Been Wrong So Long It Feels Like Right: A King Oliver Novel

In MWA Grand Master Mosley’s smooth, enjoyable latest King Oliver mystery (after Every Man a King), the NYPD detective–turned–PI agrees to help California tycoon Anthony Orr retrieve his young daughter, whom Orr claims was carried off to New York by his second wife. King soon realizes the case isn’t as simple as it seems: Orr has a violent past, with rumors swirling that he killed his first wife, and he’s sent two hired guns to see that King does his job right. As a result, King agrees to help Orr’s wife and daughter stay out of reach of Orr and his men. Meanwhile, King’s 94-year-old grandmother urges him to reconcile with his father, Chief Odin Oliver, who’s been living underground since his release from prison after a murder sentence. For King, it soon becomes clear that any genuine reconciliation will involve reinvestigating the killing for which Chief was convicted. Mosley brings both plots to tidy conclusions, but the stakes feel somewhat lower this time out, with the racial themes prominent in previous installments replaced by gentler family tensions. Still, series fans will enjoy themselves. Agent: Gloria Loomis, Watkins-Loomis Literary. (Jan.)