Dead Man's Blues

September 25, 2017
Set largely in 1928 Chicago in the months leading up to the landmark championship heavyweight boxing match between Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey (moved forward from 1927 for dramatic purposes), British author Celestin’s gripping sequel to 2015’s The Axeman chronicles the evolution of jazz and organized crime in early-20th-century America. The narrative can be unwieldy at times with its intricately intertwined story lines (two Pinkerton detectives seek a missing heiress, a crime scene photographer investigates a gruesome murder, and Al Capone brings a heroin-addicted fixer back to Chicago to find the rat in his organization), but the rich description and meticulous attention to historical detail more than compensate. Louis Armstrong’s journey to Chicago and his role in revolutionizing jazz is a highlight. Celestin’s portrayal of the Prohibition-era city—from the widespread political corruption to the rampant racism—gives the story a sobering foundation. Readers will look forward to the third installment (of a projected four), which, Celestin promises in an afterword, will be set in 1940s New York.