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Ray Celestin

Ray Celestin Author Website

  • The City Blues Quartet
    • The Axeman’s Jazz
    • Dead Man’s Blues
    • The Mobster’s Lament
  • Galleries
    • The Axeman’s Jazz
    • Dead Man’s Blues
    • The Mobster’s Lament
    • Book Covers
    • Instagram
  • Posts
  • Further Reading
  • Press

The City Blues Quartet

The City Blues Quartet is a multi-award-winning series of novels plotting the intertwined history of Jazz and the Mob through six decades in the 20th century.

I’ve written three of the books so far (links below), with the final instalment on its way.

In an Oulipo-inspired writing constraint, each of the four parts will be based around a different city, decade, season, weather, song and theme. These (excluding the theme) are outlined below…

BookCityDecadeSeasonWeatherSong
The Axeman's JazzNew Orleans1910sSpringRainThe Mysterious Axeman's Jazz
Dead Man's BluesChicago1920sSummerSunshineWest End Blues
The Mobster's LamentNew York1940sAutumnSnowRelaxin' At Camarillo
?Los Angeles1960sWinterWind?

The Axeman’s Jazz

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 […]

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Dead Man’s Blues

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 […]

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The Mobster’s Lament

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Recent Posts

  • Newsletter – February 2021
  • ‘The Mobster’s Lament’ is one of The i Newspaper’s Books of the Year.
  • The Mobster’s Lament Shortlisted for Crime Novel of the Year
  • Bird and Chet
  • 52nd Street

Pages

  • Instagram
  • Posts
  • The City Blues Quartet
    • The Axeman’s Jazz
      • Gallery
      • Preface
      • Afterword
      • Reading Group Guide
      • Bibliography
    • Dead Man’s Blues
      • Gallery
      • Playlist
      • Book Notes
      • Reading Group Guide
      • Bibliography
      • Map
    • The Mobster’s Lament
      • Gallery
      • Book Notes
      • Reading Group Guide
      • Bibliography
      • Map
  • Book Covers
  • Press kit
Dead Man's Blues Review 1
Dead Man's Blues Review 4

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