The Real Cool Killers

The Real Cool Killers is the second book in Chester Himes's excellent Harlem Detective series, and more prominently features the series' two main characters — the black policemen Coffin Ed and Grave Digger Jones. The Real Cool Killers takes place over a single night, and involves a police investigation into the murder of a white man. It's better to go into this one cold without knowing anything about the plot, which is a delight as it unfolds. Imagine Jim Thompson relocated to Harlem, with a little bit of social conscience and a lot of resentment for the neglect of poor African American neighborhoods like Harlem. Highly recommended.