Short bio

Ray Celestin lives in London. He studied Asian art and languages at university and is a screenwriter as well as a novelist. His first novel The Axeman’s Jazz won the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed follow-up Dead Man’s Blues.

 

Author Q&A

Download here

 

Book details

The best way to get some idea of the books is to read their preface / afterword and reading group questions. I’ve collated them for download here.

 

 Awards & Nominations

The Axeman’s Jazz

• Winner of the CWA John Creasey Dagger for Best Debut Crime Novel of the Year
• Winner of the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy Best Crime Novel of the Year Translated into Swedish
• The Independent Newspaper Crime Book of the Year
• Shortlisted for the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year Award
• Shortlisted for the International Thriller Writers’ Best First Novel Award

Dead Man’s Blues

• Winner of the Historia Magazine Best Historical Crime Thriller of the Year
• The Daily Mail Books of the Year
• Shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel of The Year
• Finalist for the Académie du Jazz’s Prix Du Meilleur Livre De Jazz
• Shortlisted for the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy Best Crime Novel of the Year Translated into Swedish

 

Reviews

I haven’t really kept up with reviews beyond the press clippings my publisher sends me, here’s what I gathered together from trying to match up the clippings with active web-pages:

The Axeman’s Jazz

• The Independent
• The Daily Express
• The Guardian
• The New York Times

Dead Man’s Blues

• The Times
• The Daily Express
• The New York Times
• The Spectator

 

Influences on The City Blues Quartet

• L.A. Confidential – James Ellroy
• An Instance of the Fingerpost – Iain Pears
• The Yiddish Policeman’s Union – Michael Chabon
• From Hell – Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Big Sleep – Raymond Chandler

 

Structure of The City Blues Quartet

Book	City	Decade	Season	Weather	Song
The Axeman's Jazz	New Orleans	1910s	Spring	Rain	The Mysterious Axeman's Jazz by Joseph John Davilla
Dead Man's Blues	Chicago	1920s	Summer	Sunshine	West End Blues by Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five
The Mobster's Lament	New York	1940s	Autumn	Snow	Relaxin' At Camarillo by Charlie Parker
?	Los Angeles?	?	Winter	?	?

 

Contact

Agents: https://www.lutyensrubinstein.co.uk/literary-agency/

Publishers: https://www.panmacmillan.com/help-is-at-hand