This rough, strong, very political mystery marks the debut of a new kind of Los Angeles private detective--an Easy Rawlins for the '90s and beyond. Ivan Monk is hired by a group of Korean merchants to find out who killed one of their members for the specific reason that Monk is an African American, and the Koreans see him as a public relations asset. Monk sees himself more as a street cleaner or avenging angel, and on his journey of discovery he finds villains of every race and shade. Violent Spring catches the racial and social tensions of Los Angeles in a completely original way.

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