★ 05/28/2018
Graham’s low, whispery voice is a perfect match for the protagonist of Mosley’s standalone about a former NYPD detective turned private eye whose police career unraveled after he served nine months in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Joe King Oliver lives in the shadows as he tries desperately to clear his own name while seeking justice for his client, a black journalist who been framed for supposedly killing two cops. Graham is totally convincing as the perpetually scared and often drunk Oliver, who, despite all his sordidness and depression, also manages to sound kind and caring, especially when interacting with his teen daughter. Graham gives her and each of the other secondary characters—Oliver’s violent enemies, his loyal friends, and his ex-wife and love interest, among others—a subtly identifiable voice. Graham, like Mosley, is a master of depicting the complexity of the human spirit. Both author and actor work to enthrall listeners in Oliver’s story. A Mulholland hardcover. (Feb.)

★ 11/13/2017
Former NYPD detective Joe King Oliver, now the owner-operator of King Detective Service, investigates two cases of gross injustice in this excellent standalone from MWA Grand Master Mosley (Charcoal Joe and 13 other Easy Rawlins novels). Thirteen years earlier, Oliver was convicted on bogus assault charges, which ended his police career and his marriage. He spent nine months in jail before the charges were dropped and he was released without explanation. Oliver now learns that a crooked cop was behind the frame. Meanwhile, he is approached by Willa Portman, an intern for the lawyer representing Leonard Compton, a militant journalist who’s on death row for the murder of two policemen three years earlier. Portman says the killings were self-defense. Oliver, who faces a corrupt world with unflinching honesty and ruthlessness, enlists the aid of Melquarth Frost, a hardened career criminal, to even the odds in both cases. The novel’s dedication—to Malcolm, Medgar, and Martin—underlines the difference that one man can make in the fight for justice. Agent: Gloria Loomis, Watkins Loomis Agency. (Feb.)

"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

"It's Mosley's signature style—rough-hewn, rhythmic, and lyrical—that makes you ready and eager for whatever he's serving up. . . . Let the good times roll."—Kirkus Reviews

"Mosley's poetic descriptions of not only New York City but his character's deepest souls elevate the story to beauty. Although the characters, large and small, are all compelling, in the end it is King's story to tell, as he struggles to decide how much he's willing to risk to get the truth."—Strand Magazine

"Mosley's newest standalone has the markings of a classic hard-boiled New York novel... It's also a poignant page-turner whose larger themes—corruption, institutional racism, and the horrors of solitary confinement—speak to some of today's most pressing issues."—Charles Perry, LitHub

"[An] engaging standalone . . . Mosley fans will welcome another imaginative page-turning from a mystery grand master."—Library Journal

05/01/2018
The first thing Mosley (Charcoal Joe) devotees will want to know is whether Joe King Leonard is getting a series of his own. That future seems currently unclear, but should King proliferate on the page, then Dion Graham must be conscripted to continue his glorious aural interpretation. A former cop, King now runs King Detective Service with office coordination provided by his smart, savvy, 17-year-old daughter. Nine months in prison for a crime he didn't commit means King has experienced plenty he'd rather forget. Although charges were mysteriously dropped, King's badge is forever gone, but he has other connections—both legal and not—to continue his crusade for justice. Two cases keep him up at night—finding out who really sent him to Rikers and exonerating a militant journalist on death row for killing two corrupt cops. Prostitutes, dealers, addicts, and "vicious criminal" Melquarth Frost prove to be King's most reliable allies and informants. Graham's vocal range shows no limits, regardless of gender, race, age, occupation, or other attributes. His richly resonating narration, infinitely capable of effortless chameleonic adaptations, never disappoints. VERDICT Libraries should prepare for high demand. ["Mosley fans will welcome another imaginative page-turner from a mystery grand master": LJ 12/17 review of the Mulholland: Little, Brown hc.]—Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC

Think rich, dark, smooth red wine—each sip revealing different tones. That is Dion Graham’s voice performing Mosley’s P.I., Joe King Oliver. His voice projects the violence, fear, and frustration that Oliver, an honest cop, experienced 10 years ago, when he was thrown in jail on fabricated charges. Now as a P.I., he’s given the opportunity to get to the truth behind that setup and to help free a black man accused of killing two corrupt police officers. For assistance, Oliver turns to a criminal he busted years ago, Melquarth Frost. Graham is skilled at delivering female voices. The dialogue between people of different races, levels of education, and types of work flows flawlessly, making for highly engaging listening. E.Q. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

2017-10-31
Mosley (Charcoal Joe, 2016, etc.) begins what looks to be a new series with a protagonist whose territory covers New York City's outer boroughs—and, yes, that means Staten Island, too.Joe King Oliver was an ace investigator with the NYPD until his roving eye helped him get framed for sexual assault. "Trouble ambushed me with my pants down and my nose open," as he explains to an acquaintance. He is kicked off the force and thrown into Riker's Island, where he faces the kind of demeaning and vicious attacks a jailed cop would expect from inmates until a stretch in solitary confinement and an abrupt release save his life. Eleven years later, King (as some of his friends call him) is making a living as a private eye based on Brooklyn's Montague Street when his mundane existence is jolted by two events: a letter from a woman admitting she was coerced into setting him up years before and a case involving a radical black activist who's been sentenced to death for killing two corrupt, abusive officers. King sees serendipity in the convergence of these two cases, believing that if he could exonerate the activist, it'd be a way of finally exorcising his rueful memories. His dual inquiries carry him from glittering Wall Street offices to seedy alleyways all over the city, and he encounters double-dealing lawyers, shady cops, drug addicts, hired killers, and prostitutes along the way. The only people King can count on are his loyal and precocious 17-year-old daughter, Aja-Denise, and an equally loyal but tightly wound career criminal named Melquarth "Mel" Frost, whose capacity for violence will remind Mosley devotees of Mouse, the homicidal thug who either helps or hinders Easy Rawlins in the author's first and best-known series. Indeed, so many aspects of this novel are reminiscent of other Mosley books that it tempts one to wonder whether he's stretching his resources a little thin. But ultimately it's Mosley's signature style—rough-hewn, rhythmic, and lyrical—that makes you ready and eager for whatever he's serving up.It's getting to be a bigger blues band on Mosley's stage, with Joe King Oliver now sitting in with Easy Rawlins and Leonid McGill. But as long as it sounds sweet and smoky, let the good times roll.