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anchgu7's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jennjuniper's review against another edition
4.0
One of my favourite crime novels of recent years was The Axeman's Jazz, Celestin's vivid portrait of 1919 New Orleans, splashed in gore, murder, racism, jazz, romance, noise and colour. You don't have to have read it to read this follow-up, but I urge you to - firstly because it's a brilliant read, and secondly because you'll be able to appreciate Dead Man's Blues as more than just a brilliant mystery, but as the second volume in a series of books charting the rise and fall of crime in the early twentieth century.
Onto the slightly smaller picture, then: 1928 Chicago, firmly in the grip of Al Capone and his fellow gangsters, and in the grip of a sweltering summer. A set of disparate crimes are being investigated - by the police, by the Pinkertons, and by Capone's men. At first, they all seem like separate tragedies in the large, unforgiving city, but then the threads start coming together, and there's much, much more going on.
Celestin is a great writer, letting the story unfold at its own pace, but keeping you turning the pages to find out more. He masterfully juggles the different characters and different storylines without letting the tension slacken or everyone's personalities seem too similar, and what emerges is a dark, unsettling, brutal snapshot of a city strangled by its own crimelords. Celestin is fantastic at evoking atmosphere and setting, at creating realistic characters with all their shades of grey, and his writing is wonderful: luscious, detailed and rich.
If you have read The Axeman's Jazz, then you'll be as glad as I was to meet several of our protagonists again, ten years older and living very different lives in Chicago. One of these, of course, is Louis Armstrong - an addition to both books that could seem gimmicky, but in situ actually fits in perfectly. Music is something woven seamlessly throughout the plot, forming a rich tapestry of life and death in 1920s America.
Dead Man's Blues is a sharp, dark, intelligent historical crime novel, peopled with vivid, believable characters and finally culminating in a breathless finale. Read it on its own for an enjoyable, smart thriller, or join me in waiting for the next part of what is shaping up to be one of the best crime - and historical - fiction series in recent years. I can't wait!
Onto the slightly smaller picture, then: 1928 Chicago, firmly in the grip of Al Capone and his fellow gangsters, and in the grip of a sweltering summer. A set of disparate crimes are being investigated - by the police, by the Pinkertons, and by Capone's men. At first, they all seem like separate tragedies in the large, unforgiving city, but then the threads start coming together, and there's much, much more going on.
Celestin is a great writer, letting the story unfold at its own pace, but keeping you turning the pages to find out more. He masterfully juggles the different characters and different storylines without letting the tension slacken or everyone's personalities seem too similar, and what emerges is a dark, unsettling, brutal snapshot of a city strangled by its own crimelords. Celestin is fantastic at evoking atmosphere and setting, at creating realistic characters with all their shades of grey, and his writing is wonderful: luscious, detailed and rich.
If you have read The Axeman's Jazz, then you'll be as glad as I was to meet several of our protagonists again, ten years older and living very different lives in Chicago. One of these, of course, is Louis Armstrong - an addition to both books that could seem gimmicky, but in situ actually fits in perfectly. Music is something woven seamlessly throughout the plot, forming a rich tapestry of life and death in 1920s America.
Dead Man's Blues is a sharp, dark, intelligent historical crime novel, peopled with vivid, believable characters and finally culminating in a breathless finale. Read it on its own for an enjoyable, smart thriller, or join me in waiting for the next part of what is shaping up to be one of the best crime - and historical - fiction series in recent years. I can't wait!
thecaffeinatedreader's review against another edition
5.0
I was scared when I saw this book was longer than the first and I remembered the pacing issue I had with it at times.
Thank god/powers that be/the universe, that I had nothing to worry about.
I also was a bit timid, wondering if this was going to be very formulaic in the end, and of course, there should be something consistent in mysteries/crime, but I pretty much had nothing to worry about. I would say this work was the perfecting of his first book in this quartet and I CANNOT wait to read the third one now.
I was on the edge of my seat the last 75 pages or so, and I was actually super mad and was going to give a piece of my mind over something that crushed my soul that happened in the book [no spoilers so you'll have to read and guess what part it was] but he just did right by the readers and everything fell into place and instead of getting mad I was doing some odd jazz hands because I was too tired to let out a fangirl squeal.
I know this is super incoherent but, if you liked The Axeman's Jazz, you'll LOVE Dead Man's Blues.
There's more Ida and a little less Michael, still have Louis Armstrong but with the addition of freakin' Al Capone.
Celestin is proving to be a fierce writer in this genre and I am already impatient to read the Mobster's Lament.
Thank god/powers that be/the universe, that I had nothing to worry about.
I also was a bit timid, wondering if this was going to be very formulaic in the end, and of course, there should be something consistent in mysteries/crime, but I pretty much had nothing to worry about. I would say this work was the perfecting of his first book in this quartet and I CANNOT wait to read the third one now.
I was on the edge of my seat the last 75 pages or so, and I was actually super mad and was going to give a piece of my mind over something that crushed my soul that happened in the book [no spoilers so you'll have to read and guess what part it was] but he just did right by the readers and everything fell into place and instead of getting mad I was doing some odd jazz hands because I was too tired to let out a fangirl squeal.
I know this is super incoherent but, if you liked The Axeman's Jazz, you'll LOVE Dead Man's Blues.
There's more Ida and a little less Michael, still have Louis Armstrong but with the addition of freakin' Al Capone.
Celestin is proving to be a fierce writer in this genre and I am already impatient to read the Mobster's Lament.
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