Having loved the Easy Rawlins and Fearless Jones series, I had to give Mosley's other detectives a try. Close on the heels of the first Leonid McGill mystery, The Long Fall, I read this book, the first to feature Joe "King" Oliver, a disgrace former policeman, now working as a private detective. Mosley's just a master at these kinds of stories. Oliver is just different enough from McGill to justify his existence (since both are set in modern-day New York City). He's got a similar group of colorful friends and acquaintances and he cares deeply for his daughter, Aja-Denise, who is one of the few people who stood by him when he was falsely accused and sent to prison briefly, for a crime he didn't commit. Another friend who stood by and kept him safe was his police academy pal, Gladstone, known to the family as "Uncle Glad." Joe is given a chance to solve the mystery of what happened to him, while at the same time uncovering evidence that might save a black radical convicted of killing two police officers from death row. This is another really good mystery, though it does perhaps have one or two threads too many, one or two characters more than the reader can safely keep straight (this seems to be an issue with some of the later Easy Rawlins mysteries, too). But I can say I really enjoyed this and will definitely be continuing on with the other King Oliver mysteries.

This was an awesome introduction (for me) into the work of Walter Mosley. These days, I live for complicated cop or detective stories and Joe King Oliver fits solidly into that category. King is a former NYPD cop that was unfairly framed by someone else on the force. He was sent to Rikers where he was initially placed in the general population with many of the criminals he helped put away. After sustaining some life-threatening injuries at the hands of other inmates, which left him scarred both emotionally and physically, King was placed in solitary confinement for his own safety. He spent several long, lonely months there before he was finally set free by his partner, Gladstone. Unfortunately, King lost not only his position with the NYPD but also his retirement and pension. His former partner Gladstone helped him establish his own business as a private detective, which is where King currently works. His teenage daughter, Aja-Denise, works in the office with him.

King takes on two jobs as a private detective: that of an accused cop-killer with a complicated case and no representation plus the investigation into his own case from when he was framed and sent to prison. King hires Melquath Frost, a hardened criminal with some mental issues and a complicated past history, to help him with these investigations. These two set out on a pretty dark and twisted path to exposing the truth -- learning that these two cases are connected.

I love that King and Mel are willing to go all out to seek out the truth. Sure, the law is the law, but King is out for actual justice and that's hard to come by when you're bound by a corrupt law enforcement agency as your support. His partner Mel is already a bit on the shady side, what with his questionable past, his proven disregard for the law, and his delicate mental status. One thing that I love about King and Mel working together is that they trust one another - their rapport was established early on and neither of these two men have much to lose. They are really a powerhouse when they work together except for that little shady spot of -- the legality of what they are doing at the moment: is this the right thing or is it the legal thing?

I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT.

As much as I love King's relationship with Mel, his relationship with his daughter Aja-Denise genuinely stole my heart. (I have a soft spot for father-daughter relationships.) Aja-Denise was a young child when King was sent to prison, and his ex-wife left him and took Aja-Denise because of the nature of his 'crime' - it took a long time for King to re-build a healthy relationship with his daughter because his ex-wife made things so difficult for him. Now that they're close: they are really close and it is delightful. The interactions King has with Aja-Denise are great for breaking up some tense moments and conversations throughout the rest of the story. She's such a great, fun character and I genuinely loved all of the scenes these two shared. There are some wonderful quotes and thoughts that King has about Aja-Denise in this story, just little things that he thinks to himself or maybe utters to someone else, and I think these feelings really show how nuanced he his as a character.

King is coming from a very broken place, he has so much anger and resentment to work through because of was done to him and what he lost, and yet he is able to love his daughter so purely and unconditionally that it overshadows everything else and he has this remarkable working relationship with Mel that is something unique and spectacular. I'm really hoping to see more from these characters. I think (I hope) there is more to Joe King Oliver's story.

This was a quick read, and simple. I can't get over how much I loved the ending - I wasn't expecting things to work out in that way at all, but I'm so excited about how everything turned out. My only reason for not giving five stars is that there are so many characters - secondary characters with small roles - that I had a hard time keeping up with them all and who they were exactly to King's two ongoing investigations. I eventually had to stop trying to remember why every character was important and just pay attention to the main characters instead. This worked, but it made reading a little more cumbersome.

Audiobook Notes: Once I realized that I was having trouble keeping up with the characters in this story, I looked up the audiobook information. When I saw that Dion Graham narrates, I one-clicked and bought my own copy via Audible. Dion Graham is just fabulous and his narration is so worth the credit spent. He brings the voice of a cop/detective to this story so well, and the emotions he used when King felt angry or betrayed were perfect. The scenes between King and his daughter were my favorites; Dion's narration was fantastic for that of a father speaking to or about his daughter that he loves so much.

