New Orleans, 1919. As music fills the city, a serial killer strikes . . .
New Orleans 1919. As music fills the city, a serial killer strikes . . . Inspired by a true story, Ray Celestin’s The Axeman’s Jazz is a sinister debut crime thriller.
Winner of the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger for Best Debut Crime Novel of the Year.Shortlisted for the Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year Award.As recommended on the Radio 2 Arts Show with Claudia Winkleman.Inspired by a true story, set against the heady backdrop of jazz-filled, mob-ruled New Orleans, The Axeman's Jazz by Ray Celestin is a gripping thriller announcing a major talent in historical crime fiction.New Orleans, 1919. As a dark serial killer - the Axeman - stalks the city, three individuals set out to unmask him:Detective Lieutenant Michael Talbot - heading up the official investigation, but struggling to find leads, and harbouring a grave secret of his own.Former detective Luca d'Andrea - now working for the mafia; his need to solve the mystery of the Axeman is every bit as urgent as that of the authorities.And Ida - a secretary at the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Obsessed with Sherlock Holmes and dreaming of a better life, she stumbles across a clue which lures her and her musician friend, Louis Armstrong, to the case - and into terrible danger . . .As Michael, Luca and Ida each draw closer to discovering the killer's identity, the Axeman himself will issue a challenge to the people of New Orleans: play jazz or risk becoming the next victim.The Axeman's Jazz is the first book in Ray Celestin's prize-winning City Blues quartet. It is followed by the second installment, Dead Man's Blues.
Winner of CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger 2014 (UK)
A rewarding crime novel, swinging its way to a terrifying denouement with all the panache of a New Orleans marching band The Times
A fascinating portrait of a vibrant and volatile city and a riveting read The Guardian
Gripping . . . Celestin smartly evokes the atmosphere of 1919 New Orleans, and a city dominated by music and the mob Sunday Times
Based on a true story . . . this thriller blends voodoo, gangsters and jazz into an intoxicating mix Sunday Mirror
The evocative prose brings the jazz-filled, mob-ruled ‘Big Easy’ of pre-prohibition America to life in glorious effect with a story full of suspense and intrigue. Stunning Sunday Express
Outstanding Daily Telegraph
A clever and utterly believable procedural with a suitably grisly killer, set in a brilliant and vibrant historical background Crime Review
The best debut I’ve read this year Scotsman, Crime Books of the Year
Celestin has skilfully woven around the facts a clever story of three detectives who, in different ways and for different motives, set out to find the murderer. He brilliantly portrays the mood of a city under a siege of fear. Fictional musicians mix with the real jazz artists of the period, not least Louis Armstrong. The Times, Crime Books of the Year
An absolute must for true crime fanatics Refinery29
Ray Celestin is a novelist and screenwriter based in London. His debut novel, The Axeman's Jazz, won the CWA New Blood Dagger for best debut crime novel of the year, and was featured on numerous 'Books of the Year' lists. His follow-up, Dead Man's Blues, won the Historia Historical Thriller of the Year Award, and was shortlisted for a number of other awards, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year. The novels are part of his City Blues series, which charts the twin histories of jazz and the Mob through the middle fifty years of the twentieth century.
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