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Amos Walker #8
Downriver
The renowned private eye Amos Walker returns in a fast-pace suspense puzzler set against the hardened heart of Motor City. The story explodes with a really innovative stock swindle at the main plant of Marianne Motors.
214 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 20, 2022
In this 8th outing for Amos Walker, Downriver finds the Detroit-based PI involved in a decades old murder/arson case that also involved an armored car robbery. It’s a case that will insert him into one of the city’s big time manufacturers that services the auto industry.
It all starts with Walker picking up Richard DeVries as he’s released from prison after serving 20 years for a crime he says he didn’t commit. Walker is doing the picking up because DeVries wants to hire him to find the real person behind the armored car hold-up that he did the time for. DeVries wants the 2 hundred grand that was taken as compensation for his incarceration.
It doesn’t take long for the action to start when trouble finds them in the form of a short, sharp car chase. The result is an unwanted dip in Lake Superior and a car in serious need of repairs. Clearly, someone found out that DeVries was out of prison.
Once they have dried themselves out and sorted things with the police the hunt for the real person responsible for the 20 year old crime really begins. And so begins the PI equivalent of a cold case investigation which starts off slowly with a combination of theoretical guesswork and good deductive reasoning. His work thrusts him up against some of the high-powered figures in the automotive industry and a well-disguised twist to keep us guessing.
At times, there is a real feeling that Loren is simply amusing himself…and we’re the beneficiaries:
“It had been a long day. I was too hungry to skip supper and too tired to talk to a waitress. I tracked down two minute steaks that were starting to curl in the refrigerator and grilled them for fifteen seconds on each side, apprehended some okra that had been hiding in a can in the cupboard, and released the works into my custody. Detecting is a hard habit to break, even at home. I interrogated a bottle of beer and turned on the TV”
This is a story that builds nicely, helped along by the entertaining first person narrative of Amos Walker whose pithy delivery consistently offers an amusing, if off-beat, view on the world. Once again, though, we are treated to a good, solid hard-boiled detective story with a protagonist who has become adept at working with and around the local police. It’s fast-paced, gritty stuff that is largely about the plot rather than any bothersome character development.
The story recalls the Detroit riot of 1967 because it was during this bloody insurrection that DeVries threw the Molotov cocktail that led to his arrest. It represents a smooth blending of Estleman’s fictional story with some of the history of the city.
It all starts with Walker picking up Richard DeVries as he’s released from prison after serving 20 years for a crime he says he didn’t commit. Walker is doing the picking up because DeVries wants to hire him to find the real person behind the armored car hold-up that he did the time for. DeVries wants the 2 hundred grand that was taken as compensation for his incarceration.
It doesn’t take long for the action to start when trouble finds them in the form of a short, sharp car chase. The result is an unwanted dip in Lake Superior and a car in serious need of repairs. Clearly, someone found out that DeVries was out of prison.
Once they have dried themselves out and sorted things with the police the hunt for the real person responsible for the 20 year old crime really begins. And so begins the PI equivalent of a cold case investigation which starts off slowly with a combination of theoretical guesswork and good deductive reasoning. His work thrusts him up against some of the high-powered figures in the automotive industry and a well-disguised twist to keep us guessing.
At times, there is a real feeling that Loren is simply amusing himself…and we’re the beneficiaries:
“It had been a long day. I was too hungry to skip supper and too tired to talk to a waitress. I tracked down two minute steaks that were starting to curl in the refrigerator and grilled them for fifteen seconds on each side, apprehended some okra that had been hiding in a can in the cupboard, and released the works into my custody. Detecting is a hard habit to break, even at home. I interrogated a bottle of beer and turned on the TV”
This is a story that builds nicely, helped along by the entertaining first person narrative of Amos Walker whose pithy delivery consistently offers an amusing, if off-beat, view on the world. Once again, though, we are treated to a good, solid hard-boiled detective story with a protagonist who has become adept at working with and around the local police. It’s fast-paced, gritty stuff that is largely about the plot rather than any bothersome character development.
