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Harlem Cycle #3
The Crazy Kill
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 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.
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 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.
162 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1959
48 people are currently reading
781 people want to read
About the author
Chester Himes
122 books484 followersChester 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
February 12, 2023
As a rule, I never read books titled "The Crazy Kill" or "The Bloody Mess" or "The Rosy Love", but this book has been mentioned in the lectures "The Secrets of Great Mystery and Suspense Fiction"(by David Schmid) as classics of the genre. And it didn't disappoint--the quality of writing is outstanding, and even the seemingly banal title turned out to fit the story perfectly at the end.
Of course, I forgot the exact details of why it was considered so special, but this quote from the author's goodreads bio restored my memory:
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.
Of course, I forgot the exact details of why it was considered so special, but this quote from the author's goodreads bio restored my memory:
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.
April 14, 2019
Μπορεί να μην είναι τόσο μοναδικό όσο το "Χαμός στο Χάρλεμ" (το 1ο και κορυφαίο της σειράς), αλλά και πάλι έχει κάποιες απολαυστικές στιγμές. Οι Grave Digger Jones και Coffin Ed Johnson αναλαμβάνουν πάλι δράση και ο Chester Himes αποδεικνύει -για μια ακόμα φορά- πως υπήρξε μια ιδιαίτερη φωνή στο noir.
February 14, 2015
3.5 stars
The 3rd novel in Himes's Harlem Cycle begins like a twisted Harlem version of an Agatha Christie mystery. During a liquor-filled wake for Big Joe Pullen, a man is killed on a bread basket with a very distinctive knife. There are many at the wake who have motive for killing him, including his sister Dulcy, her husband Johnny Perry, her wanna-be lover, Chink Charlie Dawson, the victim's girlfriend Doll Baby, and their opium-addicted Holy Roller preacher. But instead of Miss Marple trying to find out who did it, it's Harlem's two gun-happy detectives Grave Digger and Coffin Ed!
This book is more of a straight murder mystery than the first two novels and the plot is much more complicated and confusing, with many characters and motivations introduced in the first chapter. But Chester Himes's hard-hitting, satirical prose is still in full effect. While not as remarkable as the previous books, this one is still entertaining!
The 3rd novel in Himes's Harlem Cycle begins like a twisted Harlem version of an Agatha Christie mystery. During a liquor-filled wake for Big Joe Pullen, a man is killed on a bread basket with a very distinctive knife. There are many at the wake who have motive for killing him, including his sister Dulcy, her husband Johnny Perry, her wanna-be lover, Chink Charlie Dawson, the victim's girlfriend Doll Baby, and their opium-addicted Holy Roller preacher. But instead of Miss Marple trying to find out who did it, it's Harlem's two gun-happy detectives Grave Digger and Coffin Ed!
This book is more of a straight murder mystery than the first two novels and the plot is much more complicated and confusing, with many characters and motivations introduced in the first chapter. But Chester Himes's hard-hitting, satirical prose is still in full effect. While not as remarkable as the previous books, this one is still entertaining!
September 23, 2018
This is a very silly book. All set around the wake for Big Joe who has died suddenly. Why it was taking place in the early hours of the morning is anyone's guess. The Reverend Short, a lunatic alternative preacher, falls out of a third floor window into a basket of newly delivered bread outside of a shop. He survives but Valentine Haines is found stabbed to death in the basket. A whole illusionary conjuring trick as a beat cop and the store manager have their attention diverted at the same time. Meanwhile there is a whole lot of relationship issues between the various males and their women, quite sexist attitudes, and their past lives. A barely noticeable appearance by the cop duo Grave Digger Jones and his partner Coffin Ed Johnson.
Was this a very clever book or was it silly. Silly for me but others will see it differently. Probably a book best left in the 1950's.
Was this a very clever book or was it silly. Silly for me but others will see it differently. Probably a book best left in the 1950's.
February 13, 2024
This is the third book in the Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson series. However, these detectives appear in perhaps only twenty pages in the entire story. This is more or less a domestic case and the major players are husband, wife, ex-wife, aunt and a couple of seriously questionable friends. Oh! And let’s not forget a certain holy-roller minister. As such, this is a quick novel that is riveting from start to finish. Not a whole lot of bodies littered about at the end as in previous books. This one is just as good as its predecessors.
October 21, 2024
Each entry in this series is less stylish than the one before, though I loved all the holy roller content. Himes is more invested in his twisty whodunnit plot (a genre shift for the Harlem detectives) than the characters, setting, or themes that make the rest of the series so interesting. Still a good mystery novel.
