The Axeman's Jazz: The Award-Winning Historical Crime Thriller Set in Mafia-Run New Orleans (City Blues Quartet, 1) - Softcover

Celestin, Ray

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1447258886 ISBN 13: 9781447258889

Publisher: Pan, 2015

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author

Ray Celestin is novelist and screenwriter based in London. His debut novel, The Axeman’s Jazz, won the CWA New Blood Award 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. The novels are part of a series – The City Blues Quartet – which charts the twin histories of jazz and the mob through the middle fifty years of the twentieth century.

From the Back Cover

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, and harbouring a grave secret, is struggling to find leads. Former detective Luca d'Andrea, working with the mafia, whose need to solve the mystery of the Axeman is every bit as urgent as that of the authorities. Meanwhile, Ida, a secretary at the Pinkerton Detective Agency, 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.


'Louis Armstrong is among those trying to track down a serial killer in the New Orleans of 1919 in Celestin's outstanding debut novel' Daily Telegraph, Top Ten Crime Books for Summer

'Beguiling . . . Beautifully written, 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

Edition details

• Publisher: Pan
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1447258886
• ISBN 13: 9781447258889
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 464