Fear Itself by Walter Mosley is a mystery. Paris Minton is a black bookstore owner in the mid-1950s, who is a reader and a thinker, but a scaredey cat.
His world is turned upside down when his friend, Fearless Jones, comes to ask for Paris’ help in finding a man named Kit Mitchell. Paris is apprehensive, but Fearless is his friend. He knows Fearless will protect him because Fearless is as much of a brave one and reader of people’s hearts as Paris if fearful, logical, and intellectual.
The case leads to missing jewelry, a missing family treasure, and four murders.
My favorite quote from the book:
“I liked looking up words in the dictionary. It calmed me, because there was no tension in the definitions. Definitions were neutral: facts, not fury.”
Kind of like the news used to be before network television. Just the facts, not fury.
Now all it is is blah blah blah lean to the right lean to the left.
Love the quote. And agree with Auntie G — when I was in journalism classes (with Dennis Cripe) the news was the news only. Editorializing, especially trying to do it emotionally, was strictly amateur writing!
Obviously the character had never been in a room full of English majors! There can be surprising debate over dictionary definitions.
HA! I’m with Aunt Scoop! That’s SOOOOOOOOO true.