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March 9, 2018Shit, Chester Himes Man. Shit. This..guy...damn. Like the rest of them, murder and the brutal aftermath which Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed bring in the aftermath, an investigation which propels pretty fabulous character studies of a selection of Harlem's citizens, a put-about gambler, a opium-addicted reverend. Writing is very strong, the construction of the plot is extremely tight, Jones and Ed are used with intriguing sparseness, the setting is vibrant, I mean, Himes, man, what are you going to say? This guy is top shelf noir. Library, but keep, obviously.
July 11, 2018
Kind of formulaic but it still has some good scenes
October 15, 2019
Take your cue from the title: this book is silly, full of crazy sauce, and gritty. The book opens with a dead body discovered in a bakery’s bread crate, and I confess I laughed reading the description of drunk Reverend Short falling slow-mo into the bread crate and slowly crawling out again (thus discovering the body) but this is no cozy mystery.
I mean, come on, that’s comedy gold. It also made me want some fresh baked bread.
The rest of the book wasn’t quite so laugh-out-loud funny as the opening scene. A lot of the characters are caricatures, and no one will accuse Himes of excessive political correctness (one of the main characters is nicknamed “Chink Charlie,” for example.)
The writing can be a bit mechanical, but Himes knows how to spin a classic noir atmosphere around his story. He’s the Noir Master.
Slowly the surface of the bread began to stir. A loaf rose and dropped over the side of the basket to the sidewalk as though the bread had begun to boil. Another squashed loaf followed. Slowly, the man began erupting from the basket like a zombie rising from the grave. His head and shoulders came up first. He gripped the edges of the basket, and his torso straightened. He put a leg over the side and felt for the sidewalk with his foot. The sidewalk was still there. He put a little weight on his foot to test the sidewalk. The sidewalk was steady.
The first thing he did was to adjust his gold-rimmed spectacles on his nose. Next he felt his pants pockets to see if he’d lost anything. ... Then he brushed his clothes vigorously, as though loaves of bread might be sticking to him
I mean, come on, that’s comedy gold. It also made me want some fresh baked bread.
The rest of the book wasn’t quite so laugh-out-loud funny as the opening scene. A lot of the characters are caricatures, and no one will accuse Himes of excessive political correctness (one of the main characters is nicknamed “Chink Charlie,” for example.)
The writing can be a bit mechanical, but Himes knows how to spin a classic noir atmosphere around his story. He’s the Noir Master.
July 30, 2020
This is the third entry in Chester Himes' terrific "Harlem Detective" series. "The Crazy Kill" is full of murder and mayhem in the middle of a sweltering Harlem July. There are a lot of characters to keep track of in this novel and, at times, I found it difficult to follow them all. But the best parts, by far, were when the Harlem Detectives: Coffin Ed and Grave Digger Jones enter the scene. I find them to be the most enjoyable characters to follow but, unfortunately as with other books in the series, the stories are not always told from their perspectives and the two detectives pop in and out throughout the novels. I would have liked to see more of them driving the plot along.
Where Himes sets himself apart from other hard-boiled crime writers, is his ability to paint a vivid portrait of 1950s/60s Harlem and the complex characters that populate it. The language, the street slang, the music on the record player, and even the food put the reader right in the moment. Listen to a recording of Bessie Smith's "Back Water Blues" while reading Chapter 18 and you'll feel like you're in the same room as Mamie and Dulcy while a mid-summer's rain pelts the window. A good crime novel by a, sometimes forgotten, author who should be read more often.
Where Himes sets himself apart from other hard-boiled crime writers, is his ability to paint a vivid portrait of 1950s/60s Harlem and the complex characters that populate it. The language, the street slang, the music on the record player, and even the food put the reader right in the moment. Listen to a recording of Bessie Smith's "Back Water Blues" while reading Chapter 18 and you'll feel like you're in the same room as Mamie and Dulcy while a mid-summer's rain pelts the window. A good crime novel by a, sometimes forgotten, author who should be read more often.
January 9, 2014
This is the first Chester Himes book I have ever read. I liked it and am keen to read more.
It is sort of a whodunit, but the atmosphere is the star here.
It is sort of a whodunit, but the atmosphere is the star here.
July 27, 2023
Definitely the weakest of the first three volumes in this series. I will certainly read more in the series in the future given how well the author can paint the atmosphere of Harlem in its time, where the location is a much as character as any of the people who live there.
January 7, 2020
This book both confused me and left me wanting to read more Himes.
