What do you think?
Rate this book
King Oliver #3
Been Wrong So Long It Feels Like Right
In the latest from “mystery master” Walter Mosley, a family member’s terminal illness leads P.I. Joe King Oliver to the investigation of his tracking down his long-lost father, and meanwhile, a new case pits King’s professional responsibility against his own moral code. (TheWashington Post)
Praise for the novels of Walter
“A master of the genre…Mosley’s writing is so rich, and his characters are not like anyone else’s, anywhere. It’s noir with a social conscience, noir with its thinking cap on… revelatory.” – Tracy Clark, Washington Post
"Skitters across the spectrum between orthodox and radical like a polygraph needle wired to a nervy accomplice. . . deliciously gritty noir."―Daniel Nieh , New York Times Book Review
“The evocative prose and astute observations about human nature, race relations and family bonds that have distinguished Mosley's writing for some 30 years."―Paula Woods , Los Angeles Times
“As knotty as the plot can get, the book is consistently lifted by the intelligence of its characters…Mosley is in top form as a social Absolute poverty, muses his protagonist, is being ‘the experience of being slowly murdered by a state of being.’ Mosley's reportorial eye is equally sharp in making details count…”— Kirkus Reviews
“a modern master of the noir form, ... Mosley knows exactly how to craft a mystery that keeps you at the edge of your seat all the while forcing you to reckon with sinister forces at the heart of American society." — Dwyer Murphy , CrimeReads
“Mosley is a master of craft and narrative, and through his incredibly vibrant and diverse body of work, our literary heritage has truly been enriched.”—National Book Foundation
"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
Praise for the novels of Walter
“A master of the genre…Mosley’s writing is so rich, and his characters are not like anyone else’s, anywhere. It’s noir with a social conscience, noir with its thinking cap on… revelatory.” – Tracy Clark, Washington Post
"Skitters across the spectrum between orthodox and radical like a polygraph needle wired to a nervy accomplice. . . deliciously gritty noir."―Daniel Nieh , New York Times Book Review
“The evocative prose and astute observations about human nature, race relations and family bonds that have distinguished Mosley's writing for some 30 years."―Paula Woods , Los Angeles Times
“As knotty as the plot can get, the book is consistently lifted by the intelligence of its characters…Mosley is in top form as a social Absolute poverty, muses his protagonist, is being ‘the experience of being slowly murdered by a state of being.’ Mosley's reportorial eye is equally sharp in making details count…”— Kirkus Reviews
“a modern master of the noir form, ... Mosley knows exactly how to craft a mystery that keeps you at the edge of your seat all the while forcing you to reckon with sinister forces at the heart of American society." — Dwyer Murphy , CrimeReads
“Mosley is a master of craft and narrative, and through his incredibly vibrant and diverse body of work, our literary heritage has truly been enriched.”—National Book Foundation
"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
336 pages, Hardcover
Published January 28, 2025
About the author
Walter Mosley
170 books4,054 followersWalter Mosley (b. 1952) is the author of the bestselling mystery series featuring Easy Rawlins, as well as numerous other works, from literary fiction and science fiction to a young adult novel and political monographs. His short fiction has been widely published, and his nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times Magazine and the Nation, among other publications. Mosley is the winner of numerous awards, including an O. Henry Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, a Grammy, and PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He lives in New York City.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
May 7, 2025
Full of twists and turns right out of the gate.
The ending is the ultimate jaw dropper, and left me smiling from ear to ear. Looking forward to finding out how this most unexpected and life changing revelation plays out for King in book four.
The ending is the ultimate jaw dropper, and left me smiling from ear to ear. Looking forward to finding out how this most unexpected and life changing revelation plays out for King in book four.
March 23, 2025
Actual rating: 10 stars
I was first introduced to this author when I read Devil in a Blue Dress the first installation of the Easy Rawlins series and was taken from the very first page. A former soldier turned detective Easy's qualities weren't what we typically see in a PI.
Walt's ability to weave family, love, crime and redemption into the fabric of a detective mystery are one of his many redeeming traits. Storytelling is an art and authors are able to immerse the reader into a story world while keeping them engaged with characters, plot and emotion are in my opinion, the ONLY ones worth reading. A black author whose received countless writing awards, a Grammy, had "Devil" adapted to a Denzel Washington film, and Apple TV+ produce a limited series based on The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, his talent is far beyond most.
Joe King Oliver is a former NYPD turned Private Investigator. Father to Aja-Denise, his 19 year old daughter and administrator for the business, Joe is far from what most refer to as detective types. And as with most series, we get tidbits of back story with every installment, and this one was by far the MOST revealing.
Gladstone Palmer, aka Glad, a NYPD cop Joe maintained a friendship referred billionaire, Anthony Orr to find his wife Marigold Hart and daughter Antoinette for $25K. Soon after, his grandmother, aka Grandma B summons him to the mansion she lives with her billionaire boyfriend Roger after being diagnosed with cancer. When he arrives she tells him to find his estranged father, Chief Oliver and bring him to her. Emotionally and otherwise distanced from his Dad, Joe held him hostage for the loss of his mother, as well as his failure to be a 'father'. Being hired by a client to find a missing person is one thing; but hunting for someone you harbor hatred is quite another.
A master of pacing, Mosley's narrative approach is concise; chapters are short, dialog is brief and descriptions are kept to a minimum. And he uses racial injustice sparingly.
But this book is a 'horse of a different color' due to the depths of emotion, mystery and 'literary' elements rarely witnessed in detective narrative.
Unlike most who feel it important to share characters, plot points and details, I feel it spoils the experience. That said, a plot that revolves around the search for a man's estranged father and the devious agenda of a client seeking to find his wife offers stark contrast. So much so, that the final pages throw the reader the most unexpected plot twist imaginable.
While my preference is literary fiction, the best description for this story is 'breathtaking'. I knew from the very first chapter I needed to spoon feed it rather than rush. Like an addiction, its very hard to do with writing at this level. Regardless of your genre preferences, I HIGHLY recommend you add this to your list!
I was first introduced to this author when I read Devil in a Blue Dress the first installation of the Easy Rawlins series and was taken from the very first page. A former soldier turned detective Easy's qualities weren't what we typically see in a PI.
Walt's ability to weave family, love, crime and redemption into the fabric of a detective mystery are one of his many redeeming traits. Storytelling is an art and authors are able to immerse the reader into a story world while keeping them engaged with characters, plot and emotion are in my opinion, the ONLY ones worth reading. A black author whose received countless writing awards, a Grammy, had "Devil" adapted to a Denzel Washington film, and Apple TV+ produce a limited series based on The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, his talent is far beyond most.
Joe King Oliver is a former NYPD turned Private Investigator. Father to Aja-Denise, his 19 year old daughter and administrator for the business, Joe is far from what most refer to as detective types. And as with most series, we get tidbits of back story with every installment, and this one was by far the MOST revealing.
Gladstone Palmer, aka Glad, a NYPD cop Joe maintained a friendship referred billionaire, Anthony Orr to find his wife Marigold Hart and daughter Antoinette for $25K. Soon after, his grandmother, aka Grandma B summons him to the mansion she lives with her billionaire boyfriend Roger after being diagnosed with cancer. When he arrives she tells him to find his estranged father, Chief Oliver and bring him to her. Emotionally and otherwise distanced from his Dad, Joe held him hostage for the loss of his mother, as well as his failure to be a 'father'. Being hired by a client to find a missing person is one thing; but hunting for someone you harbor hatred is quite another.
A master of pacing, Mosley's narrative approach is concise; chapters are short, dialog is brief and descriptions are kept to a minimum. And he uses racial injustice sparingly.
But this book is a 'horse of a different color' due to the depths of emotion, mystery and 'literary' elements rarely witnessed in detective narrative.
Unlike most who feel it important to share characters, plot points and details, I feel it spoils the experience. That said, a plot that revolves around the search for a man's estranged father and the devious agenda of a client seeking to find his wife offers stark contrast. So much so, that the final pages throw the reader the most unexpected plot twist imaginable.
While my preference is literary fiction, the best description for this story is 'breathtaking'. I knew from the very first chapter I needed to spoon feed it rather than rush. Like an addiction, its very hard to do with writing at this level. Regardless of your genre preferences, I HIGHLY recommend you add this to your list!
