Photo of Chester Himes
Open Library

Chester Himes

1909–1984

1 series 2 books in order

Chester Himes (1909-1984) was an American writer whose works include If He Hollers Let Him Go (1945) and the Harlem Detective novels for which he is best known, set in the 1950s and early 1960s and featuring the black policemen Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson. In 1958 he won France's Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere, and several of his works have been adapted for film. He is credited here with the Harlem Cycle novels Blind Man with a Pistol and Plan B. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)

Born
1909
Known for
Harlem Cycle

Series by Chester Himes

Harlem Cycle

2 books in order · 1969

  1. Cover of Blind man with a pistol

    Blind man with a pistol

    1969 · Chester Himes

    New York is sweltering in the summer heat, and Harlem is close to the boiling point. Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones, two detectives known…

    Read more →
    Buy on Amazon

Frequently asked questions

How many books has Chester Himes written?

We list 2 books by Chester Himes across 1 series, published in 1969 — each shown in full reading order.

What order should I read Chester Himes's books?

Read each series in publication order. A good place to start is “Blind man with a pistol.” Open any series above for its complete numbered reading order.

Where can I buy Chester Himes's books?

Every title links to Amazon from its series page — see our affiliate disclosure in the footer for how that supports the site.

Bibliography and reading orders compiled from verified bibliographic data. Spotted an error? We continuously correct the catalog.