A Little Yellow Dog, by Walter Mosley (Picador, £6.99 in UK)

Another outing for Mosley's black protagonist, Easy Rawlings

Another outing for Mosley's black protagonist, Easy Rawlings. Now it's the early Sixties and Easy is working for the Los Angeles Education board as head janitor in a school. Reluctantly becoming involved with sensual teacher Mrs Idabell Turner, he is soon up to his elbows in murder and mayhem, not to mention dog doody when he is put in charge of the eponymous hound. Working more on reputation than content nowadays, Mosley, in my opinion, is freewheeling where he should be pedalling like mad. But the fans, including the US President, still love him.

V.B.