Down the River unto the Sea

By: Walter Mosley

Narrated by: Dion Graham

Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel of the Year: bestselling author Walter Mosley "is back with a whole new character to love...As gorgeous a novel as anything he's ever written" (Washington Post).

Joe King Oliver was one of the NYPD's finest investigators until he was framed for sexual assault by unknown enemies within the force. A decade has passed since his release from Rikers, and he now runs a private detective agency with the help of his teenage daughter. Physically and emotionally broken by the brutality he suffered while behind bars, King leads a solitary life, his work and his daughter the only lights. When he receives a letter from his accuser confessing that she was paid to frame him years ago, King decides to find out who wanted him gone and why.

On a quest for the justice he was denied, King agrees to help a radical black journalist accused of killing two on-duty police officers. Their cases intertwine across the years and expose a pattern of corruption and brutality wielded against the black men, women, and children whose lives the law destroyed. All the while, two lives hang in the balance: King's client's and his own.

"A wild ride that delivers hard-boiled satisfaction while toying with our prejudices and preconceptions." —Steph Cha, Los Angeles Times

Critic reviews

"Walter Mosley is back with a whole new character to love. . . . As gorgeous a novel as anything he's ever written. And with Joe King Oliver I'm betting, and hoping, he's given us a character we haven't see the last of."—Richard Lipez, Washington Post

"Gritty . . . The plot soars . . . Few mystery writers can examine issues of race--how it divides and binds people--as clearly and unflinchingly as Walter Mosley."—Oline Cogdill, Associated Press

"Great stuff . . . The vibrant characters and pulsating dialogue are primo Mosley."—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review

"A wild ride that delivers hard-boiled satisfaction while toying with our prejudices and preconceptions . . . The darker and uglier the story gets, the more Joe King Oliver comes alive. . . . The journey is fun and joyful. . . . A fitting work for a world riddled with dark contradiction."—Steph Cha, Los Angeles Times

"Remarkable . . . Walter Mosley's latest novel [is] all the more relevant in Black Lives Matter era."—Lloyd Sachs, Chicago Tribune

"Down the River Unto the Sea is a well-constructed crime novel, urgent in its plotting and carefully observed in the behaviors and the voices of its supporting cast. Mosley makes it all look simple, creating in Joe King Oliver another fascinatingly flawed detective brimming with potential."—Michael Berry, San Francisco Chronicle

"This is one of those books that leaves you a little breathless--not only while you're reading, but once the back cover's closed, too. For anyone who loves hard-bitten PI thrillers, reading Down the River unto the Sea couldn't be more right."—Teri Schlichenmeyer, Miami Times

"Juicy"—NPR

"Rekindles some of the remarkable energy that drove the early Rawlins novels. . . . Mosley writes with great power here about themes that have permeated his work: institutional racism, political corruption, and the ways that both of these issues affect not only society at large but also the inner lives of individual men and women. And he has created a new hero in Joe Oliver with the depth and vulnerability to sustain what readers will hope becomes a new series. . . . It's the perfect moment for Mosley to unveil an exciting new hero and a series set in the present and confronting the issues that drive today's headlines."—Booklist (starred review)

"[An] excellent standalone . . . The novel's dedication--to Malcolm, Medgar, and Martin--underlines the difference that one man can make in the fight for justice."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A heady stew of racial politics and seedy characters that Mosley's fans are sure to eat up."—AARP

I just couldn't take the pain of this story

This was a painful sad read...I wish I wouldn't have read it at all. The narrator was good.

Interesting book, probably better in print

First, let me say that Dion Graham’s narrating was wonderful, and not the reason I’d say this book is probably better read in physical form. This book has a huge cast of characters and enough plot lines twisting into the ultimate conclusion that it would have been much easier to follow if I’d had the print version.

Other than that, it’s a solid story! Kept me entertained for sure and I liked how it concluded. I’m a bit sick of the woman-addicted cop type though, so even though it’s very relevant to the plot at the beginning, it got old real quick. However Joe’s relationship with his daughter is great and made me greatly enjoy any scenes with Aja-Destiny!

a great experience

a great experience to have had this book read via the audible application. I recommend this to anyone who likes a well written, professionally orated story.

this was a really good book.

the author did a great job on his character. Joe was a really good cop. his fellow officers really did him in. best friend and all. a great audiobooks. the narrator also did a great voice.

Cheesy Noir

Struggled to finish. The style of narration detracted from the story. I should have paid better attention to the reviews.