July 6, 2022
Buena novela negra, sólida y muy bien ambientada que, como es usual en Chimes, parece reflejar muy bien el Harlem de su época. Sin embargo, la ausencia de personajes a los que agarrarse (ninguno de ellos me resultaba especialmente atractivo) hacía que, a menudo, no me atrapara del todo el devenir de la historia.
July 13, 2024
I like this series although this one isn’t as funny as the previous two. Maybe Himes will continue to get more and more serious.
February 15, 2025
Just gets crazier.
June 30, 2018
Probably better than 3 stars but I can't really give it 4 because it seemed to be spinning its wheels a lot of the time. The investigation doesn't really nab your attention, but the character stuff is good, though not on par with the first two books. Not exactly a disappointment, but the weakest of the three so far. I'll still move on to the fourth in short order.
March 9, 2010
Well last week’s snow left me plenty of time to get ahead on my reading but the general malaise and lethargy engendered by a snowy couple of days certainly put a damper on my writing. The next couple of reviews should mark the tail end of my little project and each (barring this review, and the upcoming Mystical Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death review) should cover a different decade (a late minute addition to the experience). Now, however we’re looking at another crime thriller by the oft-overlooked (though less so in recent years) Chester Himes. I first experienced Himes’ fiction in college while reading A Rage in Harlem (originally titled For Love of Imabelle) and found his work fascinating though, for my tastes at least, less compulsively readable then other authors of the same genre thanks in part to Himes’ tendency towards the surreal and outright absurd.
The Crazy Kill is, I believe, the fourth novel in Himes’ Harlem Detective series featuring the black detectives Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones. While it seems the common mode is to accept that series as being identified by Coffin Ed and Grave Digger it should be noted that while the two appear in this novel they are less prominent in the narrative then one might expect. Unlike most hardboiled detective stories, which feature a first person or third-person limited perspective, The Crazy Kill operates more on a third-person objective narrative with Grave Digger and Coffin Ed being only two of the multitude of characters the story follows. Which, in the end, is why I see this book as more of a crime thriller then a detective novel. There is very little detecting that goes on and Himes’ is more focused on the violence, corruptions, and tensions of is setting (and between his characters) then he is on the mystery itself.
Regardless Coffin Ed and Grave Digger are interesting studies in contradiction. They are agents of the law but are more concerned with tracking down violent crime rather then any other sort of offense. They aren’t afraid to use a little breaking and entering to find out some information but they do so with knowledge that anything they find might well get them in trouble rather then help them with the case. In fact there they even have a conversation about it while breaking into an apparent. They punish violence with a dogged sense of justice yet aren’t afraid to use violence themselves to compel people towards assisting them in their goals. They walk a very grey moral path and it is difficult to get a handle on their character in just one book and when they don’t get a lot of time in the limelight.
Himes’ tends to blend his violence with humor. This is evident right from the opening scene where a man watching a burglary from a window leans too far out only to overbalance and fall, landing on a pallet of bread. Indeed, that same character, a Reverend is the focus for much of the novel’s humor though it frequently takes on a grim tone. Again the novel is outright funny but tends towards take humorous elements in order to lighten some situations, such as the interrogation of a witness being preceded by an attack by a chicken, but otherwise remains of secondary consideration to the novel’s somewhat labyrinthine plot.
While it has been a while my vague recollections of A Rage In Harlem seem to outweigh my end opinion of The Crazy Kill. The plot never really gelled for me and the whole thing felt a bit slapdash with literally no hints towards the big reveal at the novel’s end. I’d be more willing to recommend A Rage In Harlem over The Crazy Kill as a better indication of Himes’ abilities. It wasn’t a bad read by any means and if you’re a fan of Himes and the history of crime fiction then this is certainly well worth a look. In the end a fascinating read by an interesting author, but certainly not his best.
The Crazy Kill is, I believe, the fourth novel in Himes’ Harlem Detective series featuring the black detectives Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones. While it seems the common mode is to accept that series as being identified by Coffin Ed and Grave Digger it should be noted that while the two appear in this novel they are less prominent in the narrative then one might expect. Unlike most hardboiled detective stories, which feature a first person or third-person limited perspective, The Crazy Kill operates more on a third-person objective narrative with Grave Digger and Coffin Ed being only two of the multitude of characters the story follows. Which, in the end, is why I see this book as more of a crime thriller then a detective novel. There is very little detecting that goes on and Himes’ is more focused on the violence, corruptions, and tensions of is setting (and between his characters) then he is on the mystery itself.
