The Axeman's Jazz

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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