I normally don't pick detective novels (well, I did read Nancy Drew and Ms Marple books as a kid) but this was our book club choice for February.
I did think the imagery was wonderful. You could picture yourself in Harlem during prohibition which is full of all kinds of images. The language was a little rough, but it was mainly con artists and criminals as main characters (besides the two detectives.) I realized after I read it that the author, Chester Himes, had actually been in jail during this time so the language and details are probably pretty true-to-life.
The story revolves around a few con-artist schemes. The main one being the "Back-To-Africa" movement run by an ex-con/preacher who is selling land and ship passage to Africa. The money he's collected is stolen at a rally and then the hunt is on to find it. Two great police detectives, a scary white southern Colonel, and the Back-to-Africa gang are all on the hunt. I won't tell you much more, but the Cotton does come into play. The ending is wonderful so don't read that first!
