Preview
  • Down the River unto the Sea

  • By: Walter Mosley
  • Narrated by: Dion Graham
  • Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (3,305 ratings)

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Down the River unto the Sea

By: Walter Mosley
Narrated by: Dion Graham
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Publisher's summary

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

©2018 Walter Mosley (P)2018 Hachette Audio
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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

Featured Article: 15 Essential Jewish Authors to Hear in Audio


The Jewish diaspora is vast, diverse, and full of stories. In recent years, Jewish authors have published books about everything from love, identity, and history to crime, romance, and what it means to come of age in the modern world. While this list is by no means complete, these 15 Jewish authors have written some of the most fascinating Jewish literature, and they represent a deep catalog of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry in a range of genres.

What listeners say about Down the River unto the Sea

Average customer ratings
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    3 out of 5 stars

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.

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4 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Cheesy Noir

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

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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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.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Rich, and filled with heart!

Absolute love for characters who cope same as we do, and do unto orhers in the best way they can.

Listen to this story, and be enchanted by Dion Graham as he nuances the characters so that you can sometimes hear the subtleties and conflicts in what they feel under the words.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Down the River into the Sea

I just LOVE 💘 it ! Great 👍read and a book to listen to one of favorite!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

His endless descriptions of women as...

He is one of my favorite but this book I cannot listen to. He doesn't miss a chance to objectify women. It got old, boring and nauseating to me to have hear about the slim young beauty every other minute. Too bad.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Walter Mosley at his best!

loved the story, the pace and the narration. I will listen again! the characters were good and interesting.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Classically Clever Mosley

i love everthing he writes. with every twist and turn the character makes, you are there in his skin.

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