Reading order · 16 books · 1990 to 2025 · Set in Los Angeles
Easy Rawlins Books in Order
Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins is a Black veteran of the Second World War who becomes an unlicensed investigator in Los Angeles in 1948. The series follows him, his family and his dangerous best friend Mouse through the civil rights era and into the 1970s, a history of Black Los Angeles.
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Series facts
- Books
- 16
- Published
- 1990 to 2025
- First book
- Devil in a Blue Dress
- Latest
- Gray Dawn (2025)
- Setting
- Set in Los Angeles
- Order
- Story order differs from publication order
The reading order
Every Easy Rawlins book in publication order, with the story order a switch away. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
16 books · Set in Los Angeles
- 1Devil in a Blue Dress1990With Easy RawlinsIn 1948, Easy Rawlins, laid off from his job at an aircraft factory, needs money for his mortgage.Buy on Amazon
- 2A Red Death1991With Easy RawlinsIn 1953, Easy, in trouble with the tax office, is pressured by the FBI into spying on a union organiser.Buy on Amazon
- 3White Butterfly1992With Easy RawlinsIn 1956, a killer is murdering young Black women in Los Angeles, and the police only call Easy in when a white woman is killed.Buy on Amazon
- 4Black Betty1994With Easy RawlinsIn 1961, Easy is hired to find Black Betty, a woman he knew as a boy in Texas, who has disappeared from the wealthy family she worked for.Buy on Amazon
- 5A Little Yellow Dog1996With Easy RawlinsIn 1963, Easy is working as a school custodian when a teacher asks him to look after her dog, and bodies begin to appear.Buy on Amazon
- 6Gone Fishin’1997With Easy RawlinsIn 1939, a young Easy Rawlins and his friend Mouse travel to the Texas countryside, on a trip that will mark them both.Buy on Amazon
- 7Bad Boy Brawly Brown2002With Easy RawlinsIn 1964, Easy is asked to find the son of a friend, who has joined a radical political group.Buy on Amazon
- 8Little Scarlet2004With Easy RawlinsIn 1965, after the Watts riots, a woman is found murdered, and the police ask Easy to investigate.Buy on Amazon
- 9Cinnamon Kiss2005With Easy RawlinsIn 1966, Easy needs money for his daughter’s medical treatment, and takes a job to find a missing woman called Cinnamon.Buy on Amazon
- 10Blonde Faith2007With Easy RawlinsEasy finds a little girl left at his door, and Mouse is wanted for murder.Buy on Amazon
- 11Little Green2013With Easy RawlinsIn 1967, Easy wakes after a terrible accident, and Mouse asks him to find a young man lost in the hippie scene of Sunset Strip.Buy on Amazon
- 12Rose Gold2014With Easy RawlinsIn 1967, the daughter of a wealthy arms manufacturer is kidnapped by a Black boxer turned revolutionary, and the police ask Easy to find her.Buy on Amazon
- 13Charcoal Joe2016With Easy RawlinsIn 1968, Mouse asks Easy to help the son of a friend, a young physicist accused of murder.Buy on Amazon
- 14Blood Grove2021With Easy RawlinsIn 1969, a young white veteran of the Vietnam War asks Easy to help him find a woman he says he saved.Buy on Amazon
- 15Farewell, Amethystine2023With Easy RawlinsIn 1970, a beautiful woman asks Easy to find her missing husband.Buy on Amazon
- 16Gray Dawn2025With Easy RawlinsSettled in 1970s Los Angeles, Easy Rawlins is asked by powerful people to find a woman from his past, whose secret strikes closer to home than he expects.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with Devil in a Blue Dress. Gone Fishin’ is a prequel set in Texas.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Easy Rawlins | Mouse | Jackson Blue | Etta Mae Harris | Jesus Rawlins | Feather Rawlins | Bonnie Shay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Devil in a Blue Dress | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 2 A Red Death | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 3 White Butterfly | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 4 Black Betty | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 5 A Little Yellow Dog | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 6 Gone Fishin’ | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 7 Bad Boy Brawly Brown | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 8 Little Scarlet | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 9 Cinnamon Kiss | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 10 Blonde Faith | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 11 Little Green | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 12 Rose Gold | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 13 Charcoal Joe | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 14 Blood Grove | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 15 Farewell, Amethystine | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 16 Gray Dawn | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Easy Rawlins books
7 characters from Walter Mosley’s chart, with the number of Easy Rawlins books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Easy RawlinsWar veteran turned investigator in Los Angeles | 16 | Devil in a Blue Dress 1990 |
| MouseRaymond Alexander, Easy’s lethal best friend | 16 | Devil in a Blue Dress 1990 |
| Jackson BlueBrilliant, cowardly friend of Easy | 16 | Devil in a Blue Dress 1990 |
| Etta Mae HarrisMouse’s wife | 16 | Devil in a Blue Dress 1990 |
| Jesus RawlinsBoy Easy adopts | 14 | White Butterfly 1992 |
| Feather RawlinsGirl Easy adopts | 13 | Black Betty 1994 |
| Bonnie ShayFlight attendant and Easy’s love | 5 | A Little Yellow Dog 1996 |