The Harlem cycle - Chester B. Himes

Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones, Harlem's toughest pair of cops, are Chester Himes's most memorable fictional creations and the stars of nine different novels. Renowned for their meanness and always armed with their legendary nickel-plated Colts, they patrol the streets of Harlem and attempt to keep some semblance of law and order.
Gathered together for the first time are the first three novels in what Himes described as his domestic thrillers - otherwise known as The Harlem Cycle. Combining fantastic plots with blood-soaked realism, Himes produced some of the greatest crime novels ever.