it felt anachronistic rather than modern. (I suspect there may be a point about simplicity and such, but the setting felt off, rather than fully convincing).

The book follows a reformed gangster, now delivering newspapers and part of a church that reforms 'bad' people, who is tasked by the Chruch's pastor with helping a dubious woman locate three babies she stole and sold as a teenager.

The case involves discovering horrible things, but it's really secondary to the main character 'Ecks' changing outlook as he begins to turn away from violence. Maybe the depravity of the case was meant to feed Eck's journey, but it didn't tie in too well for me. That said, there is a lot to unpick in the book - many of the book's characters are formed by growing up around violence and evil and the story lays out the consequence of this without judgement, showing how behaviour is normalised, how difficult it can be to begin trusting people, and how desperate actions can seem the best option. All this is done by showing not telling, though it felt separate to the transformation of the protagonist.

The ending is low key, which fits the journey Ecks is on and he notably turns away from getting more involved with the (unconventional) Church.

Thematically it's a very interesting story, and a striking, imperfect, ambitious book.

The characters are vividly sketched, but there are a lot of them (and it might have been better with the limitations of first person as with the Easy and McGill series). It's a noirish character study more than a mystery novel and as that could have slowed down and gone deeper in places. Nonetheless, it's a big swing for a crime novel and it almost pays off.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have always heard great things about Walter Mosley but have never taken the time to read his work. When I saw he was releasing a book that is the start of a new series, I wanted to jump at the chance to see what all hype was about.

And it was just there.

I think part of my problem is that I never felt like any of the characters were likable. They are really horrible people. Even those that are supposedly on a path of redemption make some horrible decisions or at least extremely questionable and selfish choices.

And yet, I have seen some authors make it work. They find something to make you want to cheer for someone or it is played for laughs. None of that is in this novel. It’s just bad people not wanting to feel bad any more about themselves while they continue to make bad decisions.

And the weird part to me was I felt like it was written in a way as if I were to find myself in a moral quandary. I didn’t.

The writing isn’t bad. At times, it was brilliant. It was just what was written was my problem.

Maybe I need to check out Mosley’s other works to see what all the fuss is about.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an ARC for an unbiased review.

[Mergulum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A church whose membership consists of former criminals who are apparently seeking to make reparation for their innumerable offences by performing various jobs or tasks on the direction of Frank, the church leader. Xavier Rule is one of these parishioners who is set to track down three people who were kidnapped as babies. Achieving this involves him trawling through the absolute underbelly of society and revisiting memories of his own lawless past. The cast of characters are almost entirely duplicitous, violent and irredeemable. The plot is twisty and convoluted and I found myself having to concentrate really hard to keep a grip on it. That is not a criticism. In fact I would describe this as the most Chandleresque book I have read that wasn’t actually by Raymond Chandler.
I understand that this book was originally published in 2012 and is being reissued in 2027. Thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Crime for this review copy of the reissue.

[Hannahlynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there were 6 stars, Mosley would get them all

Just as all of Mosley’s books this book is powerfully written. It’s extremely graphic and covers extremely horrible crimes, so don’t read it if you’re prone to depression, anxiety, or even just having a bad day. But, oh! My god. What a story. Mosley’s characters always portray the evil and good humans are capable of. His protagonists are always stronger than their misdeeds. The parishioner is no different in that regard, but the way his soul is searched and the amount of Blackness he presents are at the heart of a crazy, crazy story. It is a page-turner to the end. If you love redemption, you will find a place for this story.

[Paulette J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit much….

Love reading the Easy Rawlings stories: however this one was a bit much. Just too darn many characters and too much head scratching for me to loop it all together to figure it out. I do not like having to guess an outcome or situation nor do l like having to flip back and re read pages to see if l missed something to continue and still not know what the author is conveying. Started to give up several times but made it to the end. Too bad Walter doesn’t have a website so that readers could correspond with him about his books. Guess tho he is a busy man….on to his next hit, shucks.

[Terry Slaven · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strange novel. A hardened criminal from the East Coast has moved to Los Angeles and has been recruited by an unorthodox preacher to join his congregation. The cultish congregation is populated by repentant sinners from disparate walks of life who are seemingly manipulated by the pastor to accomplish various shadowy ends. The titular character, known by various aliases, is directed to assist a visiting woman who wants to right a wrong committed in her past. And from that point, the plot goes berserk in all directions. There is redemption in there somewhere. Not my favorite of Mosley’s novels.

