If you’re a fan of crime fiction and you’re not reading books by writers of color, you’re missing out big time. Oh, the places you’ll go, as the good doctor predicted, if you gamely walk in another man’s shoes down urban alleyways, lonely rural roads or even a different country at a different time not your own.
It’s about the crime, sure – the body, the knife, the gun, the poison, the rope – but it’s just as much about the journey, the steady hands on the tiller, and the rich tapestry woven from different voices from different rooms that elevate the artform and give it vibrancy and depth and a dose of real. Hidden gems are only hidden because no one goes looking for them.
I’ve compiled a list, admittedly subjective, of a few of the crime books by writers of color readers should not miss out on. I say a few because this list doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. The bench is deep. There are heavy hitters in the rotation. There are writers on that bench whose work will make you weep and think and change. Writers who will open a whole new world or cause you to question the old one. Good stories. Strong stories. Thoughtful writers. But don’t take my word for it, pick one, read one, learn for yourself.
If you’d like to discover more, check out Crime Writers of Color, www.crimewritersorcolor.com. The group, started by Kellye Garrett, Walter Mosley and Gigi Pandian, has more than 300 member writers whose work runs the gamut from culinary cozies to the deepest, darkest noir. Oh, the places you will go, indeed.
So, without further ado, THE LIST, in no particular order, and by no means comprehensive:
Cotton Comes to Harlem, by Chester Himes
There are nine books in Himes’ Harlem Detective series, this entry is the sixth, featuring Black NYPD detectives Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson. They’re investigating a murder and the theft of $87,000, but the gold here is the writing. Published in 1965 and set in Harlem of the ’50s and ’60s, Cotton is a hardboiled, earthy story, much in the vein of Chandler and Hammett, and it opened the door for many crime writers of color who came after Himes, including me.
Devil in a Blue Dress, by Walter Mosley
Another hardboiled crime novel, Mosley’s first published work, featuring the now iconic character Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins, an unemployed day laborer turned detective tasked her with finding a missing woman, but nothing is ever that easy for Easy. There are 15 books in this wonderful series. Mosley’s prose literally jumps off the page.
When Death Comes Stealing, by Valerie Wilson Wesley
Wesley’s fantastic PI series features ex-cop turned PI Tamara Hayle, a Black single mother raising a son in Newark, NJ. Tamara’s fierce, she’s tough, she’s smart, and she’s working the mean streets trying to bring justice to her clients. This well-written series, this character, helped put me on the writing path I’m on today. The writing is stellar. Clean. Precise. A thing of beauty. There are eight Tamara Hayle novels. Don’t stop at one.
My Darkest Prayer, by SA Cosby
I handle the bodies. That’s how our protagonist, Nathan Waymaker introduces himself in My Darkest Prayer. He’s a former Marine and sheriff’s deputy who now handles “problems” in his small town. In Prayer, Waymaker is looking into the death of a local minister, butting heads with police who don’t seem to be all that interested in investigating anything. There is a bite to Cosby’s language and writing style. Words are sharp and true and raw. He is a master at using just the right word instead of ten wrong ones to convey an idea or reveal a character. You must read Cosby. Pick a book, any book. You won’t regret the experience.
Winter Counts, by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
Weiden, a citizen of the Sicangu Lakota nation, brings us a heart-thumping story of vigilantism on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. When Virgil Wounded Horse’s nephew nearly dies of a heroin overdose, Virgil sets out to find who’s bringing the drug into his community to save his family and his people, and he doesn’t do it pretty. Tough, visceral, unapologetic, Weiden pulls no punches here, and it’s a wild ride.
Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
This is horror/mystery, not crime per se, unless you count trying to steal a woman’s life right from under her … and I do! A letter received begging for help. A creepy house sitting in the Mexican countryside. I read this book three years ago when it was released, and I can still see that house and feel the dread, the panic. That’s good writing, my friends.
Secret Identity, by Alex Segura
Segura, writer and comics creator, has crafted a truly interesting melding of comic books and noir that keeps you turning the pages. Someone has stolen Carmen Valdez’s superhero creation, and she wants it back! How far will she go? As far as she needs to. Segura’s also the author of one of my favorite PI series, which features Miami-based PI Pete Fernandez. Segura always comes up with something great.
Pauper and Prince in Harlem, a Ross Agency Mystery, by Delia Pitts
I literally would pay good money to read Delia Pitts’ grocery list. Her writing is absolutely seamless. This is a fantastic PI series, too, featuring a moody, often mysterious PI named Rook, who keeps it tight while watching over his neighborhood and keeping the bad guys at bay. The opening to Pauper hits like a two-ton brick and gives you a lot to think about. There are six books in the series, I believe, the latest being Murder Take Two. All wonderful, so take two.
Murder on the Red River, by Marcie Rendon
Cash Blackbear, an Ojibwe woman, has visions and a talent for investigating murders. When the body of an Indian man is found and Cash has a dream about the dead man that points to the Red Lake Reservation, the race is on for the killer. Book one in the series. Cash is an interesting heroine, by no means cookie cutter. The book looks unblinking at the issues of racism and cultural genocide.
The Ninja Daughter, by Tori Eldridge
There is nothing not to like about this series featuring Lily Wong, a martial arts expert, a ninja for all intents and purposes, who works for a women’s refuge offering shelter to vulnerable women. Lily protects the women, fights for them, saves them. The action scenes in this fun series are killer, but the real meat is the heart and the family dynamic that plays out between Lily, her parents, and her tight circle of associates. Never knew what a karambit was before reading these books, now I do. Think I’ll leave it to Lily, though. I value my fingers.
Ten. Bah. I could do this all day.
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