Walter Ellis Mosley is an American novelist recognized primarily for his crime fiction. He is best known for creating Easy Rawlins, a hardboiled private investigator living in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The Easy Rawlins series became a bestselling franchise that established Mosley as a major figure in contemporary detective fiction. In 2020, Mosley received the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, becoming the first Black man to receive this honor. This recognition reflects his significant impact on American literature and his contributions to the crime fiction genre.