Regardless Coffin Ed and Grave Digger are interesting studies in contradiction. They are agents of the law but are more concerned with tracking down violent crime rather then any other sort of offense. They aren’t afraid to use a little breaking and entering to find out some information but they do so with knowledge that anything they find might well get them in trouble rather then help them with the case. In fact there they even have a conversation about it while breaking into an apparent. They punish violence with a dogged sense of justice yet aren’t afraid to use violence themselves to compel people towards assisting them in their goals. They walk a very grey moral path and it is difficult to get a handle on their character in just one book and when they don’t get a lot of time in the limelight.
Himes’ tends to blend his violence with humor. This is evident right from the opening scene where a man watching a burglary from a window leans too far out only to overbalance and fall, landing on a pallet of bread. Indeed, that same character, a Reverend is the focus for much of the novel’s humor though it frequently takes on a grim tone. Again the novel is outright funny but tends towards take humorous elements in order to lighten some situations, such as the interrogation of a witness being preceded by an attack by a chicken, but otherwise remains of secondary consideration to the novel’s somewhat labyrinthine plot.
While it has been a while my vague recollections of A Rage In Harlem seem to outweigh my end opinion of The Crazy Kill. The plot never really gelled for me and the whole thing felt a bit slapdash with literally no hints towards the big reveal at the novel’s end. I’d be more willing to recommend A Rage In Harlem over The Crazy Kill as a better indication of Himes’ abilities. It wasn’t a bad read by any means and if you’re a fan of Himes and the history of crime fiction then this is certainly well worth a look. In the end a fascinating read by an interesting author, but certainly not his best.
October 29, 2023
Novela negra por excelencia nos relata con cierta picardía la revelación del reverendo Short a la cual sigue unos acontecimientos bastante curiosos siempre contado de forma magistral por Himes.
Para amantes de la novela negra y de Chester Himes, maestro de maestros..
Para amantes de la novela negra y de Chester Himes, maestro de maestros..
January 7, 2025
A worthy installment in Chester Himes's Harlem Cycle series, of which I've read about half. Himes, whose praises I've sung in many reviews over the years (underrated Harlem Renaissance figure, on par with Wright and Baldwin, but rawer and grittier), spins up a somewhat silly whodunit murder plot kicked off by a preacher falling out of a window into a bread basket in which a stabbed corpse mysteriously appears. False identities and double-crossing lovers are all unraveled as we more closely follow the characters involved in the crime, while mainstays Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones — two Black beat detectives who are the ostensible Harlem Cycle protagonists — operate more as background figures.
Even in a slim volume like this (something I appreciate about the Harlem Cycle series; they can be binged in a day), Himes invariably stuns me a few times with his ability to set a scene and evocatively capture ephemeral sensations. "The blue-gray air was thick as split-pea soup with tobacco smoke, pungent with the scent of cheap perfume and hothouse lilies, the stink of sweating bodies, the fumes of alcohol, hot fried food and bad breath," (p 9).
Even in a slim volume like this (something I appreciate about the Harlem Cycle series; they can be binged in a day), Himes invariably stuns me a few times with his ability to set a scene and evocatively capture ephemeral sensations. "The blue-gray air was thick as split-pea soup with tobacco smoke, pungent with the scent of cheap perfume and hothouse lilies, the stink of sweating bodies, the fumes of alcohol, hot fried food and bad breath," (p 9).
March 9, 2016
This series has it all, atmosphere so thick it wafts off the page, characters with motivations that are unexpected but consistent, and a wise humor. Chester Himes was an African-American author telling it like it is at a time when this was even rarer than it is today. He got away with it because he was good, these books sold well and hold up today because this is a time and place (Harlem, 1959) that still resonates. Himes captures the common human motivations and their expression in that setting. Here's how he describes a police detective in Harlem:
"Sergeant Brody didn't sigh. He prided himself on the fact that he never sighed. But, as he glanced at his watch again, he looked as though he would have loved to".
The books are never preachy, every character is too real to be some kind of saint and yet he gets the mood across. At one point an African-American woman is being interrogated at the precinct and replies to a question,
"Why not?, Its a free country," she whispered, "So they say".
"Sergeant Brody didn't sigh. He prided himself on the fact that he never sighed. But, as he glanced at his watch again, he looked as though he would have loved to".
The books are never preachy, every character is too real to be some kind of saint and yet he gets the mood across. At one point an African-American woman is being interrogated at the precinct and replies to a question,
"Why not?, Its a free country," she whispered, "So they say".
