First and foremost, a big thanks to Sophie Orme @Sophiemorme Senior editor at Mantle, Pan Macmillan for sending me a copy of this book. It was through a tweet of hers that I had first heard of this.
Book Description
New Orleans, 1919. As a dark serial killer – The Axeman – stalks the city, three individuals set out to unmask him . . .
Though every citizen of the ‘Big Easy’ thinks they know who could be behind the terrifying murders, Detective Lieutenant Michael Talbot, heading up the official investigation, is struggling to find leads. But Michael has a grave secret, and if he doesn’t get himself on the right track fast, it could be exposed . . .
Former detective Luca d’Andrea has spent the last six years in Angola state penitentiary, after Michael, his protégée, blew the whistle on his corrupt behaviour. Now a newly freed man, Luca is back working with the mafia, whose need to solve the mystery of the Axeman is every bit as urgent as that of the authorities.
Meanwhile, Ida is a secretary at the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Obsessed with Sherlock Holmes and dreaming of a better life, Ida 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. And as the case builds to its crescendo, the sky will darken and a great storm will loom over the city . . .
Inspired by a true story, THE AXEMAN’S JAZZ, set against the heady backdrop of jazz-filled, mob-ruled New Orleans, is an ambitious, gripping thriller announcing a major new talent in historical crime fiction.
Review
During my crime reading phase this past 12 months, nothing has appealed to me more than the idea of 1919 New Orleans and a jazz loving, axe wielding, serial killer.
The novel follows its three main characters, Michael, Luca and Ida, on the hunt for the mysterious axe man and takes the reader down three different lines of enquiry. Michael is by the book, Luca is rough around the edges but smart, and Sherlock Holmes Obsessive Ida tries out her own powers of deduction. Each of these paths are, at times, a tense and exciting ride, with you slipping into a rat race mentality to find out who, If any, will catch their man first. Ray could have been forgiven if he had decided to only lead with two out of the three and it would still have been an engrossing tale, but to have three different perspectives on one case will place this well ahead of any other debut to be released this year.
This book ticks a lot of boxes. The characters are personally flawed, like all good crime novels, because of their experiences, or in Ida’s case, a lack of. The only sore point for me of this entire novel was the inclusion of Ida’s young sidekick, Louis Armstrong. I didn’t really feel like Louis Armstrong would have investigated crime in his younger days. The character was written very well and his experiences as a musician gave the story more depth but I felt as though he could have been a nameless musician and making him the Ambassador Satch himself, took away from the character rather that added to it.
This is a fantastic debut full of educated twists and turns in a well-structured 1919’s New Orleans setting and hopefully the inclusion of the Axeman in the hit TV series American Horror Story, will fuel interest in this book. I’m looking forward to Ray’s future work and hope he can build on the success of this brilliant opener.
The Axeman’s Jazz will be published on by Mantle, Pan Macmillian 8th May 2014
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