Chester Himes - Blog Posts

RUN MAN RUN by CHESTER HIMES (REVIEW)

quickly: a witness in a cold-blooded murder case is stalked and hunted by the gunman (1960’s new york city vice patrol / a bigot with a badge / working the night shift / automats and lunch counters / crossing 110th street / crossing the blue line / cats vs. mice / “did he use a silencer or was he silenced” asked oprah / going by way of Fat Sam / double crossing and double-talking / hot head with a hot rod / stairwell chases / parking lot shootouts / man against the world).

Jimmy is a Harlem youngster working nights at a cafeteria factory when a drunken maniac detective is overcome by white psychosis and kills all of his co-workers in cold blood. By a stroke of amazing grace, he survives the attack, but his survival places him in the crosshairs of a certified psycho who is set on eliminating all witnesses.

Don’t pick this up if you aren’t ready to sprint. This one-day read is a fast-paced NYC crime thriller full of race-based angst, socioeconomic division, and catchy 50s and 60s one-liners. Reading between the lines of this action-packed thriller, you’ll find poignant observations on race and interesting opinions on gender. Add a tablespoon of sex, jazz, and liquor, and you’ve got yourself a good time.

★ ★ ★ ★ Short, fast, and loud.

reading rainbow library haul:

RUN MAN RUN by CHESTER HIMES

SUPERNATURAL SHORT STORIES by SIR WALTER SCOTT

THE BOOK OF HOURS by RILKE

SAVE OUR SOULS by MATTHEW PEARL

THE LIFE OF HEROD by ZORA NEAL HURSTON

BLACKTOP WASTELAND by S. A. COSBY

RAZORBLADE TEARS by S. A. COSBY