If He Hollers, Let Him Go (novel) 1945

Lonely Crusade (novel) 1947

Cast the First Stone (novel) 1952; revised as Yesterday Will Make You Cry, 1998

The Third Generation (novel) 1954

The Primitive (novel) 1956; revised as The End of a Primitive, 1997

For Love of Imabelle (novel) 1957; revised as A Rage in Harlem, 1965

Il pleut des coups durs (novel) 1958; also published as The Real Cool Killers, 1959

Couché dans le pain (novel) 1959; also published as The Crazy Kill, 1959

Dare-dare (novel) 1959; also published as Run Man, Run, 1966

Tout pour plaire (novel) 1959; also published as The Big Gold Dream, 1960

Imbroglio négro (novel) 1960; also published as All Shot Up, 1960

Ne nous énervons pas (novel) 1961; also published as The Heat's On, 1966; revised as Come Back, Charleston Blue, 1967

Pinktoes (novel) 1961

Un affaire de viol (novel) 1963; also published as A Case of Rape, 1980

Retour en Afrique (novel) 1964; also published as Cotton Comes to Harlem, 1965

Blind Man with a Pistol (novel) 1969; also published as Hot Day, Hot Night, 1970

The Quality of Hurt: The Autobiography of Chester Himes, vol. 1 (autobiography) 1972

Black on Black: Baby Sister and Selected Writings (short stories) 1973

My Life of Absurdity: The Autobiography of Chester Himes, vol. 2 (autobiography) 1977

Plan B (novel) 1983; also published as Plan B: A Novel 1993

Un Joli coup de lune (novel) 1988

The Collected Stories of Chester Himes (short stories) 1990