August 20, 2012
I love Chester Himes. His plots drive you through a crazy jumble of funhouse characters that are so weird and detailed they ring true. I had to reread the first six chapters and make a diagram of all the character relationships just to keep this one straight. I would usually put a books down rather than do that. With this book I was happy to and enjoyed the pay off throughout.
February 8, 2019
Crazy Kill is the third in Himes' Harlem Detective series. When these books are mentioned, the focus is on the two detectives, Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones but when you read the books you find that, while memorable characters, the books are not fully about them, at least not in the first three books I've read. These are not procedurals and do not spend a lot of time on the investigation.
Crazy Kill opens at the wake for Big Joe. The Reverend Short of the Church of the Holy Rollers is leaning out the third story window above an A&P watching a man run away pursued by a policeman and the manager of the grocery after stealing a bag of money. He leans too far out and falls but his landing is cushioned by a basket of bread into which he falls. When he reenters the flat where the wake is being held, no one believes he fell and survived. When they look out the window they see the basket of bread but it now holds the body of Val who is lying there with a knife in his heart. In spite of the grilling the wake goers, the police can't establish motive or opportunity. Seven principals emerge: Johnny, a gambler; Johnny's wife Dulcy of whom he is aggressively possessive; Aunt Mamie, Big Joe's widow; Chink Charlie, who is after Dulcie; Baby Doll, who says she was the deceased's fiance but who is also carrying on with Chink; Reverend Short, who is, indeed, short and subject to seizures and visions; and Almena, Johnny's ex-wife who lives with Johnny and Dulcie. Grave Digger and Coffin Ed figure they could figure out who if they knew why but that eludes them for most of the story.
Now the book shifts to the real stars of the story, Harlem and the seven principals. Himes has a way of describing the streets and people that makes me pause, re-read, and marvel at the words I just read. There are small things that give you a feeling for a character like when Johnny enters a restaurant:
Inside it was cool, and so dark he had to take off his sun glasses when entering. The unforgettable scent of whisky, whores and perfume filled his nostrils, making him feel relaxed.
Himes' descriptions of Harlem, the people who live there, the way they live, the summer heat, is lyrical. It's like like reading poems by Langston Hughes. His description of the wake and the funeral of Big Joe made me think of Hugh's poem Harlem Night Club to mind, the way he makes you actually feel your heart beating faster.
The story is complicated with no one telling the complete truth. Most of the principals are themselves trying to figure out who killed Val and there appears to be an overriding secret that may hold the key. We also get to experience Grave Digger and Coffin Ed weave themselves through the lives of the principals trying to get someone to tell them the truth. They are not above stretching the limits of their authority while aware that it could go badly for them in the process.
There is also humor in the story, mostly at the expense of Reverend Short whose frothing, hysterical rants and preaching verge or stray into caricature.
The story has a good resolution. I had decided who did it early on but not the how or why and I liked the way it played out. There was a certain poignancy to the stories of several of the principals in the end so I wouldn't exactly call it a happy ending.
I think the Harlem Decective stories are still well worth reading 50 years later. Give them a try and let me know what you think. Is my comparison to Langston Hughes valid?
Crazy Kill opens at the wake for Big Joe. The Reverend Short of the Church of the Holy Rollers is leaning out the third story window above an A&P watching a man run away pursued by a policeman and the manager of the grocery after stealing a bag of money. He leans too far out and falls but his landing is cushioned by a basket of bread into which he falls. When he reenters the flat where the wake is being held, no one believes he fell and survived. When they look out the window they see the basket of bread but it now holds the body of Val who is lying there with a knife in his heart. In spite of the grilling the wake goers, the police can't establish motive or opportunity. Seven principals emerge: Johnny, a gambler; Johnny's wife Dulcy of whom he is aggressively possessive; Aunt Mamie, Big Joe's widow; Chink Charlie, who is after Dulcie; Baby Doll, who says she was the deceased's fiance but who is also carrying on with Chink; Reverend Short, who is, indeed, short and subject to seizures and visions; and Almena, Johnny's ex-wife who lives with Johnny and Dulcie. Grave Digger and Coffin Ed figure they could figure out who if they knew why but that eludes them for most of the story.
Now the book shifts to the real stars of the story, Harlem and the seven principals. Himes has a way of describing the streets and people that makes me pause, re-read, and marvel at the words I just read. There are small things that give you a feeling for a character like when Johnny enters a restaurant:
Inside it was cool, and so dark he had to take off his sun glasses when entering. The unforgettable scent of whisky, whores and perfume filled his nostrils, making him feel relaxed.
