A crime reporter becomes personally entangled when a close relative's death points to a pattern of murders; he pursues leads that connect newsroom sleuthing to federal investigations.

Blanche on the Lam introduces Blanche White, an African-American domestic worker who becomes entangled in a criminal accusation and then in solving mysteries around her.

Set in late-1940s Los Angeles, the novel follows Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins, an unemployed Black man who takes on a missing-person job that draws him into criminal danger and complex social worlds.

Set at a small, elite liberal-arts college, the novel follows a tight group of Classics students whose scholarly intensity and social isolation lead to a violent rupture.