Down the River Unto the Sea

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.

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I like detective novels. The dick is either smarter, braver, or just luckier than his nemeses. He, or even she, works pretty much alone, sticking out his jaw whenever there's a blow coming. If he gets arrested that’s okay. If some pretty young thing needs sex, it's probably not the right time for him, or her, just then.

The literary PI usually takes on one case at a time and he stays on the trail until it is solved, whether or not justice is done.

Sometimes I liked to pretend that I was a detective out of a book.

WHAT'S DOWN THE RIVER UNTO THE SEA ABOUT?

Ten years ago, for reasons he's still unsure about, King Oliver was framed for a crime that ruined his career as an NYPD Detective, destroyed his marriage, and put him in jail for months.

Today, he's keeping a PI agency afloat with his teenage daughter as an admin assistant. He's really never recovered psychologically (aside from some scarring, he seems okay physically) from his incarceration and the accusation. His daughter and the work are what keep him going.

When he receives a letter from his accuser, offering to help him clear his name—everything changes. He has a glimmer of hope, a renewed sense of purpose—and a new client. This client works for a defense attorney—he'd been representing a convicted cop killer and had vowed to free him. Suddenly, the attorney has changed his mind and is going to tank the case. The convict is a journalist/activist who claims to have been acting in self-defense, and this associate believes him. She wants Oliver to discover what changed the attorney's mind—but more importantly, she wants help clearing the journalist.

Oliver agrees to look at the files but makes no further promises. He's quickly intrigued by some of what he reads and It's not long before he starts working the case as well as working to clear his name. The letter has changed everything for him.

MELQUARTH FROST

Before he was framed, Oliver arrested Mel Frost, and earned his respect from the way Oliver treated him during the arrest and trial. After Frost's release, he came to thank Oliver and the two have struck up a strange near-friendship over chess games and the occasional meal.

Oliver realizes he's not going to be able to handle everything in these investigations—particularly when things get dicey, so he hires Mel to help him.

Mel fills the Hawk/Joe Pike/Bubba Rogowski/Nate Romanowski role—he's dangerous, he's skilled, and really has no moral compunctions about anything. He is aware of it, and knows he should follow a different path—and attempts, but will resort to his former ways in a heartbeat.

I'M SUCH A SUCKER

Shortly after that opening quotation, Oliver cites Tecumseh Fox. Fox was the protagonist of a short-lived series by Rex Stout, alongside Nero Wolfe. Elizabeth Breck gets big bonus points from me for her frequent citations of Wolfe, but a Tecumseh Fox reference is a heckuva deep cut. If I hadn't already decided that I really liked Oliver, this would've pushed me over the edge. Not only am I a sucker for Stout, but referring to a 3-book series that ended in 1941 really underscores Oliver's description as being someone who reads a lot.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT DOWN THE RIVER UNTO THE SEA?

I was born to be an investigator. For me it was like putting together a three-dimensional, naturalistic puzzle that in the end would be an exact representation of the real world.

I really enjoyed this book—most of the plot seemed pretty predictable, but I never minded for a second because of the execution. Also, there were a couple of twists that caught me flat-footed. I don't mind if everything plays out as you'd pretty much expect as long as the writer delivers a good story and characters (I know if I get on the freeway headed west, I'll end up on the Pacific Coast. I just want a smooth drive with maybe a couple of interesting sights and snacks along the way)—and there are few as good at that as Walter Mosely.

This wasn't really an origin story, this was more of a renaissance, a reawakening. Now that King Oliver is back—he's invested in life, his career, and people again—further books in the series are going to have a different feel, a different focus, and I can't wait to see where Mosely takes this character.

It has been a while since I read any Walter Mosley. I had forgotten how much I enjoy his stories. (Gotta do something about that. So little time; so many good books to read.)
For this book, you can get the general setup from the cover text. I'll just say that Joe King Oliver faces a deep conspiracy and long odds. Life can be hard for an honest man.
There are some interesting characters, both good and bad. I particularly like Melquarth Frost, who seems to somewhat fill the slot occupied by Mouse in Mosley's Easy Rawlins series.
Dion Graham does a good job narrating the audio version.
A solid 4 stars.