Read
November 21, 2024It took me ten days to read this book; that is because I kept starting and stopping. Still, I did finish it. Then it took me 10 days to think about how to write this review. Of course, I could have written a vague two-sentence comment—many reviewers do—and then given it a middling rating. But that’s not my way. I like to provide meaningful feedback for others who are seriously thinking about reading the book being reviewed.
This is the most sexist book I have ever completed. Not the “most sexist” I have ever encountered, but previously whenever I have found myself reading a novel that made me uncomfortable because of its sexism, I would stop reading it, throw it in the dnf pile. (This goes for novels that push the feminist agenda as well; I don’t like reading overhyped propaganda.)
What kept me reading “Been Wrong So Long It Feels Like Right” were the brilliant philosophical insights interwoven throughout the novel. As I read, I highlighted passages that were masterfully written comments on the complexities of human experience. Walter Mosley is a genius in terms of his understanding of the human condition, at least the male human condition, on the psychological level and on the sociological level.
The storyline is based on the hard-boiled detective genre that was popular from the late 1940s to early 1970s. The protagonist, King Oliver, becomes involved in two separate cases, one of which, the Marigold Hart plot thread, was highly predictable and could have been omitted. Had it been excluded, a large chunk of sexism would also have been erased. The other plot thread, the search for King’s father, was less predictable, and although it still had a component of unsettling sexism, was overall more balanced in its portrayal of women.
In the 50s, 60s, and early 70s, the novels and movies utilizing the hard-boiled detective theme did promote sexist attitudes towards women, but this is 2024, not 1971. The story does not take place fifty years ago. Were I a Twitter (or X) user, I would promote a #NeverViewedRead thread, because they were of my time, but indeed, I never saw a single one of those movies, nor read any of the novels. And having completed “Been Wrong So Long It Feels Like Right”, I will never enter into that prejudiced world again.
In addition to the sexism, there was one other element that disturbed me as I continued reading. We see everything through King Oliver’s eyes, and he describes in intricate detail everything he sees—the clothes other characters are wearing, their faces and bodies, the way they move, plus the buildings he enters and their furnishings. Yet I could see nothing. All that incredible detail provoked no images in my mind. At first I thought there was something wrong with me—an inability to form visual images. Then I realized that I had good mental representations for scenes in books I had read recently, and for one I read while thinking about this review. The details seen by King Oliver were like reading a nonfiction book—a list of items. What is fictional is the overall storyline, taken directly from the hard-boiled detective genre. What is good are the non-fictional musings of the protagonist—philosophical musings on moral ambiguity and social justice.
Consequently, I do not wish to give this book a rating. The thinking part of me believes that the author is a brilliant philosopher and its philosophical musings deserve four stars. The emotional/intuitive part of me feels like it is hackneyed fiction designed to promote masculine sexuality and worth at most two stars.
Thanks to Mulholland Books for providing an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.
This is the most sexist book I have ever completed. Not the “most sexist” I have ever encountered, but previously whenever I have found myself reading a novel that made me uncomfortable because of its sexism, I would stop reading it, throw it in the dnf pile. (This goes for novels that push the feminist agenda as well; I don’t like reading overhyped propaganda.)
What kept me reading “Been Wrong So Long It Feels Like Right” were the brilliant philosophical insights interwoven throughout the novel. As I read, I highlighted passages that were masterfully written comments on the complexities of human experience. Walter Mosley is a genius in terms of his understanding of the human condition, at least the male human condition, on the psychological level and on the sociological level.
The storyline is based on the hard-boiled detective genre that was popular from the late 1940s to early 1970s. The protagonist, King Oliver, becomes involved in two separate cases, one of which, the Marigold Hart plot thread, was highly predictable and could have been omitted. Had it been excluded, a large chunk of sexism would also have been erased. The other plot thread, the search for King’s father, was less predictable, and although it still had a component of unsettling sexism, was overall more balanced in its portrayal of women.
In the 50s, 60s, and early 70s, the novels and movies utilizing the hard-boiled detective theme did promote sexist attitudes towards women, but this is 2024, not 1971. The story does not take place fifty years ago. Were I a Twitter (or X) user, I would promote a #NeverViewedRead thread, because they were of my time, but indeed, I never saw a single one of those movies, nor read any of the novels. And having completed “Been Wrong So Long It Feels Like Right”, I will never enter into that prejudiced world again.
