The Mobster's Lament

City Blues Quartet #3

by Ray Celestin

Like every other mobster, the longer he stayed in the life, the closer he got to a shallow grave . . .

New York, 1947. Mob fixer Gabriel Leveson needs to leave this city behind. But his plans to flee are upset when he’s given a job by the boss of all bosses, Frank Costello. A job he can’t turn down . . .

Meanwhile, a killing spree in a Harlem flophouse has left an innocent black man on Death Row. In order to save him, the man’s father—ex-private investigator Michael Talbot—and his old partner Ida Young must track down the real killer. While across town, Ida’s childhood friend Louis Armstrong is on the brink of bankruptcy, until a promoter approaches him with a strange offer to reignite his career.

Both a gripping neo-noir crime novel and a vivid, panoramic portrait of New York, The Mobster's Lament takes you to the heart of a city where the Mob has risen to the height of its powers.

Genres: Crime, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Detective, Audiobook

576 pages, Paperback

First published March 21, 2019

About the author

Hello. I write novels and screenplays and very occasionally, short stories and comic-books.

My new latest novel, Sunset Swing, was published in paperback in August. It’s the final instalment in the multi-award-winning ‘City Blues Quartet’ -- a series of novels plotting the intertwined history of Jazz and the Mob through six decades in the 20th century.

Sunset Swing won two daggers at this year’s CWA (Crime Writer Association) awards:

The Golden Dagger for best crime novel of the year
The Historical Dagger for best historical novel of the year

It’s also had a great response from reviewers:

The Times ‘Books of the Year’
The Financial Times ‘Books of the Year’
Five Star review in The Sunday Telegraph
The Sunday Times ‘Historical Novel of the Month’
The Times ‘Thriller of the Month’

Discover more at raycelestin.com

Reviews

[Φίλιππος ²³ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Για άλλη μια φορά καταπληκτική η ατμόσφαιρα (αυτή τη φορά τη δεκαετία του '40 στη Νέα Υόρκη) σε βιβλίο του συγγραφέα, με ενδιαφέροντες και πολύπλοκους χαρακτήρες και φυσικά καλοδομημένη πλοκή, βασισμένη σε πραγματικά γεγονότα που διαδραματίζονται την εποχή που "επανιδρυόταν" το οργανωμένο έγκλημα στην Αμερική. Ένα ακόμη υπέροχο βιβλίο του Celestin και ένα από τα καλύτερα της χρονιάς!!!

[Χρύσα Βασιλείου · Rating 5 out of 5]

Στο τρίτο βιβλίο του, «Ο θρήνος του γκάνγκστερ», ο Ray Celestin μεταφέρει τον αναγνώστη στην ατμοσφαιρική Νέα Υόρκη του 1947.

Η πλοκή εκτυλίσσεται τον Νοέμβριο του 1947. Η Άιντα Ντέιβις, έχοντας από χρόνια ιδρύσει το δικό της πρακτορείο ερευνών στο Σικάγο, φτάνει στη Νέα Υόρκη προκειμένου να βοηθήσει τον παλιό συνεργάτη και μέντορά της, Μάικλ Τάλμποτ. Ο γιος του, ο Τόμας, βρίσκεται από το καλοκαίρι της ίδιας χρονιάς έγκλειστος στη φυλακή, κατηγορούμενος για τέσσερις αιματηρές δολοφονίες σε ένα πανδοχείο του Χάρλεμ. Αντιμέτωπος με την ηλεκτρική καρέκλα, αλλά και τον αιώνιο ρατσισμό και προκατάληψη απέναντι στους έγχρωμους, ο Τόμας Τάλμποτ χρειάζεται όση βοήθεια μπορεί να βρει. Και ο πατέρας του τη ζητά από την Άιντα, με την ελπίδα ότι θα καταφέρουν να αποδείξουν πως όλα είναι μια καλοστημένη σκευωρία.
Στην ίδια πόλη ζει ο Γκάμπριελ Λίβσον, ο οποίος εργάζεται για τον μαφιόζο Φρανκ Κοστέλο. Έχοντας κουραστεί από αυτή τη ζωή και θέλοντας να προστατέψει την έφηβη ανιψιά του, ο Γκάμπριελ σχεδιάζει από χρόνια τη φυγή τους από την πόλη. Και τώρα, λίγες μέρες πριν πραγματοποιήσει τα σχέδιά του, το αφεντικό του τού αναθέτει μια ιδιαίτερη αποστολή: να βρει δύο εκατομμύρια που έκλεψε ένας άλλος -νεκρός πια- γκάνγκστερ. Χωρίς να έχει ουσιαστικά επιλογή, ο Γκάμπριελ ξεκινά την αναζήτηση των χρημάτων και του κλέφτη, ελπίζοντας πως θα καταφέρει να βρει και τα δύο πριν την ημερομηνία της αναχώρησής του.
Οι ζωές αυτών των ανθρώπων θα συναντηθούν τελικά κάποια στιγμή από ένα παράξενο παιχνίδι της μοίρας και μετά από προσεκτικά βήματα των ερευνών τους, που τους οδηγούν σε άτομα που εμπλέκονται και στις δύο υποθέσεις. Αποφασίζουν λοιπόν να ενώσουν τις δυνάμεις τους σε μια ιδιότυπη συμμαχία, προκειμένου να πετύχουν τον στόχο τους πριν να είναι πολύ αργά για εκείνους που αγαπούν, αλλά και για τους ίδιους…