Himes' descriptions of Harlem, the people who live there, the way they live, the summer heat, is lyrical. It's like like reading poems by Langston Hughes. His description of the wake and the funeral of Big Joe made me think of Hugh's poem Harlem Night Club to mind, the way he makes you actually feel your heart beating faster.
The story is complicated with no one telling the complete truth. Most of the principals are themselves trying to figure out who killed Val and there appears to be an overriding secret that may hold the key. We also get to experience Grave Digger and Coffin Ed weave themselves through the lives of the principals trying to get someone to tell them the truth. They are not above stretching the limits of their authority while aware that it could go badly for them in the process.
There is also humor in the story, mostly at the expense of Reverend Short whose frothing, hysterical rants and preaching verge or stray into caricature.
The story has a good resolution. I had decided who did it early on but not the how or why and I liked the way it played out. There was a certain poignancy to the stories of several of the principals in the end so I wouldn't exactly call it a happy ending.
I think the Harlem Decective stories are still well worth reading 50 years later. Give them a try and let me know what you think. Is my comparison to Langston Hughes valid?
March 2, 2024
Začíná to dobře. Funusem. Tryznou v Harlemu, u které se rodina a přátelé sejdou nad rakví v bytě ve třetím patře… a při té akci někdo vystrčí kněze z okna. Třetí patro je třetí patro – jenže dole pod oknem jsou velké koše s chlebem, tudíž kněz dopadne do měkkého, opráší se, vrátí se nahoru, a poté, co se mu konečně podaří obyvatele bytu přesvědčit, že není uvnitř ale venku, je puštěn dovnitř. Ale když chce ukázat, co se stalo a jak přežil pád, zjistí, že dole leží nehybné tělo. Ne, není jeho. A trčí z něj kudla.
Další z harlemských detektivek… už mi zbývají jen dvě nepřečtené. A tohle byla taková komornější, ve které se Rakvář Ed a Hrobař Jones zase tak moc nevyskytují. Jen občas zaskočí a zmlátí nějakého podezřelého. Jinak se to točí kolem žárlivosti, kolem lidí, kteří se snaží ze všeho vymlátit prachy… aby je pak během minuty prohráli v kartách. Inteligence a schopnost sebeovládání postav není, jak už to v téhle sérii bývá, nejvyšší. Ovšem tentokrát je to víc klasická detektivka. Máte skupinu podezřelých, každý má nějaký motiv, a uprostřed toho se skrývá tajemství, které nejspíš povede k další vraždě.
Od Himese mě víc bavily víc ryzí gangsterky, kde vlastně není žádné tajemství, jen člověk sleduje postavy, jak do sebe naráží jako zdivočelé vozíky na autodromu. Tohle je o dost krotší, ale pořád je to zábavný až hrabalovský vhled do sedmdesátkového Harlemu, kde se do všeho jde bez brzd, a když jste věřící, očekává se od vás, že se budete v zápalu víry svíjet a válet na podlaze, možná i s manželkou někoho jiného. Vraždění je prostě jen další součást tohohle života.
Pro mě to byl sice slabší díl z téhle série, na tuhle sérii až moc komorní a civilní, ale pořád je to dobrý. Točí se kolem žárlivosti a hazardu a tom, co je spojuje a co je možná řešení obého a asi i poselství téhle knihy: musíte prostě věřit ve své štěstí.
Spíš vám to nevyjde, ale nic jiného člověku nezbývá.
Další z harlemských detektivek… už mi zbývají jen dvě nepřečtené. A tohle byla taková komornější, ve které se Rakvář Ed a Hrobař Jones zase tak moc nevyskytují. Jen občas zaskočí a zmlátí nějakého podezřelého. Jinak se to točí kolem žárlivosti, kolem lidí, kteří se snaží ze všeho vymlátit prachy… aby je pak během minuty prohráli v kartách. Inteligence a schopnost sebeovládání postav není, jak už to v téhle sérii bývá, nejvyšší. Ovšem tentokrát je to víc klasická detektivka. Máte skupinu podezřelých, každý má nějaký motiv, a uprostřed toho se skrývá tajemství, které nejspíš povede k další vraždě.
Od Himese mě víc bavily víc ryzí gangsterky, kde vlastně není žádné tajemství, jen člověk sleduje postavy, jak do sebe naráží jako zdivočelé vozíky na autodromu. Tohle je o dost krotší, ale pořád je to zábavný až hrabalovský vhled do sedmdesátkového Harlemu, kde se do všeho jde bez brzd, a když jste věřící, očekává se od vás, že se budete v zápalu víry svíjet a válet na podlaze, možná i s manželkou někoho jiného. Vraždění je prostě jen další součást tohohle života.