In addition to the sexism, there was one other element that disturbed me as I continued reading. We see everything through King Oliver’s eyes, and he describes in intricate detail everything he sees—the clothes other characters are wearing, their faces and bodies, the way they move, plus the buildings he enters and their furnishings. Yet I could see nothing. All that incredible detail provoked no images in my mind. At first I thought there was something wrong with me—an inability to form visual images. Then I realized that I had good mental representations for scenes in books I had read recently, and for one I read while thinking about this review. The details seen by King Oliver were like reading a nonfiction book—a list of items. What is fictional is the overall storyline, taken directly from the hard-boiled detective genre. What is good are the non-fictional musings of the protagonist—philosophical musings on moral ambiguity and social justice.
Consequently, I do not wish to give this book a rating. The thinking part of me believes that the author is a brilliant philosopher and its philosophical musings deserve four stars. The emotional/intuitive part of me feels like it is hackneyed fiction designed to promote masculine sexuality and worth at most two stars.
Thanks to Mulholland Books for providing an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.
August 9, 2026
Easily the best of the bunch. There are a TON of spinning plates here....but if you keep track of everything the payoff is fantastic.
3 1/2 Serpentine Stars
3 1/2 Serpentine Stars
January 18, 2025
Walter Mosley is absolutely a favorite writer of mine. I've been an Easy Rawlins and Fearless Jones Fan forever. So, when Joe "King" Oliver showed up in my to be read pile in 2017, I gave him a whirl and I was not disappointed. But then King took a long time to appear again. Still, Walter Mosley does not ever disappoint and I saw King again just in 2023 and lo and behold he's back.
If you don't know King, his back story is that he was a NYC police detective and great at his job, but he got set up on false charges, served time on Rikers Island and came out with a scar down one cheek and no job. He opened a detective agency. King has been estranged from his father, Chief, since Chief went to prison for a holdup for shooting/wounding two men.Soon after Chief went to jail, King's mother had a breakdown and ended up in a mental institution where she died. This story opens with a visit from King's grandmother, Chief's mother. Brenda is old and needs surgery and she wants King to find Chief. Isn't he in prison, you may ask?
Well, now I can't tell you any more of the story at all, but as you know if you have read one or more Walter Mosley books, they are character driven and Been Wrong is not going to disappoint you. King connects with his father's old friends, people he met in prison, one of the guys Chief shot and many of his former girlfriends. At one location, he meets a darling little girl, age six, with a big voice. At another, the lovely adult daughter of one of his dad's exes who is trapped in a problematic relationship. His daughter Aja, a young woman, works for him but wants more detection responsibilities. His grandmother is married to the richest man in the world, so that guys' "house" is itself a character. Throw in the couple of cops who are still friends. A woman whose husband wants to kill her and retrieve their 9 year old daughter that she took to New York and the various crazies the husband hired. King is a womanizer but ethical so he only "falls in love" three or four times in this story. And then there are Melquarth and Oli. If you read the other Kind Oliver novels, you know that Melquarth is beyond certifiable and for some reason he is actually in a relationship of sorts with Oli. A book just about them would be fun. So, even avoiding spoilers, I can show you how wildly varied and fulfilling it is to have this particular Walter Mosley novel out for all to enjoy.
He never disappoints. No exception. Read Been Wrong So Long It Feels Like Right!
If you don't know King, his back story is that he was a NYC police detective and great at his job, but he got set up on false charges, served time on Rikers Island and came out with a scar down one cheek and no job. He opened a detective agency. King has been estranged from his father, Chief, since Chief went to prison for a holdup for shooting/wounding two men.Soon after Chief went to jail, King's mother had a breakdown and ended up in a mental institution where she died. This story opens with a visit from King's grandmother, Chief's mother. Brenda is old and needs surgery and she wants King to find Chief. Isn't he in prison, you may ask?