Title: Down the River Unto the Sea by Walter Mosley
Narrated by: Dion Graham
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Length: 7 hours, 44 minutes, Unabridged


I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased a copy of the audiobook from Audible using my own money. Receipt of a review copy from the publisher did not affect my opinion of this book nor did it affect the content of my review in any way. Thank you, Mulholland Books!

An exquisite novel well deserving of all its accolades. Mosley is a long-time master who demonstrates that he's still pushing himself to new heights. An outstanding novel from an outstanding writer. A must-read for crime fans.

Walter Mosley is my mystery writing boo. I've read many of his books, including the entire Easy Rawlins series, So, when I see Mosley is releasing a new book, I read it Simple!

Down the River unto the Sea follows former cop Joe King Oliver, as he works to rebuild his life after he is setup for a crime he didn't commit. Joe starts a new P.I .job after being released from prison, and finds himself very busy investing who set him up and helping another man clear his name.

I liked this story, but I usually like any book Walter Mosley writes. Mosley is just that good and that smart of a writer.

A new protagonist from the creator of Easy Rawlins, in a tense, earthy noir-New York mystery. It's well worth discovering. Here's a Q&A with Walter Mosley about his new novel, DOWN THE RIVER UNTO THE SEA.

Joe King Oliver is a private detective in New York City after having fallen from the graces of the NYPD. It seems he’s gotten life back together again, even while haunted by his departure from the Department, when he gets a letter in the mail from the woman involved in setting him up nearly a decade earlier, expressing her apologies and willing to return to New York, testify, and clear his name. At the same time, a man convicted of the murder of two cops is on death row when his attorney, confident he can get the convictions overturned, quits the case. Oliver is the only one left who can help make his case.

DOWN THE RIVER UNTO THE SEA is a fantastic and classically written mystery. If not for references to modern technology, it could have been set long in the past. The Detective works his cases on the street, asking questions, calling on informants, and shaking trees to see what falls out. All the while he’s struggling with his own demons: his frame, his exwife and daughter, women, andthe internal conflict between the killer within him as a result of being locked up a decade earlier and his desire to clear his name and be reinstated with the force.

This book is a modern example of the classic mystery novel and offers the best from both. That shouldn’t be a surprise from Walter Mosley.

Solid detective story. I enjoy Walter Mosley and this was the quality I expect from him. Fun noir detective story.

If you're a fan of the great Walter Moseley, you will recognize that this is a very personal book and one that I believe is truly one of his best works.

I wholeheartedly recommend you read this spectacular story of how badly one uncontrolled moment can change a life forever. Spectacular.

First person narrative of a man not in blue no more and then orange and then as a pi from Queens in a one man service, King Detective Service.
There are simple truths and there are more complex truths and there is freemen in sense of no longer in prison and following his days to exonerate himself and another in a case brought to his attention.
The author successfully engages the reader and walking in this protagonists shoes at odds with conflicts and the dealings with the discoveries and how and why there can be any exonerations.
Our pi is up against it, caught in a web of conspiracy and corruption that spread far and wide.
Clear and present dangers within, inner-city men in need for survival with some hard choices to be made, clear and present skill and mastery in telling from Walter Mosley.
A seasoned writer with a well seasoned pi tale of redemption revitalised in a Walter Mosley strain of telling.

Fans oif Mosley's Easy Rawlins books will not be disappointed by his new hero, Joe Oliver, private detective. Oliver is a former cop who was set up to be disgraced, fired, and sent to prison, where he suffered physically and emotionally. Ten years later he has built a private detective career, and enjoys a warm relationship with his 17 year old daughter, the bright spot in his life. When his one good friend from his cop days asks for a favor, Joe has no idea of the complexity and risks he will face, even putting his ex-wife and daughter in grave danger. This is a suspenseful page-turner about corruption, betrayal, and power, with some surprising twists.

This book was highly graphic and it was confusing to me about how I could possibly feel sympathy for this main character. In our current society where cops are corrupt murderers all over, this novel sets the wrong tone and asks too much of the reader. That is, if the reader is sensitive to where society seems to be at the current moment and does not worship at the feet of the almighty police.

Terrible. I would not recommend this to anyone.

Though Mosley has written over 30 novels, I’ve read only The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, a book I loved. His Easy Rawlins series has devoted followers so when the opportunity arose to read a new sample of Mosley’s detective fiction, I thought I’d take it. Though not unenjoyable, I found it unexceptional.

When Joe King Oliver was a New York police detective, he was framed for a sexual assault. While in Rikers, he experienced brutality and solitary confinement and emerged a damaged man. Eleven years later, he is a private investigator. After receiving a letter from a woman who admits to having been forced to entrap him, he decides to try and find out who betrayed him. As he seeks justice for himself, he also sets out to help A Free Man, a Black radical journalist, whom he sees as a victim of injustice like himself.

