Books in the City Blues Quartet series

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.

*Shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel of 2017*Dead Man's Blues is the gripping historical crime novel from Ray Celestin, following on from the events of his debut The Axeman's Jazz, winner of the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger for Best First Novel 2014.Chicago, 1928. In the stifling summer heat three disturbing events take place. A clique of city leaders is poisoned in a fancy hotel. A white gangster is found mutilated in an alleyway in the Blackbelt. And a famous heiress vanishes without a trace. Pinkerton detectives Michael Talbot and Ida Davis are hired to find the missing heiress by the girl's troubled mother. But it proves harder than expected to find a face that is known across the city, and Ida must elicit the help of her friend Louis Armstrong. While the police take little interest in the Blackbelt murder, crime scene photographer Jacob Russo can't get the dead man's image out of his head, and so he embarks on his own investigation. And Dante Sanfelippo - rum-runner and fixer - is back in Chicago on the orders of Al Capone, who suspects there's a traitor in the ranks and wants Dante to investigate. But Dante is struggling with problems of his own as he is forced to return to the city he thought he'd never see again . . . As the three parties edge closer to the truth, their paths cross and their lives are threatened. But will any of them find the answers they need in the capital of blues, booze and corruption?

New York is in the spotlight for the third instalment in Ray Celestin's critically acclaimed City Blues quartet, and this time mobsters, money and murder are at the heart of the investigations.

Following The Mobster's Lament, this is the fourth book in Ray Celestin's critically acclaimed City Blues quartet.