Ray Celestin 3 Book Set The Axeman's Jazz, Dead Man's Blues, The Mobster's Lament

Ray Celestin’s three-book collection brings together crime novels set in American cities during the early to mid-20th century. Moving between New Orleans, Chicago and New York, the stories centre on investigations shaped by organised crime, public fear and closely held secrets.

Beginning in 1919 New Orleans, a serial killer known as the Axeman terrorises the city as Detective Lieutenant Michael Talbot leads the official hunt, while former detective Luca d’Andrea searches for answers from within the mafia. The series then shifts to 1928 Chicago, where Talbot and Pinkerton detective Ida Davis are hired to locate a missing heiress amid a string of disturbing events. It concludes in 1947 New York, where mob fixer Gabriel Leveson is ordered to recover stolen money for Frank Costello, as Private Investigator Ida Young and Talbot work to clear Talbot’s son, Tom, after he is accused of multiple murders.

Included titles

• The Axeman's Jazz
• Dead Man's Blues
• The Mobster's Lament

Key details

• Three-book set by Ray Celestin
• Set in New Orleans (1919), Chicago (1928) and New York (1947)
• Recurring investigators include Michael Talbot and Ida Davis/Ida Young
• Plots include a serial killer case, a missing heiress and an accusation of multiple murders

Synopses

The Axeman's Jazz

New Orleans, 1919. As the Axeman stalks the city, Detective Lieutenant Michael Talbot runs the official investigation while guarding a grave secret. Former detective Luca d’Andrea, now working for the mafia, is equally determined to uncover the killer’s identity.

Dead Man's Blues

Chicago, 1928. In the summer heat, city leaders are poisoned, a gangster is found mutilated in the Blackbelt, and a well-known heiress vanishes. Pinkerton detectives Michael Talbot and Ida Davis are hired by the heiress’s mother, but the search proves difficult, leading Ida to seek help from her friend Louis Armstrong.

The Mobster's Lament

New York, 1947. Mob fixer Gabriel Leveson postpones his plans to flee when Frank Costello instructs him to find stolen mob money, unaware of who is watching. Meanwhile, Private Investigator Ida Young and Michael Talbot must prove the innocence of Talbot’s son Tom, accused of the brutal murders of four people in a Harlem flophouse.