Oliver is an interesting enough character. His time in prison affected him dramatically; he was released with both physical and mental scars. He asserts that “It was in that stink that I became a murderer-in-waiting.” At different times he describes himself as a “creature formed by my imprisonment” and a “madman created by Rikers.” He wants to be exonerated and maybe even reinstated and he wants to remain on the right side of the law in his quest for justice, but that becomes increasingly difficult as his investigations progress. He realizes he needs help and ends up hiring a sociopath as a sidekick: “walking down those chilly autumn streets with a man so evil that no crime deterred him meant that I had taken the first steps on a different path.”

Oliver is a dynamic character capable of introspection and self-examination. The book opens with his identifying a major weakness; he speaks of his desire for women: “It didn’t take but a smile and wink for me . . . to walk away from duties and promises, vows and common sense.” He goes as far as to compare himself to a dog in his “fang-baring hunt lust.” Throughout the book he has a number of enlightening moments. For example, “I realized that I felt alone most of the time . . . I was alone because no one else seemed to know what was in my heart.” Later, when “propelled by forces [he] could not control,” he has another epiphany: “It occurred to me that my whole life had been organized around the guiding principle of being completely in charge of whatever I did. . . . The problem was that no man is an island; no man can control his fate. No woman either, or gnat or redwood tree.”

There is a large cast of secondary characters, some of whom come and go quickly, so it becomes difficult not to be confused. One character who is memorable is Melquarth Frost, Oliver’s sociopathic partner, who believes that “’People should break the law if it doesn’t suit them’” and that beating a person is a form of communication because “’Anything one man does that another man understands can be defined as language.’” The other character who made an impression on me is Aja-Denise, Oliver’s 17-year-old daughter, who works part-time as her father’s receptionist. Oliver’s love for his daughter is unquestionable (“If I had to spend the rest of my life in a moldy coffin buried under ten feet of concrete, with only polka music to listen to, I would have done that for her.”) and his interactions with her are highlights of the book.

The book examines the themes of corruption and justice. Corruption is so pervasive that one wonders if there is anyone who is innocent of its taint. The book emphasizes the extent to which people’s lives can be affected by corruption; Oliver was “beaten, scarred, disgraced, imprisoned, and had [his] marriage torn apart” but Burns and Miranda stand out as victims of corruption. Justice does not seem to exist much in the world Oliver exposes, but he decides to do what he can: “[A Free Man and I] would never receive justice from law enforcement or the courts and so the only thing that could be done was to take the law into our own hands.”

The novel is fast-paced and keeps the reader’s interest, though the identity of one of the individuals involved in framing Oliver is rather obvious. What becomes irritating is Oliver’s constantly keeping information from the reader. For example, he mentions enlisting someone’s aid in a plan he has formulated, but it is not until later that the nature of that aid is clarified. This is obviously a technique to create suspense but its repeated use becomes annoying. At one point, Oliver observes that “in order to truly be with somebody you have to be in their mind,” but he keeps the reader at a distance, revealing only some of what he is thinking. Perhaps this distance is the reason why I didn’t ever really feel connected with the protagonist.

I would certainly recommend this book but I wouldn’t describe it using superlatives.

Note: I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley.

Joe Oliver had once been a respected NYPD homicide detective. He had also been a convicted felon. Framed by his enemies, beaten and broken in prison, he is suddenly and unexpectedly released. None of it makes sense but Joe accepts his fate and moves on, becoming a private investigator. But, a note comes his way, from a woman who says she had been paid to help frame him. What follows is vintage Walter Mosley. A twisted and dark story that runs through the underbelly of NY and is populated with characters of all types—evil and treacherous, heroic and compassionate. To ferret out the truth, Joe hooks up with his smart and sociopathic friend Melquarth Frost. But, nothing is as it seems. Neither friend nor foe is easily discernible and Joe quickly find himself in a world he barely understands. And one that could end his life in a NY minute. Love this story.


DP Lyle, award-winning author, lecturer, and story consultant

Solid, if unremarkable given Mosley's oeuvre. A bit darker than his usual work, though I loved the father/daughter relationship in the story. Mosley never disappoints, and as prolific as he is, I am still feverish by the time a new book is ready.

(Unbiased review provided in exchange for advance copy by NetGalley)

It's been quite a long time since I read a Walter Moseley book and I had not realized how far he has come as a writer.

Joe Oliver is a tormented ex-cop who was the victim of conspiracy and betrayal. But he has had some good luck in his life within his family and the community and even with some of the criminals he had hunted and he tries to focus on those good thing as he goes through his life as a private detective.

