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The Conjure-Man Dies (Magill Book Reviews)

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THE CONJURE-MAN DIES (1932) was long thought to be the first detective novel by an African American, although scholars have since discovered an earlier African-American novel in this genre, published in 1901. As an important novel in the African-American detective tradition, THE CONJURE-MAN DIES incorporates black vernaculars such as music, language, and hoodoo into a mystery format.

Frimbo, a black conjure man, is killed during a seance in his apartment over an undertaker on 130th Street. Five suspects (two women and three men) plus Frimbo’s personal servant are present. Four...

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