The Conjure-Man Dies: A Mystery Tale of Dark Harlem (Ann Arbor Paperbacks) [Paperback]

Rudolph Fisher (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ann Arbor Paperbacks | Publication Date: April 15, 1992

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

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: University of Michigan Press (April 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0472064924
• ISBN-13: 978-0472064922
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The original African American mystery novel, November 12, 2002

By 

Stephen O. Murray "Stephen O. Murray" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Conjure-Man Dies: A Mystery Tale of Dark Harlem (Ann Arbor Paperbacks) (Hardcover)

This is the first African American mystery novel, originally published in 1932, and much celebrated by Walter Mosley, the most successful African American writer of mystery novels. (This book preceded Chester Himes's Coffin Ed and Grave Digger novels by more than a third of a century.)

W. E. B. DuBois castigated the group of younger writers of which Fisher was a part for sensationalizing low life rather than celebrating the "talented tenth" of which they were presumably a part. I don't know if Fisher was stung by this, but the protagonists include a physician (like Fisher himself), a policeman who is the only black who has risen to the rank of detective, and an African prince with a princely sense of noblesse oblige. Also an critically important part is played by a mortician, a kind of professional.

The main lower-status participants, who liven things up with a running game of the dozens, are not debauched, and the "conjure man" turns out not to be the wacko many thought him to be.

The middle of the novel sags. Unfortunately, Fisher did not live to hone his craft, leaving only this and _The Walls of Jericho_ and a few stories.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, January 5, 2000

By 

Rainthman (Chicago, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Conjure-Man Dies: A Mystery Tale of Dark Harlem (Ann Arbor Paperbacks) (Paperback)

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars First detective novel by a Black American, September 10, 2010

By 

Patto (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: The Conjure-Man Dies: A Mystery Tale of Dark Harlem (Ann Arbor Paperbacks) (Paperback)

I discovered this book through my Amazon recommendations. In this case, their mysterious calculations delivered a treasure!

Rudolph Fisher, a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance, died at age thirty-seven, having written only two novels and some short stories. His detective novel, The Conjure-Man Dies, is a complete delight.

According to most sources, this is the first detective novel by an African American. There are no white characters. The crime victim is Frimbo, an African king in his own land, and in Harlem a Harvard graduate who makes his living by the exercise of his tribal psychic powers. He is invisibly and bizarrely murdered in the dark recesses of his office in the very midst of predicting the future.

Suspects include the various people consulting with Frimbo that evening, not to mention his cock-eyed servant.

There are three investigators, not merely one! Detective Dart, a rare Black detective, is out to prove his worth. Doctor Archer, called to the scene of the crime, lends his logical and forensic insights to help Dart. Then there's Bubber Brown, ex-street cleaner turned private eye, hoping to clear his friend from suspicion of the murder.

The plot has such amazing twists that I won't say anything more about it.

Published in 1932, The Conjure-Man Dies treats us to lots of vintage black humor, including witty insults between loveable ne'er-do-wells and Detective Dart's struggles with Dr. Archer's professorial jargon.

I suspect that Fisher, who was a successful doctor as well as an important writer, might have influenced the attractive character of Doctor Archer.

The Conjure-Man Dies offers a lively picture of Harlem in the twenties. I strongly recommend it as an exotic reading experience, as well as a highly original mystery.