It's the perfect noir set up. A beautiful young woman walks into his office and offers him a wad of money to help a wrongly accused man (not entirely wrongly as it turns out). Then a letter arrives on Joe's desk from the woman who had entrapped him, confessing her crime and offering to help him clear his name. The two cases are not related, but Joe entangles them in his mind and heart and comes to believe that helping the victimized man will lift his own burden of victimization. He activates a network of colorful and dangerous characters and off we go into a vicious and black world of criminal New York.

In Mr. Moseley's hands, Joe is tormented by the knowledge that he was once an honest cop who was destroyed because of his honesty. But Joe's honesty wasn't heroic or noble, it ruined his life and lead to the deaths of witnesses and bystanders. Joe became an animal for a while, in order to survive, because he had been an honest man.

The two crime stories are connected only through Joe which requires a double set of characters and the large cast is a bit hard to keep straight sometimes. But the pace is relentless, the action cruel, and Mr. Moseley's command of his story is masterful.

I received a review copy of "Down the River unto the Sea" by Walter Mosley (Mulholland) through NetGalley.com.

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Walter Mosley is one of the very few writers writing in any genre that I would read without knowing anything about the book. He’s normally pretty consistent in his writing and though he typically writes similar-type mystery potboilers he uses different P.I.’s in a number of different series and they’re all well written.

This one just didn’t work for me.

The private investigator in this procedural is Joe King Oliver and he’s investigating duo cases simultaneously: one where he was framed for a sexual assault as a long time NYC police officer and another where a radical journalist, A Free Man, as he’s known as, is on death row and is accused of killing 2 police officers .

This book is only 336 pages long but it feels much longer. It’s rather bloated with an excessive list of characters that seemed to just grow, and grow and grow. It was rather difficult for me to keep up with this motley crew.

The writing is pure Mosley though and the action is fast and swift. There are quite a few hilarious moments and King Oliver is an interesting enough character albeit no Easy Rawlins. I also loved the fact that he’s a fan of literature and jazz/classical music (referenced Monk,Yardbird and Debussy).

Suffice to say, not at all one of my favorite Mosley books but might work better for someone more patient in reading a fast-paced potboiler with a ridiculously large list of characters.

3 stars

Since this is not my first roll in the hay with Mr. Walter Mosley's writing I expected exactly what I got. What I got was a gritty, police procedural of an ex-detective, Joe King Oliver, making his way in life as a Private Investigator on the mean streets of Brooklyn. Let's refer to him as King from now on.

King narrates as he investigates two cases that may or may not be connected, yet are still extremely personal. His investigation into the frame-up that essentially took the life he had as a cop is deeply personal. Someone orchestrated bringing him down and it appears that plan is still in play. What he wants to know is the why and who.

Simultaneously, but seemingly peripherally, King agrees to work on helping to free Man, who's currently on death row. What entices him about the case is that word on the streets is that there may have been corrupt police officers who set this guy up as well. The nightmares or solitary confinement still haunt King, along with the disappearance of a key witness for Man urge King to poke around despite the caution not to.

What Mosley does best here is introduce us to a complex character in so little pages. Because this novel is less that 300 pages, Mosley doesn't spend time with any unnecessary words, yet, there's so much detail and intrigue that totally captivates the reader. Yes, Down the River Unto the Sea moves at an alarming pace, still it does not leave the reader feeling deprived.

Mosley allows King the space to change and develop as a character. We see King dive deeper and deeper into a world he really doesn't want any parts of. He's tried to maintain being an honorable and respectable police officer, even without the badge, up until these cases beg him to choose a side.

Ultimately, Down the River Unto the Sea is my favorite read yet of 2017. It's only my second read, but I know what I like. I've only read a few Walter Mosley novels but I'm a fan. There's grit. There's grime. There will even be pages you want to turn away from. No this novel is not for the faint of heart. No I won't be sending Walter Mosley up the river. He's too worth reading to do that.

Copy provided by Mulholland Books via Netgalley

Thank you to NetGalley for an electronic ARC of this book. I have never read Walter Mosley before, but what a great book!

Joe King Oliver is a former NYPD cop that was at Rivers for a crime he did not commit, and is now out ten years later working as a private investigator, running his agency with assistance from his teenage daughter. One day he receives a letter from the woman who set him up, and he has no choice but to investigate his own case from the past. He is also investigating a case to free a man on death row that was also set up, and the two intertwine throughout the book.

The author keeps a good pace going throughout and the final scene was quite suspenseful. I enjoyed the interactions between the characters, mostly Joe and his daughter, but also between Joe and Mel, a sociopath he must team up with to solve these cases. Joe also struggles throughout the book with what he really wants by investigating what happened to him, is it to be reinstated, to be exonerated, or just the satisfaction of knowing who it was that set him up? Watching him work through this is very interesting, as he enlists help from people you would not expect.

I love the crime / cop thriller genre and this one did not disappoint. The ending was not expected but very satisfying. I do recommend this one when it is released in late Feb 2018.