How Easy Rawlins Built a Real Estate Empire, One Crime Novel at a Time

Farewell, Amethystine: Real Estate Lessons from an Unlikely Detective #

About a third of the way through Farewell, Amethystine, Easy Rawlins, a private investigator and World War II veteran, sets out for a late-night meeting with a gun and a hunch. The narrative teeters on the edge of impending violence as his missing-person case unravels. Before the action unfolds, Easy pauses to assert he doesn’t need the job, as he makes ample income renting real estate.

Easy, a Black veteran who escaped the Jim Crow South for Los Angeles, began his real estate journey in the 1990 novel, Devil in a Blue Dress. Initially, he took on detective work to pay his mortgage, later using profits to invest in rental properties. By 1970, Easy owns 12 buildings with 101 rental units, earning $26,000 annually after expenses—a sum equivalent to about $217,000 today.

While fictional, Easy Rawlins symbolizes the practical narrative of small landlords. In 2022, about 7% of U.S. households earned rental income. For many, it’s a side hustle, starting from a single property and building wealth through hard work and financial acumen. Often portrayed as heartless in popular culture, landlords hold a complex position in American society.

Easy represents many Americans’ aspirations: financial independence, a comfortable life, and the ability to leave a legacy. The detective’s focus isn’t purely financial; he’s sometimes forgiving and other times strict with tenants. His journey reflects his creator’s real-life inspiration, rooted in his parents’ experiences as small landlords who owned several apartment buildings in Los Angeles.

Easy’s story mirrors the postwar economic boom in California, where Black families could thrive in a growing industrial economy. Yet, the wealth gap remains stark, unchanged since the author’s childhood. Fast-forward to the 1970s, the novel’s setting, marking the onset of economic shifts that would diminish such opportunities.

Reflecting on the character, it emerges that while Easy is a successful capitalist through real estate, he’s motivated more by community support than financial gain. In his world, achieving passive income allows him the freedom to help friends and acquaintances, solving mysteries not out of necessity but choice.