1932 (published) ; Rudolph Fisher
Credited as the first African-American mystery novel, because every character--including the lead detective--is black, The Conjure-Man Dies reads like a well-crafted, performed, and staged episode of any crime drama on television.
The characters and plot interweave, unweave, and interweave again during numerous interviews in N’Gana Frimbo's, the conjure-man's, home and place of business, and during events in and around the city of Harlem. During a reading, a customer discovers the fortune teller is actually dead, and the mystery begins. Perry Dart, a police detective, and John Archer, a physician, lead the investigation, trying to unravel the truth behind the curious circumstances surrounding the crime.
Initial character descriptions become more fully textured, and the actions of characters who apparently are only minor become potential sources of information needed to solve the murder. Both Dart and Archer, as they pull the pieces of the murder together, reveal aspects of their personalities to each other and to the major suspects. In all this detective work, Dart and Archer get to know the suspects in ways they would not have otherwise, and both become fascinated with Frimbo. The story unfolds as easy reading and flows with comparable mastery; it is entertaining, substantial, and extremely layered, despite the initially thin, but entertaining and gripping, opening chapters.
I'm glad my African Literature professor chose to add this to her syllabus, because I probably would have never discovered this gem on my own. I still remember when I first picked up this novel, at 2:00 a.m., after a long day of school and work, only thinking I would get through a chapter or so, hoping to get a quick start on the assignment due in a few days. But guess what? I didn't stop reading until 4:30 a.m., only due to exhaustion, and half way through the book! My anticipation to finish the novel the next night remained with me throughout the day, and I went to bed early, knowing I wouldn't be able to sleep until I finished it. And that's exactly what I did.
As a teacher, I now recommend this novel any chance presenting itself. I hope you'll do the same after you read it yourself. But beware! Block off a good amount of time before you start it, because I fear you won't be able to put it down either.
The characters and plot interweave, unweave, and interweave again during numerous interviews in N’Gana Frimbo's, the conjure-man's, home and place of business, and during events in and around the city of Harlem. During a reading, a customer discovers the fortune teller is actually dead, and the mystery begins. Perry Dart, a police detective, and John Archer, a physician, lead the investigation, trying to unravel the truth behind the curious circumstances surrounding the crime.
Initial character descriptions become more fully textured, and the actions of characters who apparently are only minor become potential sources of information needed to solve the murder. Both Dart and Archer, as they pull the pieces of the murder together, reveal aspects of their personalities to each other and to the major suspects. In all this detective work, Dart and Archer get to know the suspects in ways they would not have otherwise, and both become fascinated with Frimbo. The story unfolds as easy reading and flows with comparable mastery; it is entertaining, substantial, and extremely layered, despite the initially thin, but entertaining and gripping, opening chapters.
I'm glad my African Literature professor chose to add this to her syllabus, because I probably would have never discovered this gem on my own. I still remember when I first picked up this novel, at 2:00 a.m., after a long day of school and work, only thinking I would get through a chapter or so, hoping to get a quick start on the assignment due in a few days. But guess what? I didn't stop reading until 4:30 a.m., only due to exhaustion, and half way through the book! My anticipation to finish the novel the next night remained with me throughout the day, and I went to bed early, knowing I wouldn't be able to sleep until I finished it. And that's exactly what I did.
As a teacher, I now recommend this novel any chance presenting itself. I hope you'll do the same after you read it yourself. But beware! Block off a good amount of time before you start it, because I fear you won't be able to put it down either.
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