"...the black police officers Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson..." Those are cold-blooded handles! (On film, they would be portrayed, respectively, by Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques in "Cotton Comes To Harlem" and "Come Back Charleston Blue", both directed by Ossie Davis.)
I'd never heard of Chester Himes or his books. After reading your review, I looked into getting this title on Audible, and it's narrated by Samuel L. Jackson! What a find! This will be my next listen, after I finish The Betrothed, another one of your recommendations. ;)
Haven't read Himes yet. There have been a lot of reissues over the last year, though, and a number of his stand-alone books are out there in the Kindle store as well as trade paperback; Everyman's Library has a volume of the Harlem Detective books which includes 4 of them, I think. They do sound like fun, though, and how can you go wrong with a title like Blind Man with a Pistol?
Couple of biographies are out there too, and before writing his full-length bio on Himes, James Sallis had a long essay on Himes in his book Difficult Lives/Hitching Rides.
"...the black police officers Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson..." Those are cold-blooded handles! (On film, they would be portrayed, respectively, by Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques in "Cotton Comes To Harlem" and "Come Back Charleston Blue", both directed by Ossie Davis.)
Yeah, those guys are tough as nails.
Sounds like a great read! Thanks.
I love a zany story, and this one is rich.
I'd never heard of Chester Himes or his books. After reading your review, I looked into getting this title on Audible, and it's narrated by Samuel L. Jackson! What a find! This will be my next listen, after I finish The Betrothed, another one of your recommendations. ;)
Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson? That sounds awesome. I need to check that out. For some reason I didn’t even think to check the audio.
I hope you’re enjoying The Betrothed!
Rad stuff!
I was hoping you’d dig it.
Haven't read Himes yet. There have been a lot of reissues over the last year, though, and a number of his stand-alone books are out there in the Kindle store as well as trade paperback; Everyman's Library has a volume of the Harlem Detective books which includes 4 of them, I think. They do sound like fun, though, and how can you go wrong with a title like Blind Man with a Pistol?
Couple of biographies are out there too, and before writing his full-length bio on Himes, James Sallis had a long essay on Himes in his book Difficult Lives/Hitching Rides.
I’ve got that Everyman volume and it’s excellent. I read a little Vintage Crime edition of Rage and bought the Everyman immediately after.