A Rage in Harlem
Decide its fate
The record
Time
An eveningA season159 pages, about 3 hours: half the length of a typical book on the shelf.
Getting in
Walk right inSteep climbJackson, an undertaker’s assistant, hands his savings to men who promise to turn small bills into large ones.
What it gives
Plot and actionIdeas to live byIn 10 reviews from critics and book blogs, 8 credit the plot and 7 credit the ideas or a change in how they live.
One of a kind
Others do thisNothing else doesA Metaliterature review places Himes beside Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett; Newsweek likened his Harlem to Chandler’s Los Angeles.
The case for it
on the escalating scam
“like a snowball getting bigger and bigger as it rolled downhill”
a book blog on the cast of characters
“outrageous characters and over-the-top situations, but also a strong and deeply felt sense of place”
Polly Stewart · CrimeReads, 2024 on the length
“They’re short novels of fewer than 225 pages, so readable in one sitting”
a book blog on the dialogue
“The dialogue throughout is written with a deft comic touch”
four stars · a book blog
The case against
on the tone
“a comical farce that combines humor with violence”
a book blog on female sexuality
“It delves into female sexuality in rather blatant fashion, which some readers might find unnerving”
a book blog on the prose style
“Himes’ writing style and content is not as Chandleresque as I’d expected”
a book blog on the detectives’ role
“they don’t feature very much here apart from in one ambush fairly early on”
a book blog
