Dead Man's Blues

A stunning historical mystery from Ray Celestin, following on from the events of The Axeman's Jazz.Dead Man's Blues is the gripping historical crime novel from Ray Celestin, the author of The Axeman's Jazz, winner of the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger for Best First Novel 2014. Chicago, 1928. In the stifling summer heat three disturbing events take place. A group of city leaders is poisoned in a fancy hotel. A white gangster is found mutilated in an alleyway in the Black Belt. And a famous heiress vanishes without a trace. Pinkerton detectives Michael Talbot and Ida Davis are hired to find the missing heiress. But it proves harder than expected, and Ida must elicit the help of her friend Louis Armstrong to track her down. While the police take little interest in the Black Belt murder, crime scene photographer Jacob Russo can't get the dead man's image out of his head, and so embarks on his own investigation. And Dante Sanfelippo - rum-runner and fixer - is back in Chicago on the orders of Al Capone, who suspects there's a traitor in the ranks and wants Dante to investigate. But Dante is struggling with his own problems as he is forced to return to the city he thought he'd never see again . . . As the three parties edge closer to the truth, their paths will cross and their lives threatened. But will any of them find the answers they need in the city of blues, booze and corruption?