Well, now I can't tell you any more of the story at all, but as you know if you have read one or more Walter Mosley books, they are character driven and Been Wrong is not going to disappoint you. King connects with his father's old friends, people he met in prison, one of the guys Chief shot and many of his former girlfriends. At one location, he meets a darling little girl, age six, with a big voice. At another, the lovely adult daughter of one of his dad's exes who is trapped in a problematic relationship. His daughter Aja, a young woman, works for him but wants more detection responsibilities. His grandmother is married to the richest man in the world, so that guys' "house" is itself a character. Throw in the couple of cops who are still friends. A woman whose husband wants to kill her and retrieve their 9 year old daughter that she took to New York and the various crazies the husband hired. King is a womanizer but ethical so he only "falls in love" three or four times in this story. And then there are Melquarth and Oli. If you read the other Kind Oliver novels, you know that Melquarth is beyond certifiable and for some reason he is actually in a relationship of sorts with Oli. A book just about them would be fun. So, even avoiding spoilers, I can show you how wildly varied and fulfilling it is to have this particular Walter Mosley novel out for all to enjoy.
He never disappoints. No exception. Read Been Wrong So Long It Feels Like Right!
November 21, 2024
Walter Mosley is like a fine wine, he just gets better with age. Just amazing how Mr. Mosley consistently delivers these amazing engaging mysteries. In this latest Joe King Oliver caper, he has brilliantly intertwined two interesting narratives, that are equally compelling.
The pacing and plotting is, dare I say, damn near perfect. We find out more of King’s father’s story which although, he appeared in the previous stories, his background wasn’t as fleshed out as it is here. And alongside that thread is the story of a woman on the run from her “ogre” of a husband.
King gets involved in trying to help her and that thread takes us back to his usual team of helpers. Melquarth, Oliya and of course Aja. These two threads are given equal heft. Mosley always writes with a meaningful didactic prose, teaching history and dropping cultural gems on these pages.
The ending here, was quite a pleasant surprise and whets the appetite for further King Oliver mysteries and thrillers. I selfishly hope Mosley never stops creating stories! A big thanks to Netgalley and Muholland Books for an advanced DRC. Book drops Jan. 28, 2025
The pacing and plotting is, dare I say, damn near perfect. We find out more of King’s father’s story which although, he appeared in the previous stories, his background wasn’t as fleshed out as it is here. And alongside that thread is the story of a woman on the run from her “ogre” of a husband.
King gets involved in trying to help her and that thread takes us back to his usual team of helpers. Melquarth, Oliya and of course Aja. These two threads are given equal heft. Mosley always writes with a meaningful didactic prose, teaching history and dropping cultural gems on these pages.
The ending here, was quite a pleasant surprise and whets the appetite for further King Oliver mysteries and thrillers. I selfishly hope Mosley never stops creating stories! A big thanks to Netgalley and Muholland Books for an advanced DRC. Book drops Jan. 28, 2025
March 22, 2025
This book shows me why Walter Mosley is one of my favorite authors. His writing hits me different every time I read one of his books.. the first two books were great and this one didn’t disappoint.. Every character in the books plays a key role to the story.. The ending was incredible.. I Definitely love the King Oliver series
July 7, 2025
I’m really disappointed after how strong JKO #1 was. At this point Easy = Leonid = King
March 18, 2025
Been So Wrong's main character is King Oliver, an ex-cop and current NYC PI. His aged grandmother plans to undergo an operation to remove a tumor and asks King to track down his father, who unbeknownst to him was released from prison a few years prior and obviously keeping a low profile. Additionally, he's tapped to track down a missing woman and her daughter by the woman's abusive and murderous ex-husband. So most of Been So Wrong follows King on his circuitous path to resolve both of his assignments, with the additional cherry on top of experiencing a rapprochement with his ex-con father. It's a tale with a lot of characters and many moving parts, but in the end it all, mostly, works out.
I've read Walter Mosley's work since he was touted by ex-President Clinton back in the early nineties. His early stuff (Devil in the Blue Dress and others in the Easy Rawlins series) was excellent, providing a different perspective in the crime novel genre. Since then his output has been fairly prolific but after many novels the overall quality has dipped a bit. It seems to me he's found a formula and just wants to repeat it. I don't blame him, it seems to work. "Been So Wrong...." is a fine example of the formula: Strong main character- check. Fixation on race- check. Fixation on colors (especially clothing and variations of skin colors)- check. Casual criminality on the part of the "good guys"- check. White women finding lead characters irresistible- check. Bad cops- check. White people clueless and generally bad- check. Big supporting cast comprised mostly of people with sketchy backgrounds- check. Most dialogue in black English- check. Hyperbole- big check. I've mostly read his series-based novels (easily 20 plus) so perhaps his standalone books are different, but I can't think of one of them that didn't follow this formula. Again, not a bad thing and it's good that he's still cranking them out, but the "fresh" factor has gone AWOL.
