Down the River to the Sea

He spent three months in prison before charges were dropped and he was released in disgrace, his job and marriage wrecked by the bus he got thrown under. When his alleged rape victim, an ex-prostitute turned born-again Minnesota housewife, sends him a letter implicating the NYPD in the frame job, King decides to find out what happened to him and why. The next day he lands another big case, one that echoes and swirls around his own in classic noir fashion.

Walter Mosley's 'Down the River Unto the Sea' is a noir that plunges into social issues

The subject is A Free Man, born Leonard Compton, a black militant journalist facing the death penalty for the murder of two police officers. When the lawyer abandons Man just as a key witness disappears, his young intern brings the nearly 7,page case file to King. King, who still considers himself a cop, is initially wary. When it came to cops as victims I was just another brick in the Blue Wall. Few civilians understood how hard it is to be a policeman when almost everybody is afraid of you and suspicious too. He enlists the help of Melquarth Frost, a watchmaker and hardened criminal King once arrested for bank robbery.

When the hero, Joe Oliver, meets anyone new you not only get their skin color but he also gives you a pretty good detailed description of what they are wearing. I just have not noticed this detail done as much as he does. There are three powerful scenes in the book, at least one, maybe two, I will remember forever. I strongly recommend this book or maybe one of his other books. It is a different style and you will be pulled into a different world than you may have been used too.

This is a very memorable book and author. I belong to 52 Weeks Around the Year Group which provides a prompt a week to be matched to a book which should then be read. They honor the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film, and theater published or produc I belong to 52 Weeks Around the Year Group which provides a prompt a week to be matched to a book which should then be read. They honor the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film, and theater published or produced in the previous year.

It recognizes lifetime achievement and consistent quality. OK, I think I would like to read one of his. I was in for a treat.

From the Book Browse Review: He's divorced with a teenaged daughter named Aja-Denise who works for him part time at the front desk of his private detective agency. He's a man carrying a heavy grudge and it weighs on his every move. It began over a decade ago when, as a cop, he was dispatched to arrest a car thief. But he was set up. Thrown in jail, he suffered horrible cruelties. Ten years later, still suffering from his incarceration, he is now a PI. A new client wants to hire Joe to investigate why a Black activist is being framed for the murder of two cops.

He decides to take both cases on, this new one and his own. I have highlighted a few phrases that caught my attention and am sharing them with you, the reader of this review. Walter Mosley has a unique style all of his own. This book is stand alone but he has also written at least 3 series and 30 works in all. Walter Mosley has long been one of my favorite authors, especially in regards to his mystery novels.

The first several Easy Rawlins novels, as well as the Socrates Fortlow and the Fearless Jones series', are among my most beloved books. Unfortunately, his more recent works, while solid, haven't lived up to this legacy. That is as true here as it is with the Leonid MacGill series. While there are several interesting support characters and a nice father-daughter dynamic, the main character just did Walter Mosley has long been one of my favorite authors, especially in regards to his mystery novels. While there are several interesting support characters and a nice father-daughter dynamic, the main character just didn't connect with me.

It didn't help that his voice was indistinguishable from Leonid's. This despite an intriguing, and tragic, backstory. The same holds true for the story itself. There are two main plots, thematically linked rather than literally. Both are topical, as well as politically charged, yet neither had any sense of urgency. Still, this is a Mosley novel, so it's well- written and has crackling dialogue. He's always worth a read, and this is no different. Still, one hopes for a return to his earlier form. I thank Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an e-arc of this book. All opinions are my own and are honest.

Mar 04, Raven rated it it was amazing. Every word, image, theme and plot contrivance are perfectly done, and as the first book in a new series, I can only salivate with anticipation as to what is to come for Oliver in future books. I love the way he shapes and draws his characters, from their way of dressing, to their gait, to the timbre of their speech, underpinned by wit, pure sassiness and razor sharp dialogue.

I love the way his characters always seem to walk that line between doubt and certainty, morality and immorality, strength and vulnerability, and the blurring of these credos that always underscore his protagonists, most notably in Oliver himself. I totally loved this and cannot fault it. Mosley is a master. Mar 04, J. We are defined by our weaknesses. For Joe King Oliver the weakness has always been his sexual drive.

It compelled him to disregard " Disgraced and haunted by losses, his beloved job and his wife, he scrapes by as a private detective. The few joys left in his life are Aja-Denise, the teenage daughter who assists in his office, and Sergeant Gladstone Palmer, the one friend from the force who's stood by him si We are defined by our weaknesses.

DOWN THE RIVER UNTO THE SEA by Walter Mosley | Kirkus Reviews

The few joys left in his life are Aja-Denise, the teenage daughter who assists in his office, and Sergeant Gladstone Palmer, the one friend from the force who's stood by him since his fall from grace. It's Palmer who informs him the incident which got him in trouble was a frame, apparently triggered by officers in the department who weren't as inclined to follow the rules as he.

This information fuels Oliver's desire to be reinstated, though he doesn't know how to do it unless he can identify those who betrayed him and prove the frame. Hope arrives in the form of a letter from the woman involved who is now a born-again Christian and ready to testify on his behalf. At the same time, he takes on a case in behalf of a radical black journalist accused of the murder of two cops, a killing he claims was justifiable self-defense.

Oliver's pursuit of justice and redemption in these two cases puts him up against corrupt cops, conniving lawyers and others who would destroy him and those he loves. His allies are a sociopathic criminal and other victims who've suffered at the hands of his enemies. Like other Mosley novels, this one has crisp dialog, a gritty plot, an array of colorful characters and the usual jazz and book-infused themes.

One minor drawback to me is the host of characters. There are so many at times it becomes a chore to keep the names straight. Feb 23, Lou rated it it was amazing Shelves: 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 w 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. 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.