The story recalls the Detroit riot of 1967 because it was during this bloody insurrection that DeVries threw the Molotov cocktail that led to his arrest. It represents a smooth blending of Estleman’s fictional story with some of the history of the city.
January 24, 2021
Richard DeVries is paroled after spending 20 years in prison, and he calls PI Amos Walker to fetch him in a search for justice. During the 1967 riots in Detroit, when DeVries life is all potential (in love, and about to get a chance to play for the Pistons), he was spotted tossing a Molotov cocktail at an abandoned building and arrested. Turns out, an armored car was in the building, and a dead friend so the charges pile up. DeVries recognizes someone in a photo for a new car manufacturer, who was involved with the crime, forming the sole basis for Walker's investigation. When both Devries and Walker become hunted men, there are obviously more secrets than meet the eye. For me anyway, the ending seemed like the movie version of Lord of the Rings: it went on and on.
August 10, 2014
DOWNRIVER by Loren D. Estleman
Whenever I need a hardboiled private eye fix, I turn to Loren Estleman and his noir hero, Amos Walker.
DOWNRIVER is one of his best. Cynical and caustic commentary by Walker, an ex-con who needs a champion, and a resurrected case of arson-homicide from the Detroit riots of 1967 brings us up to date.
Amos follows the leads, bucks the system, and calls in favors from the cops who tolerate him—all to net him and his client a dubious happy ending.
If you like Chandler’s Marlowe, Kerr’s Günther, or any of the boys from the hardboiled genre, you’ll like Amos Walker.
Whenever I need a hardboiled private eye fix, I turn to Loren Estleman and his noir hero, Amos Walker.
DOWNRIVER is one of his best. Cynical and caustic commentary by Walker, an ex-con who needs a champion, and a resurrected case of arson-homicide from the Detroit riots of 1967 brings us up to date.
Amos follows the leads, bucks the system, and calls in favors from the cops who tolerate him—all to net him and his client a dubious happy ending.
If you like Chandler’s Marlowe, Kerr’s Günther, or any of the boys from the hardboiled genre, you’ll like Amos Walker.
October 13, 2026
This is the eighth book in this 30 some book series. I don’t think I’ll ever get to the end and at this point I have downloaded nine and 10 and plan on stopping there. The series is situated in Michigan, which is where I Harken from. The following words as usual are from Claude AI.
**Summary**
Downriver is the eighth Amos Walker novel, published in 1988. Richard DeVries was a 22-year-old Black man about to get a shot with the Pistons when he was arrested during the 1967 Detroit riots for throwing a Molotov cocktail. Police added an armored-car robbery to the charge. Twenty years later he's released, and the first person he calls is Walker, hiring him to find the men who really robbed the armored car. DeVries claims he was framed and that the $200,000 never recovered is rightfully his. He also names a rising auto executive as the "revolutionary" who got him to throw the firebomb. Walker ends up among a would-be car magnate, his ex-model wife, and a centenarian auto pioneer. By the violent ending he has uncovered a computer scam and some ugly 20-year-old secrets.
**Review**
Critics generally rate it well. Publishers Weekly said the main villain isn't especially surprising, but praised the colorful characters, crackling dialogue, authentic Detroit setting and throwaway humor. Reader reviews echo this: a fast-paced, gritty story driven more by plot than character development, with Walker's pithy first-person narration doing much of the work. One reader called it one of Estleman's best, and said fans of Chandler's Marlowe will like Walker. Another felt that the characters were fascinating enough to prop up a slightly fantastical plot.
My take: it's a good fit if you like hardboiled private-eye fiction with a strong sense of place, especially Detroit and its racial and political history. The plot is the weaker element, so read it for the voice and setting. It also works as a standalone, so you don't need the earlier books.
