Chester Himes's Books

My Life of Absurdity

The Autobiography of Chester Himes

By: Chester B. Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

My Life of Absurdity

The Autobiography of Chester Himes

By: Chester B. Himes

The author shares the experiences of his later years as an internationally known writer in Paris' expatriate cafe society

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

391

Published Date

ISBN 10

1560250941

ISBN 13

9781560250944

Plan B

By: Chester Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The final, posthumous installment of the ground-breaking Harlem Detectives series, a novel of explosive, apocalyptic violence, and a startling vision of the effects of racism in America The roots of racism and persecution in Tomsson Black's ancestry are deep and staggering. In his own lifetime, his misfortunes have become unbearable and, as they mount, serve as an impetus for a final and cataclysmic act of vengeance—the violent overthrow of white society. When acclaimed crime writer Chester Himes died in Spain in 1984, it was rumored that an unfinished story in the Harlem Detective series existed that had all but extinguished his heroes and their fraught city in an explosive paroxysm of racial strife. Completed from his notes by Michel Fabre and Robert E. Skinner, Plan B is that harrowing story. Includes an illuminating introduction by editors Michel Fabre and Robert E. Skinner.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

188

Publisher

Vintage Crime/Black Lizard

Published Date

ISBN 10

0593686144

ISBN 13

9780593686140

Conversations with Chester Himes

By: Chester B. Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Conversations with Chester Himes

By: Chester B. Himes

Himes was equally revealing in the many interviews he granted during his long and tumultuous career in America and France.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

176

Publisher

Univ. Press of Mississippi

Published Date

ISBN 10

0878058184

ISBN 13

9780878058181

The End of a Primitive

A Novel

By: Chester Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The End of a Primitive

A Novel

By: Chester Himes

Two lives spiral into a fatal pas de deux during a weekend of sex, alcohol and violence—from the acclaimed author of the Harlem Detectives series Jesse Robinson and Kriss Cummings once shared a passionate weekend in Chicago, but it’s been years since they’ve seen each other. Jesse, a black writer, refuses to pen the inspirational novel his agent wants, and sits in his Harlem tenement as his career plummets accordingly. Kriss, a white divorcée, has found moderate success at her office job, but is disillusioned with life. Often sleeping with black men, she’s pilloried for “solving the Negro Problem in bed.” Each of them lonely and embittered by the racial tensions of McCarthy-era America, they reunite for a whiskey-soaked weekend in 1952, spiraling into a violent, malicious pas de deux that is fated to end in destruction.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

225

Publisher

Vintage Crime/Black Lizard

Published Date

ISBN 10

0593686713

ISBN 13

9780593686713

Run Man Run

A Novel

By: Chester Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Run Man Run

A Novel

By: Chester Himes

In this knockout standalone crime novel from the acclaimed author of the Harlem Detectives series, a white cop’s murderous outburst leads to a pulse-pounding chase to silence a witness It’s early morning in New York, a few days after Christmas and bitter cold. A white detective named Walker accuses the black workers at a luncheonette on 37th Street and Fifth Avenue of stealing his car. He’s been drinking—a lot. By the time he corners Fat Sam in the refrigeration room, he’s raving mad, and his .32-caliber revolver goes off. But who would believe it was an accident? Two other men work in the luncheonette, and in his fuming, psychotic state, Walker is determined to take out these witnesses. One of them, Luke, he kills in cold blood. But the other, Jimmy, gets away by the skin of his teeth. As Jimmy tries to stay one step ahead and desperately pleads with the authorities that the killer is on the force, Walker closes in until the chase culminates in an explosive conclusion.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

225

Publisher

Vintage Crime/Black Lizard

Published Date

ISBN 10

0593686721

ISBN 13

9780593686720

My Life of Absurdity

The Later Years : the Autobiography of Chester Himes

By: Chester B. Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

My Life of Absurdity

The Later Years : the Autobiography of Chester Himes

By: Chester B. Himes

This second volume in the autobiography of legendary writer Chester Himes talkes the reader into the heart of Paris expatriate cafe society in the 1950s, offering fascinating glimpse of lovers, three continents, and other black men like himself making their way as writers: Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

391

Publisher

Paragon House Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1557783071

ISBN 13

9781557783073

Cotton Comes to Harlem

By: Chester Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Cotton Comes to Harlem

By: Chester Himes

The new crime and espionage series from Penguin Classics makes for a mouth-watering prospect' Daily Telegraph A con-man is swindling the poor folk of Harlem out of their life savings - and now all hell's broken loose. The 'Reverend' Deke O'Malley has just made $87,000 by duping his followers, only for white gunmen to hijack the rally and escape with the cash hidden inside a bale of cotton. Now ace detectives Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson must get the good people of Harlem their money back by any means necessary, in a raucous, breakneck adventure involving double-crosses, exotic dancers, a racist colonel and a whole pile of bodies...

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

243

Publisher

Penguin UK

Published Date

ISBN 10

0141196467

ISBN 13

9780141196466

Dear Chester, Dear John

Letters Between Chester Himes and John A. Williams

By: Chester B. Himes,John A. Williams

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Dear Chester, Dear John

Letters Between Chester Himes and John A. Williams

By: Chester B. Himes,John A. Williams

A revealing collection of correspondence between Chester Himes and John A. Williams, two prominent twentieth-century African American novelists. Chester Himes and John A. Williams met in 1961, as Himes was on the cusp of transcontinental celebrity and Williams, sixteen years his junior, was just beginning his writing career. Both men would go on to receive international acclaim for their work, including Himes's Harlem detective novels featuring Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson and Williams's major novels The Man Who Cried I Am, Captain Blackman, and Clifford's Blues. Dear Chester, Dear John is a landmark collection of correspondence between these two friends, presenting nearly three decades worth of letters about their lives and loves, their professional and personal challenges, and their reflections on society in the United States and abroad. Prepared by John A. Williams and his wife, Lori Williams, this collection contains rare and personal glimpses into the lives of Williams and Himes between 1962 and 1987. As the writers find increasing professional success and recognition, they share candid assessments of each others' work and also discuss the numerous pitfalls they faced as African American writers in the publishing world. The letters offer a window into Himes's and Williams's personalities, as the elder writer reveals his notoriously difficult and suspicious streak, and Williams betrays both immense affection and frustration in dealing with his old friend. Despite several rifts in their relationship, Williams's concern for Himes's failing health ensured that the two kept in touch until Himes's death. Dear Chester, Dear John is a heartfelt and informative collection that allows readers to step behind the scenes of a lifelong friendship between two important literary figures. Students and teachers of African American literature will enjoy this one-of-a-kind volume.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

272

Publisher

Wayne State University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0814333559

ISBN 13

9780814333556

Yesterday Will Make You Cry

By: Chester B. Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Yesterday Will Make You Cry

By: Chester B. Himes

There could not be a fitter time or place for the publication of this great prison novel than today's United States." --H. Bruce Franklin, The Nation

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

392

Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

Published Date

ISBN 10

039331829X

ISBN 13

9780393318296

The Big Gold Dream

By: Chester Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Big Gold Dream

By: Chester Himes

In this page-turning installment of the classic Harlem Detectives series, a woman dies at a con man's religious street revival, and her elusive pile of cash vanishes Alberta Wright drops dead on the street during a sermon by the charismatic con man Sweet Prophet. Her partner rushes home to avoid the cops, only to find her apartment looted by someone looking for her stash of cash. But soon it becomes apparent that there are number of players in the race for Alberta's dough when a furniture salesman who bought much of her belongings is murdered at his shop. Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones are called in to investigate, but they know full well the bodies haven't stopped dropping yet.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

200

Publisher

Vintage Crime/Black Lizard

Published Date

ISBN 10

0593686101

ISBN 13

9780593686102

A Case of Rape

A Novel

By: Chester Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

A Case of Rape

A Novel

By: Chester Himes

From the acclaimed author of the Harlem Detectives series, a brilliant, short novel about a tragic death and a wrongful conviction Spare and powerful, A Case of Rape chronicles a tragic miscarriage of justice. Mrs. Elizabeth Hancock Brissard, a white woman, has died in Paris under mysterious circumstances. She had overdosed on an aphrodisiac, and there was evidence she had been sexually assaulted. A French couple witnessed four black men attempting to push her out a window before she died. The trial that followed was summary, and its verdict convicting the four men of rape was practically a foregone conclusion. But was it true? A riveting mystery but also a mordant critique of racism and sexism, and featuring an introduction by Calvin C. Hernton, A Case of Rape is the fablelike story of doomed love and justice.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

145

Publisher

Vintage Crime/Black Lizard

Published Date

ISBN 10

0593686748

ISBN 13

9780593686744

Pinktoes

A Novel

By: Chester B. Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Pinktoes

A Novel

By: Chester B. Himes

A sex farce deemed to be Himes's most daring work of fiction

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

268

Publisher

Univ. Press of Mississippi

Published Date

ISBN 10

0878058877

ISBN 13

9780878058877

The Real Cool Killers

By: Chester Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Real Cool Killers

By: Chester Himes

The book that Walter Kirn said was like “Hieronymus Bosch meets Miles Davis" (The New York Times). • Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones get personally involved in a gang dispute in one of the most provocative cases in Chester Himes’s groundbreaking Harlem Detectives series. Many people had reasons for killing Ulysses Galen, a big Greek with too much money and too great a liking for young black girls. But there are complications—like Sonny, found standing over the body, high on hash, with a gun in his hand that fires only blanks; a gang called the Moslems; a disappearing suspect; and the fact that Coffin Ed’s daughter is up to her pretty little neck in the whole explosive business.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

164

Publisher

Vintage Crime/Black Lizard

Published Date

ISBN 10

0307803279

ISBN 13

9780307803276

Conversations with Chester Himes

By: Chester B. Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Conversations with Chester Himes

By: Chester B. Himes

Himes was equally revealing in the many interviews he granted during his long and tumultuous career in America and France.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

176

Publisher

Univ. Press of Mississippi

Published Date

ISBN 10

0878058184

ISBN 13

9780878058181

Blind Man with a Pistol

By: Chester Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Blind Man with a Pistol

By: Chester Himes

At once grotesquely comic and unflinchingly violent: the final entry in the trailblazing Harlem Detectives series, set in New York in the sweltering summer heat. “A sensual, surreal, cartoonishly violent and breathtakingly bawdy comic universe.” —Los Angeles Times New York is sweltering in the summer heat, and Harlem is close to the boiling point. To Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones, at times it seems as if the whole world has gone mad. Trying, as always, to keep some kind of peace—their legendary nickel-plated Colts very much in evidence—Coffin Ed and Grave Digger find themselves pursuing two completely different cases through a maze of knifings, beatings, and riots that threaten to tear Harlem apart.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

207

Publisher

Vintage Crime/Black Lizard

Published Date

ISBN 10

0307803287

ISBN 13

9780307803283

A Rage in Harlem (Special Edition)

By: Chester Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

A Rage in Harlem (Special Edition)

By: Chester Himes

A special edition of A Rage in Harlem, a ripping introduction to Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones, who patrol New York City’s roughest streets in Chester Himes’s groundbreaking Harlem Detectives series. Featuring an introduction by James Ellroy. For love of fine, wily Imabelle, hapless Jackson surrenders his life savings to a con man who knows the secret of turning ten-dollar bills into hundreds—and then he steals from his boss, only to lose the stolen money at a craps table. Luckily for him, he can turn to his savvy twin brother, Goldy, who earns a living—disguised as a Sister of Mercy—by selling tickets to Heaven in Harlem. With Goldy on his side, Jackson is ready for payback. A Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Special Edition

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

177

Publisher

Vintage Crime/Black Lizard

Published Date

ISBN 10

0593311949

ISBN 13

9780593311943

The Quality of Hurt

The Autobiography of Chester Himes

By: Chester B. Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Quality of Hurt

The Autobiography of Chester Himes

By: Chester B. Himes

Offers a look at the author's early life in the Black ghetto and his later literary success

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

351

Published Date

ISBN 10

1560250933

ISBN 13

9781560250937

The Crazy Kill

By: Chester Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Crazy Kill

By: Chester Himes

From “one of the most important American writers of the 20th century” (Walter Mosley) comes a classic thriller in the trailblazing Harlem Detectives series, in which love and jealousy erupt into violence. One early morning, Reverend Short is watching from his bedroom window as the A&P across the street is robbed. As he tries to see the thief get away, the opium-addicted preacher leans too far and falls out--but he is unscathed, thanks to an enormous bread basket outside the bakery downstairs. As the crowd gathers to see what happened, a shocking discovery is made: There is another body in the bread basket, and Valentine Haines is dead, really dead. It's up to Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson to find out who murdered Val.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

156

Publisher

Vintage Crime/Black Lizard

Published Date

ISBN 10

0307803236

ISBN 13

9780307803238

Yesterday Will Make You Cry

By: Chester B. Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Yesterday Will Make You Cry

By: Chester B. Himes

There could not be a fitter time or place for the publication of this great prison novel than today's United States." --H. Bruce Franklin, The Nation

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

392

Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

Published Date

ISBN 10

039331829X

ISBN 13

9780393318296

Plan B

By: Chester Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Plan B

By: Chester Himes

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

188

Publisher

Vintage Crime/Black Lizard

Published Date

ISBN 10

0593686144

ISBN 13

9780593686140

Dear Chester, Dear John

Letters Between Chester Himes and John A. Williams

By: Chester Himes,John A. Williams

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Dear Chester, Dear John

Letters Between Chester Himes and John A. Williams

By: Chester Himes,John A. Williams

Students and teachers of African American literature will enjoy this one-of-a-kind volume.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

266

Publisher

Wayne State University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

081433850X

ISBN 13

9780814338506

A Case of Rape

A Novel

By: Chester Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

A Case of Rape

A Novel

By: Chester Himes

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

145

Publisher

Vintage Crime/Black Lizard

Published Date

ISBN 10

0593686756

ISBN 13

9780593686751

Pinktoes

A Novel

By: Chester B. Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Pinktoes

A Novel

By: Chester B. Himes

A sex farce deemed to be Himes's most daring work of fiction

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

268

Publisher

Univ. Press of Mississippi

Published Date

ISBN 10

0878058877

ISBN 13

9780878058877

Crime Novels: Four Classic Thrillers 1964-1969 (LOA #371)

The Fiend / Doll / Run Man Run / The Tremor of Forgery

By: Margaret Millar,Ed McBain,Chester Himes,Patricia Highsmith

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Crime Novels: Four Classic Thrillers 1964-1969 (LOA #371)

The Fiend / Doll / Run Man Run / The Tremor of Forgery

By: Margaret Millar,Ed McBain,Chester Himes,Patricia Highsmith

In the 1960s the masters of crime fiction expanded the genre’s literary and psychological possibilities with audacious new themes, forms, and subject matter—here are four of their finest works This is the second of two volumes gathering the best American crime fiction of the 1960s, nine novels of astonishing variety and inventiveness that pulse with the energies of that turbulent, transformative decade. In Margaret Millar’s The Fiend (1964) a nine-year-old girl disappears and a local sex offender comes under suspicion. So begins a suspenseful investigation of an apparently tranquil California suburb which will expose a hidden tangle of fear and animosity, jealousy and desperation. Ed McBain (a pen name of Evan Hunter) pioneered the multi-protagonist police procedural in his long-running series of 87th Precinct novels, set in a parallel Manhattan called Isola. Doll (1965) opens at a pitch of extreme violence and careens with breakneck speed through a tale that mixes murder, drugs, the modeling business, and psychotherapy with the everyday professionalism of McBain’s harried cops. The racial paranoia of a drunken police detective in Run Man Run (1966) leads to a double murder and the relentless pursuit of the young Black college student who witnessed it. In Chester Himes’s breathless narrative, New York City is a place with no safe havens for a fugitive whom no one wants to believe. In Patricia Highsmith’s The Tremor of Forgery (1969) a man whose personality is disintegrating is writing a book called The Tremor of Forgery about a man whose personality is disintegrating, “like a mountain collapsing from within.” Stranded unexpectedly in Tunisia, Howard Ingham struggles to hold on to himself in a strange locale, while a slightly damaged typewriter may be the only trace of a killing committed almost by accident. Volume features include an introduction by editor Geoffrey O'Brien (Hardboiled America), newly researched biographies of the writers and helpful notes, and an essay on textual selection.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

847

Publisher

Library of America

Published Date

ISBN 10

1598537423

ISBN 13

9781598537420

Cotton Comes to Harlem

By: Chester Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Cotton Comes to Harlem

By: Chester Himes

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

243

Publisher

Penguin UK

Published Date

ISBN 10

0141196467

ISBN 13

9780141196466

All Shot Up

By: Chester B. Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

All Shot Up

By: Chester B. Himes

The greatest find in American fiction since Raymond Chandler."-The Observer (London) The shocking and explosive hardboiled classic: From murderers to prostitutes, corrupt politicians and racist white detectives, Coffin Ed Johnson and Gravedigger Jones, Harlem's toughest detective duo, must carry the day against an absurdist world of racism and class warfare. After arriving on the American literary scene with novels of scathing social protest, Chester Himes created a pioneering pair of dangerously charming African American sleuths, Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson, who attempt to maintain some kind of order on the streets of Harlem. Himes died in Spain in 1984.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

173

Publisher

Signet

Published Date

ISBN 10

0451067177

ISBN 13

9780451067173

The End of a Primitive

A Novel

By: Chester Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The End of a Primitive

A Novel

By: Chester Himes

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

225

Publisher

Vintage Crime/Black Lizard

Published Date

ISBN 10

0593686705

ISBN 13

9780593686706

A Rage in Harlem

By: Chester B. Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

A Rage in Harlem

By: Chester B. Himes

Jackson, trusting and besotted with his girlfriend, Imabelle, scrapes his hard-earned savings together in a scheme to triple his money. But it all goes terribly wrong, and Jackson soon finds himself without money, a job, or his beloved Imabelle. Desperate to find her, he turns to his brother for help. Featuring the hardboiled Harlem detectives Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones, A Rage in Harlem has swagger, brutal humour, lurid violence, a hearse loaded with gold and a conman dressed as a Sister of Mercy. The Green Popular Penguins Story It was in 1935 when Allen Lane stood on a British railway platform looking for something good to read on his journey. His choice was limited to popular magazines and poor quality paperbacks. Lane's disappointment at the range of books available led him to found a company - and change the world. In 1935 the Penguin was born, but it took until the late 1940s for the Crime and Mystery series to emerge. The genre thrived in the post-war austerity of the 1940s, and reached heights of popularity by the 1960s. Suspense, compelling plots and captivating characters ensure that once again you need look no further than the Penguin logo for the scene of the perfect crime.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

210

Publisher

Penguin Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

0143570285

ISBN 13

9780143570288

All Shot Up

By: Chester Himes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

All Shot Up

By: Chester Himes

In this gripping installment of the maverick Harlem Detectives series, Coffin Ed Johnson and Gravedigger Jones investigate a series of seemingly unrelated, brutal crimes. A gold Cadillac, about as large as an ocean liner, rocks a woman to the pavement in the cold streets of Harlem. Three goons in cop uniforms heist a small fortune and leave an important politician dead. All told eight bodies stack up over the long, bloody weekend, but they won't spoil in this weather. And Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson have to follow the trail of brutal violence, perversion, and cold murder—and avoid getting caught in the fray.

Average ratings

N/A