I've read Walter Mosley's work since he was touted by ex-President Clinton back in the early nineties. His early stuff (Devil in the Blue Dress and others in the Easy Rawlins series) was excellent, providing a different perspective in the crime novel genre. Since then his output has been fairly prolific but after many novels the overall quality has dipped a bit. It seems to me he's found a formula and just wants to repeat it. I don't blame him, it seems to work. "Been So Wrong...." is a fine example of the formula: Strong main character- check. Fixation on race- check. Fixation on colors (especially clothing and variations of skin colors)- check. Casual criminality on the part of the "good guys"- check. White women finding lead characters irresistible- check. Bad cops- check. White people clueless and generally bad- check. Big supporting cast comprised mostly of people with sketchy backgrounds- check. Most dialogue in black English- check. Hyperbole- big check. I've mostly read his series-based novels (easily 20 plus) so perhaps his standalone books are different, but I can't think of one of them that didn't follow this formula. Again, not a bad thing and it's good that he's still cranking them out, but the "fresh" factor has gone AWOL.
March 26, 2025
The latest King Oliver novel doesn’t quite have the weight of the first two, mostly because the plot is a little more elaborate than them, and it kept me from quite connecting to the themes present. The very end is a little too pat, too.
That said, Mosley’s language is as strong as ever, and King remains an interesting character to read about. And I do love it when Mosley gets philosophical about life.
That said, Mosley’s language is as strong as ever, and King remains an interesting character to read about. And I do love it when Mosley gets philosophical about life.
August 2, 2026
Great addition to this wonderful noir series.
Mosley takes a deep dive into Joe King Oliver’s family history while keeping the action packed, the characters deeply drawn, the chapters concise, and as always, the prose magnificent.
Mosley takes a deep dive into Joe King Oliver’s family history while keeping the action packed, the characters deeply drawn, the chapters concise, and as always, the prose magnificent.
April 3, 2025
Walter Mosley has written another good novel. This may be the best of the 3 King Oliver books. It certainly is much better than the second one in the series. There are 2 main story plots. King Oliver’s grandmother tasks King to find his long lost father whom King hasn’t seen since his father went to prison many years ago. In the other case King looks for a mother and daughter who have left their husband/father. When he locates them he must determine what to do with them. He soon discovers the man is not honest and does not really care about the welfare of his wife and daughter. In order to find his father, King seeks out his father’s past acquaintances, who do not disclose all that they know. Like any good Walter Mosley novel, the book has numerous interesting characters. King faces a number of difficult situations and waxes poetically on many things. The book examines loyalties between long time friends, forgiveness, and looking out for yourself. There are also a number of good action scenes.
April 4, 2025
Wow, what a treat to read. Walter Mosley is a treasure. The rich voice of narrator Dion Graham and the multi faceted characters and pulse pounding pace make this hard to put down.
February 23, 2025
Another beauty from Mosley. America's premiere noir writer.
February 13, 2025
Joe King Oliver's grandmother has a tumor. In her 90's, the options aren't great and her one wish is for King Oliver to track down her son/King's father. Chief Oliver was sent to jail when King was 13 and he has never forgiven him for the choices that put him there. There's nothing King won't do for his grandmother, so he sets out to track down the father he hasn't seen in 30 years. At the same time, Kung takes a case to find a man's missing wife and daughter. One he finds them. He realizes it might be better if they stay lost. This installment of the King Oliver series brings back some great characters and has the trademark pacing and plotting that stand out in Mosley'novels. Another great read.
February 12, 2025
My review might be slightly prejudiced because Walter Mosley is one of my favorite authors.
Mr Mosley never disappoints with his ever-so-deadly, ever-so-principled, and ever-so-pleasing look of why, do you still have your clothes on? Yes, Joe KING OliverWell 🤗
Of course, there was chasing, killing, double-crossing, money 💰 to be had, an adorable child to protect, and your bad guys who got what they deserved!
I loved the addition of King's dad and "isms."
Great book.
Mr Mosley never disappoints with his ever-so-deadly, ever-so-principled, and ever-so-pleasing look of why, do you still have your clothes on? Yes, Joe KING OliverWell 🤗
Of course, there was chasing, killing, double-crossing, money 💰 to be had, an adorable child to protect, and your bad guys who got what they deserved!
