Inspired by a true story, set against the heady backdrop of jazz-filled, mob-ruled New Orleans, The Axeman’s Jazz by Ray Celestin is a gripping thriller announcing a major talent in historical crime fiction.Winner of the CWA New Blood Dagger for Best Debut Crime Novel of the YearRecommended on the Radio 2 Arts Show with Claudia WinklemanShortlisted for Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year AwardNew Orleans, 1919. As a d...

*Shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel of 2017*Chicago, 1928. In the stifling summer heat three disturbing events take place. A clique 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 by the girl’s troubled mother. But it proves harder than ...

From the bestselling author of The Axeman's Jazz, Ray Celestin's The Mobster's Lament is a gripping tale of crime and jazz music, and the third entry in his City Blues Quartet. A gangster is on his last chance to escape the clutches of New York's mafia families but, as a blizzard descends on NYC, a ruthless serial killer is tracking his every move.New York, 1947.Mob fixer Gabriel Leveson’s plans to flee the city are put on hold when he is ...

'Here ends one of the finest achievements of recent crime fiction' - Sunday Telegraph**'Outstanding' - The Times*Winner of the 2022 CWA Historical Dagger and Gold Dagger***Los Angeles. Christmas, 1967. A devil is loose in the City of Angels . . .A young nurse, Kerry Gaudet, travels to the City of Angels desperate to find her missing brother, fearing that something terrible has happened to h...

New Orleans, 1919. As a dark serial killer - The Axeman - stalks the city, three individuals set out to unmask him. As Michael, Luca and Ida each draw closer to discovering the killer's identity, the Axeman himself will issue a challenge to the people of New Orleans: play jazz or risk becoming the next victim. And as the case builds to its crescendo, the sky will darken and a great storm will loom over the city…

Chicago, 1928: In the stifling summer heat three disturbing events take place: a clique of city leaders is poisoned, a white gangster is found mutilated and a famous heiress vanishes without a trace. Detectives Michael Talbot and Ida Davis are hired to find the missing heiress, but it proves harder than expected and so, Ida must elicit the help of her friend Louis Armstrong. But will any of them find the answers they need in the capital of jazz, booze and corruption?

This whole thing has got police cover-up written all over it,’ Ida said, rising.‘Yup,’ said Michael. ‘That’s who we’re up against.’Fall, 1947. New York City.Private Investigator Ida Davis has been called to New York by her old partner, Michael Talbot, to investigate a brutal killing spree in a Harlem flophouse that has left four people dead. But as they delve deeper into the case, Ida and Michael realize the murders are part of a larger conspiracy that stretches furt...

Los Angeles. Christmas, 1967. A city on fire as a killer strikes . . .A young nurse, Kerry Gaudet, travels to the City of Angels desperate to find her missing brother, fearing that something terrible has happened to him: a serial killer is terrorising the city, picking victims at random, and Kerry has precious few leads.Ida Young, recently retired Private Investigator, is dragged into helping the police when a young woman is discovered murdered in her motel room. Ida has ne...

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Strings of Murder by Oscar de Muriel, read by Andy Secombe, including musical interludes recorded by the author himself.**'A hugely entertaining Victorian mystery' New York Times'I enjoyed this - properly creepy and Gothic' Ian Rankin**Edinburgh, 1888. A virtuoso violinist is brutally killed in his home. But with no way in or out of the locked practice room, the murder makes no...

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of A Fever of the Blood by Oscar De Muriel, read by Andy Secombe.New Year's Day, 1889. In Edinburgh's lunatic asylum, a patient escapes as a nurse lays dying. Leading the manhunt are legendary local Detective 'Nine-Nails' McGray and Londoner-in-exile Inspector Ian Frey.Before the murder, the suspect was heard in whispered conversation with a fellow patient - a girl who had been mute for years....

Madame Katerina, Detective 'Nine Nails' McGray's most trusted clairvoyant, hosts a séance for three of Edinburgh's wealthiest families.The following morning everyone is found dead, with Madame Katerina being the only survivor. When questioned she alleges a tormented spirit killed the families for revenge.McGray, even though he believes her, must find a rational explanation that holds up in court, else Katerina will be sentenced to death.Inspector Ian Frey is summone...

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook of A Mask of Shadows by Oscar de Muriel, read by Andy Secombe.**'A hugely entertaining Victorian mystery' New York Times'I enjoyed this - properly creepy and Gothic' Ian Rankin**1889. The Scottish Play is coming home.But before the darling couple of London theatre, Henry Irving & Ellen Terry, take their acclaimed Macbeth to the Edinburgh stage terror t...