The Conjure-Man Dies: A Mystery Tale of Dark Harlem

by Rudolph Fisher

Book Overview

The first known mystery written by an African-American, set in 1930s Harlem

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0472064924
• ISBN13: 9780472064922
• Release Date: February 1992
• Publisher: University of Michigan Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent!

This who done it story is very unpredictable. I never expected all the twists and turns. This book needs to be re-issued. The conjure man dies and some folks are trying to figure out "who done it." I highly recommend, if you like good fiction.

Crime Amidst the Harlem Renaissance

I stumbled across this book one day in the library and took it home based solely on its status as the first known African-American detective story. It took me a few weeks to finally pick up, but when I did finally dip into it, I found it hard to put down. So often, when one reads an older genre book (this one was originally published in 1932), the language is badly dated, the structure creaky, and the overall effect quite stilted. Here, the language and setting brim with so much vitality that the rather formally structured book feels quite fresh. Set in 1930s Harlem, the story kicks off when Dr. John Archer is summoned to attend to his neighbor Frimbo, a well-known conjure-man (aka psychic, sorcerer, fortune-teller, etc.). The doctor finds Frimbo dead, with a waiting room full of clients. Soon, Detective Dart of the Harlem precinct (literally the talented tenth of the precinct's ten black police officers) shows up to take charge, and allows Dr. Archer to join in the investigation. Unfortunately the corpse disappears, only to make a remarkable reappearance which confounds the police. Like many novels of the "classic" detective era, the story is intent on misdirection and confounding the reader as, over the course of the book, it's unclear just who the victim actually is, if a crime has actually been committed, and if so, how and why. Dr. Archer and Det. Dart must wade through a variety of clues, red herrings, and possible motives to get at the heart of the matter. The doctor even jokes that he should write a book in which the least likely person isn't the the murderer for once -- a very clear wink to the reader that pays off in the classic final revelation in which all the suspects and witnesses are gathered in one room. Joining in on the fun is Bubber Brown, a colorful local entrepreneur trying to clear the name of his friend Jinx Jenkins, who has been locked away as the suspect with the most opportunity to kill Frimbo. Bubber and Jinx are the book's highlights, as their conversations are less dialogue, than an ongoing game of the dozens. (They duo are carryovers from Fisher's earlier Harlem novel, The Walls of Jericho). Fisher was an intellectual giant, and the story is packed with scientific details from his own background as a pioneering doctor. There's also plenty of discussion of determinism, metaphysics, and at one point, an bitter comment on racism. Various lit-crit scholars have written articles over the years seeking to dissect the book for greater meaning, but the simple fact of the matter is that it's an entertaining read, both for fans of mysteries and those interested in the Harlem Renaissance setting. Soon after its publication, it was staged as a play by the Federal Theater Project, and the story has periodically been optioned for the film industry. It's probably a little too old-fashioned to work as a feature film, but might work well as the lead episode for a Masterpiece Theater-type period mystery series on PBS.

Great Book.

I read it for an english class. It was my favorite book of the semester. My friends and I would just keep guessing what twist would come next, and we were consistantly wrong. Great fun.

Excellent

This book transports you into the Harlem streets of the 1930s. It has the vernacular, the attitude, the mystique, and the community values of residents of 1930 Harlem down pat. I found the narrative very inviting. This book has detectives, criminals, lawmen, africans, and mystics. Once you read the first chapter, you will not be able to put the book down. It is a shame that the author did not live long enough to produce much more in this detective series.

WONDERFUL!

Mr. fisher has you guessing until the very end! If you like Mosley, then read the man who inspired him. An excellent murder (?) mystery.