Excerpts and review https: Jan 23, DP Lyle rated it really liked it. 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 finds himself in a world he barely understands. And one that could end his life in a NY minute.

DP Lyle, award-winning author, lecturer, and story consultant Jan 30, Cynthia rated it really liked it Shelves: He loves his seventeen year old daughter and lives for her as well as to vindicate his arrest and to help others who have or might in the near future suffer because of a corrupt penal system.

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View all 4 comments. Jan 14, Columbus rated it liked it. Walter Mosley is one of the very few writers writing in any genre that I would read without knowing anything about the book. This book is only pages long but it feels much longer. 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.

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. Mar 20, Asheley rated it really liked it. This was an awesome introduction for me into the work of Walter Mosley. 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 This was an awesome introduction for me into the work of Walter Mosley. 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. 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.

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King takes on two jobs as a private detective: 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: 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: 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. Once I realized that I was having trouble keeping up with the characters in this story, I looked up the audiobook information.

Dion Graham is just fabulous and his narration is so worth the credit spent. 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. 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! Find this review and more like it on my blog, Into the Hall of Books!

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Apr 05, Kevintipple rated it it was amazing. A disgraced NYPD detective, these days he runs a small private investigative agency consisting of himself and his wise beyond her years teenage daughter. He does so from small office on the second floor of a building on Montague Street. Progress, as some would define it, is coming to the neighborhood which means rents are going up and the old places are being replaced increasingly by fancy Joe King Oliver has been out of prison for 10 years as Down The River Unto The Sea by Walter Mosley begins.

Progress, as some would define it, is coming to the neighborhood which means rents are going up and the old places are being replaced increasingly by fancy condos, shops and, the like for above the pay grade of those who walk these streets and built the neighborhood. While Oliver got a sweet deal on the place and is fine for now the way he got it is just a small part of the hellish backstory his life was a decade ago. He should have been killed. What happened to him is a case that will never be resolved. That is until he gets a letter that changes everything.

At the same time, he gets another case that also involves crooked NYPD officers. Two of them were gunned down several years ago. A man wounded in the shootout with officer is headed for the death penalty despite the efforts of well-known attorney Stuart Brown.

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Carter is a very mysterious man; he doesn't really care for his family and spends all day in his messy office obsessing over his collection of eyeballs. He loves his collection of eyeballs to such an extent that when the Carters' home caught fire, he chose to retrieve his collection of eyes from his office instead of helping Maia from the burning house. When questioned by Miss Minton at the hospital he claims that he tried to get to Maia's room but the fire prevented him from reaching her. Miss Minton is the governess of Maia and the twins.

She is reserved, though caring.

KIRKUS REVIEW

She is very slender and bony, and wears only black, preferring gothic statements such as a spear shaped hatpin and steel, beaked umbrella. She is strict and concerned with routine and proper learning-encouraging Maia to study Portuguese, for example, in the empty dining room of a ship caught in a storm, or asking Finn to continue his Latin studies whilst in the Amazon rainforest. She loves reading books, particularly Shakespeare. A close friend of Bernard Taverner, she is revealed to be the maid who helped him escape his abusive household and reach the Amazon when they were younger.

This is realised as her friend named his boat after her: Minton takes the job with the Carters in order to follow her late friend's journey to the Amazon. Minton is extremely intelligent, having been revealed to have knowledge of all the plots the children concoct but allowing them to take place. She has a witty and dry sense of humour, and is cunning, using deception and acting in order to protect the children from unkind and corrupt individuals such as the detectives.

Miss Minton grows to love Maia and treats her like her own child. She finally manages to persuade Mr Murray to let her and Maia live together in the Amazon. Furthermore, she seems to find romance with Doctor Glastonberry, a naturalist and Bernard's close friend. He eventually proposes to her, but she is not certain of her suitability to marry.

The two detectives who search for Finn who is the right choice on behalf of Aubrey Taverner. They are greedy, hoping only for money in exchange for their work, and are clumsy and unkind in their attempts to discover the boy. Two unwittingly comedic individuals, Mr Trapwood being harsh and tall and Mr Low being short with a high pitched tone, they wear only black suits despite the weather.

Whilst being lead astray from their mission by residents of Manaus and the Amazonian natives all of whom despise them, being friends of Bernard and Finn Taverner , they befall a series of comedic misfortunes. Their racism towards the natives is also their downfall, as they are mocked by the tribes, refuse to change out of British attire and therefore overheat, and are easily deceived by Finn's charade towards the end of the novel due to their irrational prejudices.

However, word comes from Mr. Murray, a lawyer and her guardian, that he has found her relatives who are willing to take her in, called the Carters. On the ship, she befriends a boy named Clovis King, who is traveling in the acting troupe run by his adoptive parents, the Goodleys. He wishes to go back to England, to his foster mother, but the Goodleys won't let him. Maia promises that she will go and see his play once in Brazil. The Carters are not as kind as she had hoped for.

They do not embrace their surroundings and almost always stay indoors, except for trips to Manaus. Beatrice and Gwendolyn, the twins, are selfish and seem to be brought up strictly to be British. When time comes to see Clovis's play in the town, the twins tell a lie and say that all the tickets had sold out so they couldn't buy one for her.

Maia goes to see Clovis, and she secretly slips out of the Carters house to get there. When she gets lost, an Indian boy takes her to the theatre on his boat. When Maia finally gets to watch Little Lord Fauntleroy , Clovis is acting very well, but in the most important part, his voice cracks and the play is ruined.

Later, Maia meets a half-Xanti, half-British boy called Finn Taverner and finds out that he was the boy who gave her a ride to Clovis's act.