Socrates Fortlow, the widely praised hero of Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned, returns in this powerful new exploration of life outside the law in modern-day Los Angeles. Nine years after his release from prison, he has a girlfriend, a steady job, and a two-legged dog. Socrates' new responsibilities make finding the right path even harder -- especially when the police make him their first suspect in every crime within six blocks. In each chapter of Walkin' the Dog, Socrates challenges a different conundrum of life, and Walter Mosley gives us one of the most enduring fictional characters to come along in years.