I loved the addition of King's dad and "isms."
Great book.
April 17, 2025
I wanted this book to be better than it was. It had the makings of a great detective story with a few different plot lines and characters whose stories overlapped. However I couldn’t fully get into the minds of the characters and none of them stood out in a way where I was rooting for them. The overall premise of the story made sense but how it came together was clunky and the ending seemed to come out of nowhere.
September 22, 2024
Great story. Great writing. Great pacing. What more is there to say? Mosley continues at the top of his form with this third installment in the King Oliver series. One can only hope for many more to come. I couldn't put it down and neither will you.
February 7, 2025
Book #3 in the series finds Joe King Oliver turning down a $22.5k finder's fee because he believes the woman and the daughter of a millionaire and abusive husband are in imminent danger once their location is given to him. So Joe takes up the woman's cause. He's also busy dealing with his own very dysfunctional family with drama that would make a reality show feel tame. Joe is a combination of Shaft and Dirty Harry. I found the last chapter a bit too much with its startling reveal though.
April 14, 2025
Another great book from Walter Mosley! I’ve been waiting on this one since I originally saw that it was his next release. Once again we see the main character in this series Joe King Oliver dealing with a crazy mystery, however this time in the middle of all the mess is his father, who we thought was still in jail. The overall story was good and the plot twists were very good. You definitely get to see some more character growth and get to see characters from the past return. Can’t wait for the next one.
February 10, 2026
Joe King Oliver seeks out his father on his grandmother's request and tries to clear his father's name on a murder charge. In the meantime, he's hired to locate a missing wife and child of an individual who's mobbed up. These two cases push Joe in directions that will test his intestinal fortitude and moral compass at the same time. Gritty and hard-core!
July 17, 2026
Mosley is a poet who writes crime fiction.
March 25, 2025
Such a great writer. Before starting the book I think meh. But I was hooked from the first. Great characters nice story tho…I must admit I was not surprised by the last chapter. She had to be alive. There’s a lot of phone calling. Cell phones have changed the mystery genre.
King Oliver reunited with his father; saving people and confronting the past
King Oliver reunited with his father; saving people and confronting the past
September 24, 2025
This was the third King Oliver novel that I have read, and it was just as good as the others. I hope this series goes on for a long time!
March 29, 2025
3 1/2 stars. Mosley writes eloquently and he has the special gift of finding unique names for many of his characters. The plot was too hard for me to follow but it was a fun ride.
May 14, 2025
This was my first read from author, Walter Mosley but it is my intention to read more to compare his writing style.
March 25, 2025
I am an "Easy" fan but found a new detective created by the inimitable Walter Mosley at the Winona, Miss., library last week and really liked it: "Been Wrong So Long It Feels Like Right". He brings a lot of the old days in the South to the hard streets of the New York area for sure, and what a great ending.
March 25, 2025
I'm all caught up on Joe King Oliver escapades. Mosley continues to be a phenomenal storyteller. What I have found most enjoyable, is not the unraveling of mysteries or the twists in the capers Joe Oliver solves, but it's the ongoing dialogue that Joe has with himself throughout. Most interesting and immersive is learning Joe King Oliver, and seeing him grow. Powerful 💪🏽
May 12, 2025
Can’t believe I’m already current in this series! I’m a big fan of the narrator and the development of Joe Oliver and his family so far. Plot twist at the end……..omg
August 11, 2025
King Oliver, a former NYPD detective with an eye for multiple ladies, is now a resourceful PI with a soft spot for children finds himself with two new cases. After locating the runaway wife and young daughter of a very well-connected and wealthy California businessman with thugs at his beck and call, Oliver believes the man intends to murder the wife. His beloved grandmother, newly diagnosed with cancer, also asks Oliver to locate her son, Oliver's long estranged father, a man who destroyed the family when Oliver was a young boy.
Mosely's novel serves up his usual mixture of action. social commentary, and word play to deliver a very readable story that successfully pits his African protagonists against the powerful forces of wealth and racism.
Mosely's novel serves up his usual mixture of action. social commentary, and word play to deliver a very readable story that successfully pits his African protagonists against the powerful forces of wealth and racism.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews