The Axeman's Jazz: The Award-Winning Historical Crime Thriller Set in Mafia-Run New Orleans

· City Blues Quartet Book 1 · Pan Macmillan
4.3
30 reviews
Ebook
336
Pages
Eligible
Ratings and reviews aren’t verified  Learn More

About this ebook

Winner of the CWA New Blood Dagger, Ray Celestin's The Axeman's Jazz is a gripping historical crime thriller set in the mob-ruled, jazz-filled streets of 1919 New Orleans.

Shortlisted for the Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year Award and recommended on the Radio 2 Arts Show with Claudia Winkleman.

A dark serial killer known as the Axeman stalks the city, and three individuals set out to unmask him:

Detective Lieutenant Michael Talbot – leading the official investigation, but struggling to find leads and harbouring his own secret.

Former detective Luca d'Andrea – working for the mafia, his need to solve the mystery is as urgent as the authorities'.

And Ida – a secretary at the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, she stumbles across a clue which lures her and her friend, musician Louis Armstrong, into terrible danger...

As Michael, Luca and Ida draw closer to discovering the killer's identity, the Axeman issues a challenge: play jazz or risk becoming the next victim.

‘A fascinating portrait of a vibrant and volatile city and a riveting read.’ – The Guardian

The Axeman's Jazz, inspired by a true story, is the first in Ray Celestin's prize-winning City Blues quartet, followed by Dead Man's Blues.

Ratings and reviews

4.3
30 reviews
Jules Gardner
October 14, 2015
An engaging and enjoyable fiction in old New Orleans on the trail of a real menace, The Axeman, who murdered 12 people just after WW1. There are a fine mix of characters in here, to tell the story in three strands; a young woman with a quiet mission, two detectives, one disgraced, one serving, with a supporting cast of mafiosi, jazzmen and lowlifes. You can feel the screenwriter at play with some of the set pieces but there is enough to distract from that and allow your imagination to get involved.
Did you find this helpful?
Rosepho3nix
June 25, 2015
Fantastic read. Great characters and so beautifully put together. Keeps you reading until the very end...
Did you find this helpful?
Emily Ashton
May 3, 2017
A bit slow, too many names to remember.
Did you find this helpful?

About the author

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.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.