African American novels not so "hood" & not all about sex.?

Walter Mosley's series about Easy Rawlins, set in 1950s Los Angeles, is first-rate. It's got sex, love, money, drama, characters you care about and want to come out okay, others you hope get what they deserve. They're usually shelved with mystery novels, sometimes with mainstream or African-American. I haven't read them all, but I've really liked the ones I read, starting with "Devil in a Blue Dress."