<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Great!
Review: All of the Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson books are worth reading. This might be a good place to start, as you'll learn more here about the protagonists' personal lives than you will in other novels. Himes was a great stylist, and one of the most important post-WW 2 American writers.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant, gritty crime fiction
Review: Based on this book (the only one of his that I have read so far), Himes is an excellent stylist. The prose is tough and muscular, rough-hewn and perfectly suited to the subject matter. In its own way, it equals the prose of Jim Thompson. Himes' view of a morally-decrepit urban setting is the standard stuff of noir, but seen through a kind of angry be-bop lens. Excellent symbolism is present as well, particularly in the character of the old grandmother, who haunts me still.
Rating:
Summary: Chester's Best
Review: Chester Himes stands a bit apart- and perhaps a bit above- most of the mid-century crime and suspense novelists that this re-issue series collects. The action and the energy level are the equal of any writer in the genre, and for pure readability he's one of the most entertaining. But there is clearly some valid literary intent here as well, and as a result bookstores have never been quite sure where to place the few novels he wrote about Coffin Ed Johnson and Gravedigger Jones.Himes' background as a black ex-convict (and eventual expatriate) add to his interesting perspective as he tries to capture- or, more accurately, caricature- the violence and the "comic chaos" (his phrase) of the Harlem Renaissance. Coffin Ed and Gravedigger are two ruthless detectives caught between their own people and the white law that employs them; they really don't fit into any group other than themselves. They are outsiders who believe strongly in order and in the guns they carry, but are often conflicted, and occasionally even divided. This is probably the best and the tightest of Himes' stories with these characters; it is a fabulous read and one I will return to often over the years. The world Himes conjures is savage and disturbing, and the characters are eccentric to the point of being circus freaks, but are always believable and compelling. This is the kind of book that will leave you trying to describe scenes to your friends. Coffin Ed and Gravedigger may be the greatest individual creations of a very rich genre. I'd say start here.
Rating:
Summary: Chester's Best
Review: Chester Himes stands a bit apart- and perhaps a bit above- most of the mid-century crime and suspense novelists that this re-issue series collects. The action and the energy level are the equal of any writer in the genre, and for pure readability he's one of the most entertaining. But there is clearly some valid literary intent here as well, and as a result bookstores have never been quite sure where to place the few novels he wrote about Coffin Ed Johnson and Gravedigger Jones. Himes' background as a black ex-convict (and eventual expatriate) add to his interesting perspective as he tries to capture- or, more accurately, caricature- the violence and the "comic chaos" (his phrase) of the Harlem Renaissance. Coffin Ed and Gravedigger are two ruthless detectives caught between their own people and the white law that employs them; they really don't fit into any group other than themselves. They are outsiders who believe strongly in order and in the guns they carry, but are often conflicted, and occasionally even divided. This is probably the best and the tightest of Himes' stories with these characters; it is a fabulous read and one I will return to often over the years. The world Himes conjures is savage and disturbing, and the characters are eccentric to the point of being circus freaks, but are always believable and compelling. This is the kind of book that will leave you trying to describe scenes to your friends. Coffin Ed and Gravedigger may be the greatest individual creations of a very rich genre. I'd say start here.
Rating: 
Summary: Harlem Noir
Review: These mid-century crime novels are a favorite genre of mine, but I didn't know much about Chester Himes before picking this one up. The mystery itself is interesting but secondary in importance to the setting of Harlem and the many characters that live there. Himes has a great style and he uses dialect just enough to give us a sense of setting. Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Johnson have names that sound like a couple of cops that don't mind putting the occasional criminal under the grass -- and they do. They're introduced shortly after the opening murder and they prove themselves immediately tough and competent. Gravedigger and Coffin learn that the mystery goes deeper than one shooting. (It usually does in these kinds of novels). What's interesting is the way the people of Harlem respects these black cops, but still don't trust them. Their ability is even respected by the white cops that don't mind uttering the frequent racial slur towards the casual citizenry. Gravedigger and Coffin are in a world between the white establishment and the everyday people of Harlem. The conflict creates the same kind of tension that Marlowe and Spade have with the regular police. You can also give Himes credit for not stereotyping any of the characters black or white. The white cops aren't all corrupt and the blacks aren't all angels. The book made for a quick and interesting getaway.
Rating:
Summary: Harlem Noir
Review: These mid-century crime novels are a favorite genre of mine, but I didn't know much about Chester Himes before picking this one up. The mystery itself is interesting but secondary in importance to the setting of Harlem and the many characters that live there. Himes has a great style and he uses dialect just enough to give us a sense of setting. Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Johnson have names that sound like a couple of cops that don't mind putting the occasional criminal under the grass -- and they do. They're introduced shortly after the opening murder and they prove themselves immediately tough and competent. Gravedigger and Coffin learn that the mystery goes deeper than one shooting. (It usually does in these kinds of novels). What's interesting is the way the people of Harlem respects these black cops, but still don't trust them. Their ability is even respected by the white cops that don't mind uttering the frequent racial slur towards the casual citizenry. Gravedigger and Coffin are in a world between the white establishment and the everyday people of Harlem. The conflict creates the same kind of tension that Marlowe and Spade have with the regular police. You can also give Himes credit for not stereotyping any of the characters black or white. The white cops aren't all corrupt and the blacks aren't all angels. The book made for a quick and interesting getaway.
Rating:
Summary: It don't get mo' better than this
Review: This is the proverbial "it". The characters, the action, the dialogue, everything is here and it all works perfectly. A true classic. Like jazzed-up Chandler or Moseley with a sense of humor.
Rating:
Summary: It don't get mo' better than this
Review: This is the proverbial "it". The characters, the action, the dialogue, everything is here and it all works perfectly. A true classic. Like jazzed-up Chandler or Moseley with a sense of humor.
Rating:
Summary: Involving and realistic recent mystery novel
Review: You never know what's going to happen next. Easy and quick read. Great for a short trip. Set in the 50's but racial messages still apply today. Unsettling in a societal sense.
<< 1 >>
| 
