THE REAL COOL KILLERS by Chester Himes

GRADE: B+

*Book 2 of the Harlem Cycle*

This is the 2nd book in Chester Himes's Harlem Cycle and it's just as absurd and insane as his previous masterpiece in the series, A Rage in Harlem, which I loved. The plot starts almost immediately and moves at a breakneck pace. Just like in A Rage In Harlem, the story is so crazy, and the writing so on-point, that it's hard to stop reading. 

The hardboiled Harlem detectives, Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson, are back on the job again when a big white Greek dude gets shot and killed by a fake gun in the middle of a crowded street in Harlem, causing all hell to break loose. After Coffin Ed gets suspended for blasting his .38 all over 128th Street when some little gangster throws perfume at him, Grave Digger investigates the case solo. Throughout the course of one night, he discovers that there is more to the case that he originally thought, where it seems like all connections lead to some hookers and a gang that calls themselves the Real Cool Moslems.

Once again, an entertaining read from Chester Himes.