Pro mě to byl sice slabší díl z téhle série, na tuhle sérii až moc komorní a civilní, ale pořád je to dobrý. Točí se kolem žárlivosti a hazardu a tom, co je spojuje a co je možná řešení obého a asi i poselství téhle knihy: musíte prostě věřit ve své štěstí.
Spíš vám to nevyjde, ale nic jiného člověku nezbývá.
January 7, 2024
“When you get to mixing sex and religion, it will make anybody crazy.”
The Crazy Kill, #3 in Chester Himes’s fifties detective series, in crazy, all right. Himes sort of tacks back and forth between very real violence and straight-up comedy as he depicts Harlem. Sometimes the violence is played for laughs. There are two detectives, Detectives Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson, but they are not quite the center of the stories. Harlem is, and they just come in to try to clean up the messes. They are just part of the story, so it's not a typical detective story in that respect.
In this story comedy is forefront, as a preacher falls out of a window from a third floor apartment into a basket filled with bread sitting on the sidewalk. The preacher is a kind of charlatan, opium-addicted, who shows the cops the basket and voila! they find another body in the basket, Valentine Haines, dead. Killed by a very distinctive knife. Booze is involved, and a fine collection of liars and likely suspects: the guy’s sister Dulcy, her violent husband Johnny Perry, her wanna-be lover, Chink Charlie Dawson, the victim's girlfriend Doll Baby.
“‘If you’re a police officer then I want to report that Chink Charlie pushed me out of the window to my death, but God placed the body of Christ on the ground to break my fall.’ ‘It was a basket of bread,’ the sergeant corrected. ‘The body of Christ,’ Reverend Short maintained.”
A kind of crazy romp, in a satirical take on fifties Harlem, but it's well-crafted, and entertaining. The rich characterizations are the centerpiece here. We want to keep reading about this world.
The Crazy Kill, #3 in Chester Himes’s fifties detective series, in crazy, all right. Himes sort of tacks back and forth between very real violence and straight-up comedy as he depicts Harlem. Sometimes the violence is played for laughs. There are two detectives, Detectives Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson, but they are not quite the center of the stories. Harlem is, and they just come in to try to clean up the messes. They are just part of the story, so it's not a typical detective story in that respect.
In this story comedy is forefront, as a preacher falls out of a window from a third floor apartment into a basket filled with bread sitting on the sidewalk. The preacher is a kind of charlatan, opium-addicted, who shows the cops the basket and voila! they find another body in the basket, Valentine Haines, dead. Killed by a very distinctive knife. Booze is involved, and a fine collection of liars and likely suspects: the guy’s sister Dulcy, her violent husband Johnny Perry, her wanna-be lover, Chink Charlie Dawson, the victim's girlfriend Doll Baby.
“‘If you’re a police officer then I want to report that Chink Charlie pushed me out of the window to my death, but God placed the body of Christ on the ground to break my fall.’ ‘It was a basket of bread,’ the sergeant corrected. ‘The body of Christ,’ Reverend Short maintained.”
A kind of crazy romp, in a satirical take on fifties Harlem, but it's well-crafted, and entertaining. The rich characterizations are the centerpiece here. We want to keep reading about this world.
January 13, 2019
How to describe this nutty plot? During a wake in the small hours of the morning, a preacher falls out the window from the third floor apartment and miraculously falls into a basket filled with bread sitting on the sidewalk, a shipment bound for the convenience store it sits in front of. The preacher makes his way back up to the apartment where the drunken guests are surprised to see him appear at the front door and refuse to believe his story. He invites them to see the bread basket for themselves, but when they all crowd at the window, they find another man laying in the bread, stabbed dead. A police investigation follows, during which all the attendants of the wake are questioned in turn. Of course, all the guests are connected to one another in some way, most of them have secrets to hide which are revealed in due course, but which one killed Val? Detectives Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson are out to find out.
Another fun romp into the 60s Harlem of Chester Himes, where gambling, booze, women, and strange characters are mingled in unique ways. Plenty of violence, but plenty of humour too make this a most intriguing crime series. I couldn't expect this book to be as good as the first in the series, A Rage in Harlem, but it held it's own and definitely made me want to discover the next instalment of the Harlem Cycle. —May 2012
Another fun romp into the 60s Harlem of Chester Himes, where gambling, booze, women, and strange characters are mingled in unique ways. Plenty of violence, but plenty of humour too make this a most intriguing crime series. I couldn't expect this book to be as good as the first in the series, A Rage in Harlem, but it held it's own and definitely made me want to discover the next instalment of the Harlem Cycle. —May 2012
December 14, 2023
_The Crazy Kill_ by Chester Himes receives four stars from me. While I found the detectives had very little to do with this story, I found the story compelling.
