Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • The Real Cool Killers

  • A Grave Digger & Coffin Ed Novel
  • By: Chester Himes
  • Narrated by: Dion Graham
  • Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (24 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Real Cool Killers

By: Chester Himes
Narrated by: Dion Graham
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £13.99

Buy Now for £13.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

To detectives Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones, it looked like an open and shut case. After all, Sonny Pickens was still standing over the body of Ulysses Galen, smoking gun hanging from his hand. Only one problem: Sonny's gun was loaded with blanks.

There were plenty of people who wanted Galen dead, but who was responsible? Sonny? A jealous husband? Or one of the street toughs from a gang calling themselves the Real Cool Moslems? Coffin Ed and Grave Digger pound the mean streets of 1950s Harlem in search of the Real Cool Killer.

More mayhem? Listen to another Grave Digger & Coffin Ed Novel.
©1959 Chester Himes, copyright renewed 1987 by Lesley Himes (P)2011 Audible, Inc.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Crazy Kill cover art
Devil in a Blue Dress cover art
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch cover art
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said cover art
Invitation to a Beheading cover art
Ubik cover art
The Pawn cover art
Motor City Blue cover art
Hail Storme cover art
Meet the Tiger cover art
Vic Boyo, Doofus Detective in: Double Murders Are Twice as Bad cover art
The Infirmary: A DCI Ryan Mystery (Multicast Drama) cover art
I, the Jury cover art
Die for Me: A Novel of the Valentine Killer cover art
The Cold, Cold Ground cover art
Blue World: The Complete Collection cover art

Critic reviews

".... Real Cool Killers is a picturesque story to which Graham gives expert treatment. " ( Audiofile)

What listeners say about The Real Cool Killers

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    15
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fantastic from Himes, now for the others

A gripping story, those familiar with Walter Moseley will love it. Now for the next

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Not a patch on Rage in Harlem (sorry)

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

After listening to Rage in Harlem, the 1st of Chester Himes Grave Digger and Coffin Ed novels, I wanted more. Chester Himes seems to have changed his style from a hard but poetic prose to something a bit more procedural and simple. No great flashes of description and the story is not as gritty and visceral. It feels a bit plodding. If you haven't read Rage in Harlem then it might be an ok listen.

Has The Real Cool Killers put you off other books in this genre?

No, I love hard-boiled noir and would be interested to see if Chester Hime's flair returns in the next novel as I loved Rage in Harlem and wanted to read the whole series

What does Dion Graham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Great characters and a great tone

What character would you cut from The Real Cool Killers?

the only dodgy accent is the Irish (at least I think that's what he's trying to do) police commissioner

Any additional comments?

I guess I was spoilt with book 1 and expected something similar. This is a bit more pulp noir and Rage in Harlem was a cut above it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful