The Axeman
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3.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
"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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The eponymous killer of Celestin's strong debut has thrown the people of 1919 New Orleans into a panic as he slaughters one family after another. Three tormented investigators with very different agendas are in pursuit. Det. Lt. Michael Talbot, a white man, heads the official manhunt while hiding his illegal marriage to an African-American woman. Luca D'Andrea, a corrupt white ex-cop just released from prison, has been assigned to the case by the local Mafia boss, who's disturbed that the murders are heightening police alertness. And 19-year-old African-American Ida Davis, assisted by her musician friend known as Lil' Lewis Armstrong, is trying to demonstrate that she can be more than a secretary at the local Pinkerton office. Celestin deftly weaves the rich history of New Orleans into the multiple plot lines while highlighting racial prejudice and political corruption that are more appalling than the Axeman's crimes. In sum, this is a tasty bowl of gumbo with a side of dirty rice.