[Scooby Doo · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF 92% If you can buy the central conceit of a church of reformed criminals then the story is an unusual detective story that has Mosley's typical eye for detailed characters. But at 92% when the depth of the plot is being revealed, there were too many twists for my little mind to follow (as if often the case for me with Mosley novels), and I wasn't invested enough in the "victims" to care about the final outcome.

[STEPHEN TORNIO · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never tire or reading Walter Mosley whether is is Easy Rawlins, Leonid McGill or his one offs like Ptolemy Grey or this one, Parishioner. Xavier, Ecks, is not what would be labeled a good man in the normal world most of us live in. He is however, a good man in the world he lives in. Mosley takes you to a world most of us do not know and find hard to accept, but, in the end, you do accept it and you leave this book with the hope that Eck finds the happiness that has escaped him.

[John Bunyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very violent and describes some horrible crimes. But I liked it. An interesting premise for the “detective” story. The story is complex and there are a lot of characters, but it gets sorted out clearly in the end. The weaving of Xavier’s personal life, the religion, and the plot is done well. There is action to keep it moving and I finished in two days.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! A special thanks to Mona GH for this author-superbly written, an awesome plot, great backstory of the “church” and parishioners; but an evil and gruesome side to follow the twists and turns! “When you were eighteen months old your parents left you at a daycare center, where you were kidnapped with two other boys. Your new parents bought you from a slaver.” Enjoy

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I consider myself a big Walter Mosley fan. This book just didn't do it for me. The silly names, the belabored sentences, the convoluted dialogue.

There were some glimmering examples of Mosley's talent hidden in there, but I rate this the lowest of all of the Mosley books that I've read. Can't recommend it.

[L C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong Read

Walter Mosley always write very good books and the Parishioner is no different. A new character but there were too many parts that felt like other characters with a new name.

[Alyson Ford]

I was so disappointed😩

Usually, Walter Monkey's stories keep me guessing but maintain my interest. This story was dark, tiring and convoluted. I guess not every story can be stellar.

[Mary Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another snappy tale from the master, about Los Angeles and its mean streets, and the transplants and locals that inhabit them. Rough, raw, lyrical.

[JOELLEN RICHARDSON · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Mosley title. Suspense and great characters. I gave it a four star just because there are a few other titled of his I have liked more, but you won't be disappointed.

[Tom Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walter Mosley has done it again!

This is one of Walter Mosley’s best books! He is an excellent storyteller! I hope that he continues with these new characters.

[Donald R. Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent plot.

Enjoyed the deep side inuindos to good and bad. If you want to win you have to be honest with yourself.

[Mike Stott · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read

Lots of characters to keep track of. Really full of thought provoking dilemnas. I enjoed those read Great last line

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hero is a member of an unusual church consisting of parishioners that have committed numerous crimes and have a variety of illicit skills. They are lead by a charismatic pastor that sends them on "missions" to promote their healing and self awareness.

One such mission is assigned to the H and the story begins, filled with amazing secondary characters and an intriguing mystery to be solved. Each character is so well written that I could see them each having their own book. The author is smart and doesn't allow these characters to detract from the main story line, but uses them to enhance and give depth to the story.

The dialogue is rich and it is wonderful to read a book written by an author that understands the English language.

I was held captive by this story and found myself unable to put the book down. The ending fulfilled my need for a HEA, but not one that is overly neat and tidy.

ARC provided by Netgalley.

[Patrick C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a long and somewhat apocryphal tale of redemption about an former uber-criminal who has joined a mysterious cult-like and secretive church for outsiders and reprobates like himself - he is tasked to undertake a fantastic mission that involves a long-standing kidnapping and child human trafficking network. Most of the characters encountered are major league bad actors and the story involves some incredible machinations.

More of a parable than a realistic depiction of more routine criminal activities, it was still an enjoyable read. I prefer the Easy Rawlins level of local crime story, but this variation from that "norm" was worth the effort....

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, many of Mosley's books revolve around a flawed hero. The bad person trying to redeem self or help others by doing a mix of good/bad things towards a good end. I'm torn between reading some really good writing and seeing the (very rough) world that seems to fill his characters eyes. Yes, there are some good people in his world(s), but many are caught in the meat grinder of the lower levels, where escape/redemption seems to come with a definite cost.

While I don't like seeming to leave my comments without resolution, I blame my ambivalence. This is some really good writing that deals with difficult things.