Ulysses S. Grant IV, Paris’s cousin, shows up at his door one day looking for a little help, but Paris turns him away. He doesn’t invite him in or listen to his problem. Ulysses or "Useless" as he is known, always seems to complicate the lives of people he touches and Paris prefers his simple, plain existence. Things don’t remain peaceful very long though. A jealous boyfriend finds Paris in a compromising situation with his sweetheart and comes after Paris in a blind rage. Paris has to run for his life and heads straight to his old friend and protector "Fearless" Jones.

Then Useless drops out of sight and his mother, Three Hearts, turns to her nephew Paris to help locate her wandering son. Paris has reason to suspect that his cousin is involved way over his head in some sort of illegal scheme but Three Hearts sees only a defenseless son lost on the dangerous streets. Paris enlists the dark talents of Fearless Jones to protect him as he searches for the wayward relative.

A complicated blackmail plot becomes apparent with Ulysses bouncing around the middle of it. It’s up to Paris and Fearless to find a way to extract Ulysses and with any luck, keep him intact.

This is the first time I’ve read one of Mosley’s Fearless Jones novels and I think that I already like him better than the more well-known Easy Rawlins. I like the value system of Jones; his sense of right and wrong. Fearless Jones is a simple man with a brave and loyal heart. Paris Minton, the deep thinker, complements him as the perfect sidekick. The story runs at a pace that the reader can follow and it never slows down. I’ve read a lot of Mosley and this is the best so far.