I loved the setting, and the characters. It is a window into the past, and into a different culture, and life. I loved that. Everything was well written.
Let me address the comment about the detectives not doing much. The narrator takes us into the lives of the suspects more than I'm used to in a hard boiled mystery. Normally, there we follow the detectives and maybe get a scene or two without the detective. However, Himes takes more time with the suspects and their lives. I feel this offered me the chance to be the detective. Readers always try to figure out the killer. However, I often feel I'm passive in that task as I'm following a sleuth. In this novel, I felt more that i needed to be more engaged with trying to figure out the killer.
The reader: This was an audio book read by Dion Graham. Well he's just excellent. All of his voices are solid. I liked his voice for Johnny; it was a bit misleading, which was fantastic. He's a great reader and I recommend any book by him.
Recommended: Yes, this is a solid mystery, set in an interesting place, during an interesting time. I felt transported back, and I got to learn about Harlem, just a tad.
I loved the setting, and the characters. It is a window into the past, and into a different culture, and life. I loved that. Everything was well written.
Let me address the comment about the detectives not doing much. The narrator takes us into the lives of the suspects more than I'm used to in a hard boiled mystery. Normally, there we follow the detectives and maybe get a scene or two without the detective. However, Himes takes more time with the suspects and their lives. I feel this offered me the chance to be the detective. Readers always try to figure out the killer. However, I often feel I'm passive in that task as I'm following a sleuth. In this novel, I felt more that i needed to be more engaged with trying to figure out the killer.
The reader: This was an audio book read by Dion Graham. Well he's just excellent. All of his voices are solid. I liked his voice for Johnny; it was a bit misleading, which was fantastic. He's a great reader and I recommend any book by him.
Recommended: Yes, this is a solid mystery, set in an interesting place, during an interesting time. I felt transported back, and I got to learn about Harlem, just a tad.
January 9, 2019
On the sidewalk outside a wake, a man is found murdered.
Mystery Review: The Crazy Kill is the third book in the Harlem Detectives series, and here Chester Himes belatedly hit the sophomore slump. The eponymous and disturbingly aggressive Harlem detectives (they're called "Wild West gunmen" by the locals), Coffin Ed Johnson and Gravedigger Jones, barely make an appearance, disappointing after their expanded role in the second book, The Real Cool Killers. There's no detective work in The Crazy Kill>/i> and most of the focus is on other characters. Though I call this book a slump, it still resonates with the murky atmosphere, dramatic realism, and lively events of the previous novels, and can be happily enjoyed on that basis alone. Quirky characters and Himes' graveyard humor and satire are always worth the price of admission. Also, as Gravedigger would say, Chester Himes can write like a "mother-raper." He's minutely aware of the racial subtext of everything that happens. The letdown here is the plot, which is minimal and unconnected though Himes seems to be trying to look at the role of men's jealousy in Harlem violence. Mostly we have a series of events randomly winding their way to a predictable and underwhelming conclusion. Maybe I missed something, and if you choose to read The Crazy Kill to see if I did, you'll still be amply entertained. [3★]
Mystery Review: The Crazy Kill is the third book in the Harlem Detectives series, and here Chester Himes belatedly hit the sophomore slump. The eponymous and disturbingly aggressive Harlem detectives (they're called "Wild West gunmen" by the locals), Coffin Ed Johnson and Gravedigger Jones, barely make an appearance, disappointing after their expanded role in the second book, The Real Cool Killers. There's no detective work in The Crazy Kill>/i> and most of the focus is on other characters. Though I call this book a slump, it still resonates with the murky atmosphere, dramatic realism, and lively events of the previous novels, and can be happily enjoyed on that basis alone. Quirky characters and Himes' graveyard humor and satire are always worth the price of admission. Also, as Gravedigger would say, Chester Himes can write like a "mother-raper." He's minutely aware of the racial subtext of everything that happens. The letdown here is the plot, which is minimal and unconnected though Himes seems to be trying to look at the role of men's jealousy in Harlem violence. Mostly we have a series of events randomly winding their way to a predictable and underwhelming conclusion. Maybe I missed something, and if you choose to read The Crazy Kill to see if I did, you'll still be amply entertained. [3★]
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