The Tempest Tales
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From the acclaimed bestselling author of the Easy Rawlins series, deemed "one of America's best mystery writers" (The New York Times Book Review), comes a tale about a murdered man who does not want to go to heaven or hell--he'd rather have his old life in Harlem.Tempest Landry is neither a good nor a bad man, but an average man trying to survive. Sure, he stole money from his mother's church, but he used it to pay for his aunt's groceries while she was recovering from pneumonia. And yes, Tiny Henderson went to jail because of Tempest's white lie, but the brutal rapist and murderer deserved it. After a cop "accidentally" kills Tempest, Tempest is denied access to heaven for his sins. But he brazenly refuses St. Peter's command to proceed to hell--he would just as soon settle for his old life in Harlem. Temporarily stymied, St. Peter grants Tempest his wish--but in a different body and with a guardian angel following him around who is determined to convert him to righteousness. But the devil is also in the running for Tempest's soul--and he wants it in a bad way. In this episodic and humorous homage to Langston Hughes' prescient narrator Jess B. Simple, readers are lured into the never-ending debate on the nature of good and evil. The Tempest Tales explores the provoking questions: Is sin the same for people of different races? Is sin judged the same for the poor as it is for the rich? And ultimately, who really gets to decide?
Walter Mosley
Walter Mosley is one of America’s most celebrated writers. He was given the 2020 National Book Award’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, named a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and honored with the Anisfield-Wolf Award, a Grammy, a PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award, the Robert Kirsch Award, numerous Edgars and several NAACP Image Awards. He is the author of more than sixty critically acclaimed books that cover a wide range of ideas, genres, and forms including fiction (literary, mystery, and science fiction), political monographs, writing guides including Elements of Fiction, a memoir in paintings, and the young adult novel 47. His work has been translated into twenty-five languages. He has published fiction and nonfiction in The New Yorker, Playboy, and The Nation. As an executive producer, he adapted his novel, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, for AppleTV+ and serves as a writer and executive producer for FX’s Snowfall.
In 2020 he was a recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and from the National Book Foundation. In 2013, he was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame, and he is the winner of numerous awards, including an Edgar Award, an O. Henry Award, the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award, PEN America's Lifetime Achievement Award, a Grammy Award, and several NAACP Image Awards. His work has been translated into twenty-five languages.
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