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.”