**Summary**
Downriver is the eighth Amos Walker novel, published in 1988. Richard DeVries was a 22-year-old Black man about to get a shot with the Pistons when he was arrested during the 1967 Detroit riots for throwing a Molotov cocktail. Police added an armored-car robbery to the charge. Twenty years later he's released, and the first person he calls is Walker, hiring him to find the men who really robbed the armored car. DeVries claims he was framed and that the $200,000 never recovered is rightfully his. He also names a rising auto executive as the "revolutionary" who got him to throw the firebomb. Walker ends up among a would-be car magnate, his ex-model wife, and a centenarian auto pioneer. By the violent ending he has uncovered a computer scam and some ugly 20-year-old secrets.
**Review**
Critics generally rate it well. Publishers Weekly said the main villain isn't especially surprising, but praised the colorful characters, crackling dialogue, authentic Detroit setting and throwaway humor. Reader reviews echo this: a fast-paced, gritty story driven more by plot than character development, with Walker's pithy first-person narration doing much of the work. One reader called it one of Estleman's best, and said fans of Chandler's Marlowe will like Walker. Another felt that the characters were fascinating enough to prop up a slightly fantastical plot.
My take: it's a good fit if you like hardboiled private-eye fiction with a strong sense of place, especially Detroit and its racial and political history. The plot is the weaker element, so read it for the voice and setting. It also works as a standalone, so you don't need the earlier books.
December 11, 2020
When you read Estleman it helps to know your history and culture with Detroit references from the Purple Gang to Hudson's and anything from the world in general from Gary Trudeau to Sesterces sprinkled in.This Amos Walker mystery written in the 80's is perhaps less gritty and centered around a thinly disguised John Delorean and his company. The characters were as usual fascinating enough to shore up the slightly fantastical plot.
September 25, 2014
Another outing for Amos Walker, the hard boiled but noble Detroit private investigator Loren Estleman has been writing since the early '80s. This time the intrepid detective faces the auto industry, the '67 riots, and a paroled arsonist.
This book doesn't have as strong and clever use of phrasing or dialog as some of the other novels, and Estleman's voice has shifted away from Dashiell Hammett into his own by this novel, but the writing is still quite strong and imagery very pleasing and intriguing.
Detroit features very strongly in this novel, as does a carmaker in the mold of John DeLorean who was around building his fascinating stainless steel car about the time it was written.
Overall, Downriver is a solid mystery locked into Detroit history and its surroundings, and a satisfying addition to the series.
This book doesn't have as strong and clever use of phrasing or dialog as some of the other novels, and Estleman's voice has shifted away from Dashiell Hammett into his own by this novel, but the writing is still quite strong and imagery very pleasing and intriguing.
Detroit features very strongly in this novel, as does a carmaker in the mold of John DeLorean who was around building his fascinating stainless steel car about the time it was written.
Overall, Downriver is a solid mystery locked into Detroit history and its surroundings, and a satisfying addition to the series.
October 2, 2021
One review said, "The author was trying too hard to be Raymond Chandler. Well, Loren Estleman is there baby! He writes hardboiled as well as Hammett, Chandler, MacDonald and the other big boys. Sure there's a bit of a contemporary spin, but it still sings. This was my fifth, all were good and a couple extremely. This one was well above Estleman's skillful average. Except for the ending, I'd have given it five stars. Amos Walker is tough, cynical and a lot of fun. I hope Estleman never stops writing.
August 13, 2012
A great little read with some quality rust belt politics and scenery. The characters might have been a little typed in terms of sex and race, and one of the red herrings was the size of a salmon, but I enjoyed it.
July 17, 2014
It is surprising that I've never read Mr. Estleman's books before. Lots to look forward to.
August 21, 2014
Book number 8 in a long and entertaining series set in Detroit. This is the classic old school, hard-boiled, smart-mouthed detective genre & this author writes it pretty much as well as anyone.
Want to Read
April 21, 2019Synopsis: PI Amos Walker returns in a suspense puzzler set in the hardened heart of Detroit. There's a stock swindle going on at Marianne Motors.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews