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The Axeman: A New Orleans Thriller Based on a True Story Kindle Edition

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 3,426 ratings

"Ray Celestin skillfully depicts the desperate revels of that idiosyncratic city and its bizarre legends in his first novel."—The New York Times Book Review

The Axeman stalks the streets of The Big Easy...

New Orleans, 1919: In a town filled with gangsters, voodoo, and jazz trumpets sounding from the dance halls, a sense of intoxicating mystery often beckons from the back alleys. But when a serial killer roams the sultry nights, the corrupt cops can't see the clues. That is, until a letter from the Axeman himself is published in the newspaper, proclaiming that any home playing jazz music will be spared in his next attack.

Three individuals set out to unmask the Axeman: the police detective in charge of the official investigation, who struggles to find any leads; his former boss, newly released from prison and working with the mafia; and a secretary at the Pinkerton Detective Agency who stumbles upon the clues that could change everything…

A chilling and atmospheric serial killer mystery inspired by a true story, The Axeman brings to life the vibrant, volatile New Orleans of the Jazz Age, filled with as much desperate ambition as utter fear.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"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

"During a stormy summer in 1919 New Orleans, a serial killer is hacking seemingly random victims to death. This thriller, which blends voodoo, gangsters and jazz into an intoxicating mix, is based on a true story." - Sunday Mirror

"Smart, thrilling and dripping with class. A very special debut." - Malcolm Mackay, author of The Glasgow Trilogy

"A rewarding crime novel, swinging its way to a terrifying denouement with all the panache of a New Orleans marching band. This is an excellent debut, with a promise of more good mysteries to come." - The Times

"Inspired by the serial killer thought to have been responsible for 12 murders in New Orleans between 1918 and 1919, Ray Celestin's first novel, The Axeman's Jazz initially stays close to the known facts and includes a letter, published in the newspapers at the time, which was supposedly sent by the original Axeman. The writer, who, like the author of the famous 1888 "Jack the Ripper" letter, gives his address as "Hell", promises to claim his next victim at a specific date and time but says that he will spare those "in whose home a jazz band is in full swing". As with the Ripper, the real killer's identity remains unknown, and Celestin has three characters struggling to work out who he or she might be. Detective lieutenant Michael Talbot heads the official investigation; his former partner, Luca d'Andrea, recently freed from prison for corruption, is tasked by the mafia to discover whodunnit; and 19-year-old Sherlock Holmes fan Ida Davis, a secretary for the Pinkerton Detective Agency, decides to branch out on her own . . . Both a fascinating portrait of a vibrant and volatile city and a riveting read." - Guardian

"Celestin smartly evokes the atmosphere of 1919 New Orleans, and a city dominated by music and the mob. Gripping." - Sunday Times

"This debut thriller pulses with the beat of New Orleans in 1919 when a real-life killer stalked the Big Easy, and was never caught. Now Celestin creates a thriller that's evocative of a city where voodoo and trad jazz go hand in hand in the back alleys off Basin Street." - Peterborough Telegraph

"A brilliantly evoked roller coaster ride through pre-prohibition New Orleans - a town packed tight with jazz men and voodoo women, corrupt politicians and even more corrupt cops. This is historical fiction as time travel writing and a very difficult book to put down once started." - William Ryan, acclaimed author of the Captain Korolev series

"Utterly compelling, soaked in the unique intoxicating atmosphere of the New Orleans of the period. Marvellous, engaging characters and the writing is pretty much pitch perfect" - R. N. Morris

"Debut novelist Ray Celestin has based his beguiling crime thriller on the true story of a serial killer who terrorised New Orleans for more than a year after the First World War. 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

About the Author

Ray Celestin lives in London. He studied Asian art and languages at university and is a script writer for film and TV, as well as publishing several short stories. The Axeman’s Jazz is his first novel.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00W3WTURM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sourcebooks Landmark (September 1, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 1, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1977 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 450 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1492609161
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 3,426 ratings

About the author

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Ray Celestin
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Ray Celestin is the author of the prize-winning City Blues Quartet, a series of novels which charts the twin histories of jazz and the Mob through the middle fifty years of the twentieth century. The first novel in the series, 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. The second and third books in the series, Dead Man’s Blues and The Mobster's Lament, were shortlisted for CWA Gold Dagger, and the Capital Crime Novel of the Year respectively. The final novel in the series, Sunset Swing, won both the CWA Historical Dagger and the Gold Dagger 2022 and was described in the Sunday Telegraph as the conclusion to ‘one of the finest achievements of recent crime fiction’.

Discover more at raycelestin.com

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
3,426 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book well-written and engaging. They appreciate the strong prose and attention to detail, describing New Orleans and its history. The mystery is described as good and set in New Orleans after World War I. Readers find the characters well-developed, though not outstanding. Overall, they describe the narrative quality as convincing and interesting, with detailed descriptions and research.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

12 customers mention "Readability"9 positive3 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They describe it as an impressive debut novel for the author.

"...Historical portrayal of N. O . In the prohibition era.Author is good ." Read more

"...While there are murders within the novel, the author does a pretty good job of not over-sensationalizing the details of the crimes, which can be an..." Read more

"...It then became a very enjoyable read, and I now have Ray Celestin's next book on my Kindle." Read more

"I love this book. The novel is very well written, the plot is intersting, and the characters are well drawn...." Read more

9 customers mention "Pacing"7 positive2 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pacing. They appreciate the strong prose and attention to detail about New Orleans. The emotions and history of the city are well-portrayed without being judgmental. Readers find the story well-written and structured, making it a great read that is evocative of the prohibition era.

"A great thriller for anyone who knows New Orleans.Historical portrayal of N. O . In the prohibition era.Author is good ." Read more

"...establishes atmosphere for this crime novel, and does so with strong prose and attention to detail about the city and its history...." Read more

"...though not super-outstanding; Ida and Lewis are the best and most appealing...." Read more

"...As I said though, it’s a great read— and a real timepiece evocative of that era— just preceding the Roaring Twenties...." Read more

7 customers mention "Mystery"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the mystery in the book. They find it a well-written crime novel set in New Orleans just after World War I. The description of a serial murder against the colorful background is enjoyable, and readers appreciate the characters and pursuit of the killer.

"A great thriller for anyone who knows New Orleans.Historical portrayal of N. O . In the prohibition era.Author is good ." Read more

"...In my estimation The Axeman’s Jazz was mostly effective as a murder mystery, crime novel, and historical based novel...." Read more

"I love this book. The novel is very well written, the plot is intersting, and the characters are well drawn...." Read more

"The basis of this novel is a real series of unsolved murders that took place in New Orleans in the 19-teens (the novel is set in 1919); I’d never..." Read more

6 customers mention "Character development"6 positive0 negative

Customers like the character development. They say the characters are well-developed, though not outstanding. There are three main characters in the novel, a police detective, a private detective, and a private investigator.

"...Celestin does an effective job of fleshing out his main characters, letting you into a bit of their motives and backgrounds, and ultimately why they..." Read more

"...All three characters are likeable in their own way. It is also fun to see Louis Armstrong make a cameo in the book. Highly recommended!" Read more

"...The characters are well developed, though not super-outstanding; Ida and Lewis are the best and most appealing...." Read more

"...What made this a good read above all, was that the characters conversations rang true. So many books fail because the dialogue just isn't believable...." Read more

3 customers mention "Narrative quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the narrative engaging and well-researched. They appreciate the author's detailed descriptions and interesting take on events.

"...I found these answers convincing individually, but perhaps not collectively: with as many agendas in play as there turned out to be, I would have..." Read more

"Very good read. Interesting. Rather captivating. Tremendous amount of research, as the author is a Brit...." Read more

"Really interesting take on the events and I loved how different each character was. Got hooked and read it in a day!" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2024
    A great thriller for anyone who knows New Orleans.Historical portrayal of N. O . In the prohibition era.Author is good .
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2019
    New Orleans. 1919. A serial killer dubbed “The Axeman” is roaming the streets, taking out his victims and leaving cryptic notes and cards behind.

    I think one of the things going for The Axeman’s Jazz, and some reviewers might take this as a negative, is that there is an extensive build up of events—or exposition—before we get to meaty part of the novel where the action and plot developments really pick up (and the bodies start to pile up as the hunt is in full force).

    I really liked the sequencing of the three different parties searching for and hunting for clues about the Axeman and his possible motives. Celestin spends a good deal of time letting us get to know key characters, and for that reason, I think the reader can be more invested in these characters and what ultimately they want to accomplish. Celestin does an effective job of fleshing out his main characters, letting you into a bit of their motives and backgrounds, and ultimately why they are interested in the case and finding the killer at large.

    Not only that, The Axeman’s Jazz is very well written. While the novel does not dig into the underbelly of New Orleans perhaps as much as it could have, certainly Celestin effectively establishes atmosphere for this crime novel, and does so with strong prose and attention to detail about the city and its history.

    While there are murders within the novel, the author does a pretty good job of not over-sensationalizing the details of the crimes, which can be an easy thing to do for an author writing a crime book trying to score some “shock” points. Instead, he keeps the main focus on the characters, mystery and pursuit of the killer. I was intrigued to find out how events would eventually pan out.

    In my estimation The Axeman’s Jazz was mostly effective as a murder mystery, crime novel, and historical based novel. That being said, one of the bigger flaws in my mind was after spending so much time building up to the climax of the book, the sequencing of resolving everything seemed a tad forced. The conclusion and resolution felt a little too pact and tidy and, for that reason, seemed a bit rushed.

    All things considered, however, I still found The Axeman’s Jazz to be a very satisfying read and an impressive opening novel for this author. I’m interested in continuing on in the series, reading “Dead Man’s Blues” and seeing where things go from here.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2017
    It took me a while to get into this book but once I realized that there were three different detectives all trying to solve a number of crimes in their own way and for their own purposes, everything fell into place. It then became a very enjoyable read, and I now have Ray Celestin's next book on my Kindle.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2018
    I love this book. The novel is very well written, the plot is intersting, and the characters are well drawn. There are three main characters in the novel, a police detective, a private detective, and a mafia man. All three characters are likeable in their own way. It is also fun to see Louis Armstrong make a cameo in the book. Highly recommended!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2017
    The basis of this novel is a real series of unsolved murders that took place in New Orleans in the 19-teens (the novel is set in 1919); I’d never heard of it, but it has, I learned, been the subject of several true-crime books as well as other fictional treatments. The Axeman killed mostly Italian men (so Mafia involvement was suspected, but never proved), but sometimes he did in whole families. Perhaps his most unusual characteristic was a fondness for jazz: he claimed in a letter to the local newspaper that he would not attack any household that was playing jazz on the night (specified in the letter) that he planned to come for his next victim (shades of the Passover story). Celestin makes wonderful use of this idea, which apparently was part of the true events, in his novel.

    The novel alternates among several characters trying to discover the Axeman’s identity:
    Ida Davis, a young light-skinned black woman, and her jazz-playing friend, a young Lewis (as he then spelled it) Armstrong; Michael Talbott, a police detective; and Luca, a disgraced former police officer who was once Talbott’s mentor and is also, rather unwillingly, tied to the Mafia. The Axeman’s activities themselves, for the most part, take a back seat to their activities. Each character or set of characters discovers part of the (fictional) answer to the Axeman puzzle. I found these answers convincing individually, but perhaps not collectively: with as many agendas in play as there turned out to be, I would have expected a lot more victims than were mentioned.

    The characters are well developed, though not super-outstanding; Ida and Lewis are the best and most appealing. The most vivid character in the book is the city of New Orleans herself: Celestin does a wonderful job of filling in background and providing detailed descriptions, starting with a classic jazz funeral. As mentioned, the citywide party spurred by the Axeman’s letter is particularly lively. Celestin emphasizes both the dark and the colorful sides of a city that certainly has an abundance of both.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2016
    I really enjoyed The Axeman's Jazz.
    It is a good murder mystery set in New Orleans just after the First World War.
    What made this a good read above all, was that the characters conversations rang true. So many books fail because the dialogue just isn't believable. Highly recommended.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • thenunn
    5.0 out of 5 stars I don't read crime novels...but..
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 15, 2024
    The title drew me in ..I'm so glad it did ! What a story lots of solid characters with good definition ,lots of twists and turns ..I liked how it was like 3 stories all heading in the same direction. Brilliant read
  • kittylover
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars!
    Reviewed in Canada on February 27, 2017
    Arrived on time, hubby is very happy.
  • Maaaarsel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Noir novel, creole style.
    Reviewed in Spain on June 19, 2017
    Brilliant story with real background, and young Louis Armstrong as investigator. I learnt a lot from La Nouvelle-Orléans through its pages. It's noticeable the documentation work of author about the city and the jazz over these years.
  • tomeraider
    5.0 out of 5 stars Feel the blues
    Reviewed in Australia on June 25, 2018
    Knowing as much about New Orleans as most, this was an illuminating history tour as intriguing as the murder mystery. Glamour is often the makeup covering the flaws of reality, and this novel reveals what is beneath the makeup of New Orleans. The mystery is satisfyingly convoluted and the characters rounded. Do yourself a favour and delve into the depths of the Mississippi's most famous city.
  • Alias
    2.0 out of 5 stars mmm
    Reviewed in Italy on October 14, 2016
    Readable, a holiday style book...not badly written and fluent at times...but nothing new or in any way strictly original !

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