A Case of Rape
A Novel
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group · Print & ebook · October 8, 2024
From the acclaimed author of the Harlem Detectives series, a brilliant, short novel about a tragic death and a wrongful conviction Spare and powerful, A Case of Rape chronicles a tragic miscarriage of justice.
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- Who it’s for
- Chester Himes sets a wrongful-conviction trial in Paris against questions of racism and sexism.
- Themes
- Racism, Sexism, Miscarriage of justice
- Genres
- Black Mystery, Hard-Boiled Mystery, International Crime Fiction
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Start with this bookAbout this book
From the acclaimed author of the Harlem Detectives series, a brilliant, short novel about a tragic death and a wrongful conviction Spare and powerful, A Case of Rape chronicles a tragic miscarriage of justice. Mrs. Elizabeth Hancock Brissard, a white woman, has died in Paris under mysterious circumstances. She had overdosed on an aphrodisiac, and there was evidence she had been sexually assaulted.
Continue reading
A French couple witnessed four black men attempting to push her out a window before she died. The trial that followed was summary, and its verdict convicting the four men of rape was practically a foregone conclusion. But was it true? A riveting mystery but also a mordant critique of racism and sexism, and featuring an introduction by Calvin C. Hernton, A Case of Rape is the fablelike story of doomed love and justice.
The Paris Trial
Chester Himes sets a wrongful-conviction trial in Paris against questions of racism and sexism.
Come here for
- A wrongful-conviction trial following a woman’s death in Paris
- A critique of racism and sexism
Expect
- A summary trial and a verdict described as nearly foregone
- A mysterious death and disputed account of sexual assault
Where it sits
| Black Mystery | 34% |
|---|---|
| International Crime Fiction | 33% |
| Hard-Boiled Mystery | 30% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- International Crime Fiction
- Black Fiction
- Black Mystery
- Authors
- Chester Himes
- Publisher
- Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
- Published
- October 8, 2024
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Racism · Sexism · Miscarriage of justice
- Reading lane
- International Crime Fiction