The Harlem Cycle Vol 3: Cotton Comes to Harlem; Blind Man with a Pistol; Plan B

by Chester Himes, Lesley Himes (Introduction)

A sound book with all pages intact. No dog ears or smoke smell.

Genres: Crime, Fiction

512 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1997

About the author

Chester Bomar Himes began writing in the early 1930s while serving a prison sentence for armed robbery. From there, he produced short stories for periodicals such as Esquire and Abbott's Monthly. When released, he focussed on semi-autobiographical protest novels.

In 1953, Himes emigrated to France, where he was approached by Marcel Duhamel of Gallimard to write a detective series for Série Noire, which had published works from the likes of Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and Jim Thompson. Himes would be the first black author included in the series. The resulting Harlem Cycle gained him celebrity when he won France's Grand Prix de Littérature Policière for La Reine des Pommes (now known in English as A Rage in Harlem) in 1958. Three of these novels have been adapted into movies: Cotton Comes to Harlem, directed by Ossie Davis in 1970; Come Back, Charleston Blue (based on The Heat's On) in 1972; and A Rage in Harlem, starring Gregory Hines and Danny Glover in 1991.

In 1968, Himes moved to Spain where he made his home until his death.

Reviews

[Ken Janisch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. Himes takes you into the Harlem world with such deftness that you feel absorbed: the racism, the anger, the sorrow and desperation, the joy. The language can be confusing, dated, different, but if you let it just flow through you, you'll be fine. I often find that the plot and conclusion are usually less important then the ride with Himes and 'Blind man with a pistol' is no exception. But man...what a ride!

[Lindig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! This book burst on the scene (Cotton Comes to Harlem) with its portrayal of black cops in New York City. Gritty, funny, graphic -- the ultimate urban fiction. Good movie made from the book, too.