A Furious Harlem Story by Himes

By Abe C. Ravitz For a long time Chester Himes has been one of America's most original and most entertaining novelists. A black writer who has over the years explored the social and psychological dramas inherent in race relations, Himes, ages ago, it seems, was concerned with our most contemporary, terrifying themes before they became literary fashions.

His latest novel, Blind Man With a Pistol (Morrow; $5.95), is a Harlem story of deceptively deep proportions, starring the author's two famous black detectives, Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson.

TO SAY the novel is jammed full of action is to understate seriously the furious movement of the tale and its bizarre cast of characters. Nat Turner's Day in Harlem offers to many revelers an explosive entertainment, but this year the holiday erupts amidst orgy

after orgy of violence, sadism and, inevitably, senseless murder. The two detectives find themselves in hot pursuit of the alleged fezwearing murderer of a white homosexual film maker. The chase takes Grave Digger and Coffin through many of the alleys, cellars, store-front churches and pot pantries along their usual beat.

As the plot thrashes about in its fury, the tense, laconic plainclothesmen confront inter-racial Brotherhood marches, a Black Power riot aimed both at white police and moderate blacks, and a Black Muslim soiree that bodes little good for the

visitors.

Slaughter follows. Blood flows as freely as homemade sneaky pete. Jones pete. Jones and Johnson, aliens in their native bailiwick, find themselves wandering about a city of the dreadful night. Their companions: habitues of deviant backrooms, sneak of deviant backrooms, sneak

Chester Himes thieves and racial opportunists. At length, in a fierce climactic episode, a blind man with a pistol actually does put in an appearance. And what happens would short circuit the best color TV on the market.

BUT IT is not all story and imagination. It is real, honest people and places. There is much hell to be

given, and Chester Himes is not at all bashful about assigning blame where he feels it should fall. He gives whitey a strong chastisement. Even the whites in the headquarters of Grave Digger and Coffin have no comprehension of the

blacks' astute abilities in dealing with their own sizzling community.

And Chester Himes also dishes out some severe punishment to the black racial opportunists; "loudmouthed leaders," he calls them, leaders urging “vulnerable soul brothers” on to senseless violence.

This, then, is a doomsday book. As the shivers increase with frightening intensity up the spine one is faced with the ugly realization that he is reading truth, not fiction. Here is a detective story, but Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson have deserted historic Baker Street for the hostile jungle uptown.