The Conjure-Man Dies

by Rudolph Fisher · 2022

When the body of N'Gana Frimbo, a charismatic African conjure‑man who has made Harlem his mysterious sanctuary, is found in his dimly lit consultation room, the case lands on the desk of Perry Dart—one of the city’s first Black police detectives. Partnering with Dr. John Archer, a sharp‑witted physician from the building next door, Dart plunges into a tangled web of superstition, community gossip, and hidden motives. Alongside two street‑wise youths, Bubber Brown and Jinx Jenkins, who are desperate to clear their own names, they navigate Harlem’s vibrant 1930s nightlife to uncover who silenced the conjure‑man and why. Rudolph Fisher’s groundbreaking novel, the first mystery written by an African‑American author, offers a gripping whodunit while painting a vivid portrait of Harlem’s cultural pulse during the Harlem Renaissance.