Ένα από τα θετικά του βιβλίου είναι πως διαβάζεται αυτόνομα. Ο Μάικλ και η Άιντα βέβαια έχουν μια μακρά ιστορία πίσω τους κι όποιος θέλει να μάθει γι’ αυτήν μπορεί να ανατρέξει στα δύο προηγούμενα βιβλία της σειράς. Πλέον, η Άιντα είναι μια γυναίκα που πλησιάζει στη μέση ηλικία, με έναν γιο που φοιτά στο πανεπιστήμιο, και ο Μάικλ ένας ηλικιωμένος άντρας που τα σωματικά αντανακλαστικά του δεν θυμίζουν σε τίποτα τον παλιό του εαυτό, παρόλο που τα πνευματικά του είναι όσο κοφτερά υπήρξαν πάντοτε. Το κοινό τους παρελθόν, οι επαγγελματικές επιτυχίες και οι προσωπικές τους επιλογές έχουν διαπλάσει τους χαρακτήρες τους και αφήσει τα σημάδια τους. Τώρα το άλλοτε επιτυχημένο δίδυμο συνεργάζεται ξανά, αυτή τη φορά για έναν προσωπικό σκοπό.
Ήδη από το πρώτο του βιβλίο, ο συγγραφέας ξεχώρισε για τον μοναδικό του τρόπο να «στήνει» μια ολόκληρη εποχή, μια πιστή αναπαράσταση των προσώπων και των γεγονότων που τη χαρακτήρισαν· μετά τη Νέα Ορλεάνη και το Σικάγο, λοιπόν, έχει έρθει η σειρά της Νέας Υόρκης λίγο καιρό μετά τον Β’ Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο. Οι φαμίλιες της Μαφίας συνεχίζουν να κάνουν κουμάντο σε όλα τα πόστα -δημόσια και ιδιωτικά-, ενώ οι σχέσεις τους είναι διαρκώς τεταμένες. Η βία, η εγκληματικότητα, η διαφθορά, οι δολοφονίες και γενικά το έγκλημα σε κάθε του μορφή βρίσκονται σε ημερήσια διάταξη στην «πόλη που δεν κοιμάται ποτέ». Ο χώρος του θεάματος, με το άρωμα που έρχεται από το Χόλιγουντ, φυσικά δεν θα μπορούσε να μείνει απέξω. Πίσω από τα λαμπερά φώτα και τις γεμάτες καπνό αίθουσες των κλαμπ, η χλιδή συμπορεύεται με τη βρομιά και η έξαψη με τον κίνδυνο.
Μια πληθώρα γοητευτικών και επικίνδυνων αντιθέσεων χαρακτηρίζει όλη την αφήγηση: ο αναγνώστης μεταφέρεται από τις πλούσιες και πολυτελείς κατοικίες της ανώτερης τάξης του Μανχάταν στις φτωχογειτονιές του Μπρούκλιν και τους ντόκους του λιμανιού, από τις δεξιώσεις των καλοντυμένων αριστοκρατών στα σκοτεινά κλαμπ της Μαφίας, από εκείνους που κρατούν την τύχη της πόλης στα χέρια τους στους φτωχούς, τους κατατρεγμένους, τα πρεζόνια, τους γκάνγκστερ και τους πάντα αποκλεισμένους και κυνηγημένους νέγρους. Ένα γοητευτικό κράμα προσώπων και καταστάσεων, που διαφέρουν η μία από την άλλη όσο η μέρα με τη νύχτα. Κι όμως, όλα έχουν αποδοθεί με αληθοφάνεια και ζηλευτή ικανότητα από την πένα ενός συγγραφέα που φαίνεται αποφασισμένος να μας εκπλήσσει κάθε φορά περισσότερο και να μας κάνει να ψάχνουμε πού τελειώνει η ιστορική αλήθεια και πού ξεκινά η μυθιστορηματική πλοκή, αφού τα όρια μοιάζουν τόσο δυσδιάκριτα.
Καλογραμμένοι άπαντες οι χαρακτήρες, με έμφαση στα ψυχογραφήματα των «καλών» αλλά και των «κακών» της υπόθεσης. Σε μια επικίνδυνη εποχή και σε μια εξίσου επικίνδυνη πόλη, η επιβίωση έρχεται πρώτη – ακόμα κι όταν τα μέσα γι’ αυτό απέχουν πολύ από τη νομιμότητα. Από τα πρώτα ονόματα (αν επιχειρήσουμε μια… κινηματογραφική σύγκριση) μέχρι και τον τελευταίο κομπάρσο αυτής της ιστορίας, όλοι τους παρουσιάζονται ενώπιον του αναγνώστη για να αφηγηθούν τη ζωή τους, να παραθέσουν τις πράξεις τους και να κριθούν γι’ αυτές. Και ας μη νοιάζονται τόσο για την ετυμηγορία τελικά, μιας και προέχει η πάλη τους για την επόμενη μέρα.
Και ενώ η δράση κλιμακώνεται και οι ανατροπές ακολουθούν η μία την άλλη με ρυθμούς (γκανγκστερικού) πολυβόλου, τα συναισθήματα του αναγνώστη μεταβάλλονται από την ένταση στη συγκίνηση και από εκεί ξανά στην αγωνία για τις τύχες των ηρώων, αλλά και την κατάληξη της ιστορίας. Μέχρι την τελευταία σελίδα. Μόνο εκεί ο συγγραφέας απογοητεύει το κοινό του· γιατί, πολύ απλά, τελειώνει αυτό το εκπληκτικό ταξίδι πίσω σε μια εποχή που, παρά τα ελαττώματά της, δεν έχασε ποτέ τη γοητεία της.

Η κριτική μου για το βιβλίο και στο site "Book City" και τον παρακάτω σύνδεσμο: Ο θρήνος του γκάνγκστερ

[Makis Dionis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Noir, με φόντο την Νέα Υόρκη του μεταπολεμου. Όχι κακό σίγουρα, αλλά πιο πολύ μοιάζει με CSI NY, παρά με έργο εποχής. Βάζει πολλά μέσα αλλά αρκετά φαίνονται επιδερμικά.

Σίγουρα δε νιώθεις τη Νέα Υόρκη στο πετσί σου αλλά απολαμβάνεις μια ενδιαφέρουσα ιστορία

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gritty, atmospheric, and action-packed!

The Mobster's Lament is a pacey, enthralling thriller set in New York City in the late 1940s when America was still recovering from war, politicians were as dirty as they come, Italian gangsters were running the streets, the Copacabana nightclub was the place to see and be seen, and Jazz was still dominating the airwaves.

The prose is crisp and clear. The characters are focused, driven, and multilayered. And the plot is a fast-paced, riveting tale full of twists, turns, action, intrigue, power, corruption, deduction, duplicity, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Mobster's Lament is another sinister, compelling, exceptionally absorbing, gangster tale by Celestin that does a fantastic job of blending real-life historical figures, insightful information, and gripping fiction into an unputdownable story.

Thank you to PGC Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Cynnamon · Rating 5 out of 5]

For English version please scroll down

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Gangster, Jazz, Drogen und viel Geld in New York kurz nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg

Dieser Roman spielt 10 Jahre nach seinem Vorgänger in New York und es war mir eine Freude Michael und Ida wiederzutreffen.

Michael ist mittlerweile Anfang 70 und in Rente, währen Ida ihre eigene Detektivagentur in Chicago eröffnet hat. Auch Ida ist mit 47 kein junges Mädchen mehr. Sie ist Witwe und hat einen erwachsenen Sohn.

Michael kommt nach New York, weil sein Sohn Thomas als Verdächtiger eines 4-fachen Mordes verhaftet wurde und ruft nach kurzer Zeit Ida zu Hilfe, als er nicht weiter kommt. Es wird schnell offenbar, dass Thomas die Morde angehängt werden sollen und die Beweise von der Polizei manipuliert wurden.

Wie im Vorgängerband haben wir einen zweiten Erzählstrang aus der Perspektive des Mafia-Gangsters Gabriel. Gabriel will sich, nachdem er (bisher unentdeckt) jahrelang Geld von einem Mafia-Boss unterschlagen hat, mit seiner Nichte vom Acker machen und in Mexico untertauchen. Zuvor fällt ihm aber noch ein Auftrag von Frank Costello auf die Füße, den er in 6 Tagen erledigen muss, wenn seine Fluchtpläne funktionieren sollen.

Ray Celestin führt diese Stränge im Laufe der Geschichte immer mehr zusammen, um sie am Ende gekonnt zu verknüpfen.

Auch Louis Armstrong spielt wieder eine kleine Rolle und wir erfahren so einiges darüber, wie sich das Musikgeschäft verändert.

Der Autor hat seiner Geschichte wieder ein hochinteressantes Nachwort angefügt, das uns über die tatsächlichen historischen Gegebenheiten nach dem 2. Weltkrieg aufklärt und die Verflechtung zwischen Politik und der Mafia erklärt. Auch Rassismus ist leider nach wie vor ein großes Thema, aber wie auch nicht, es ist ja auch heute, 70 Jahre später, immer noch ein großes Thema, das sich zwar gewandelt hat, aber leider immer noch eine viel zu starke Rolle spielt.

Auch dieser Band der Reihe ist sowohl was historisches Wissen, als auch was Lesegenuss und Spannung betrifft ein echter Gewinn und wird von mir mit 5 Sternen bewertet.

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Gangsters, jazz, drugs and a lot of money in New York shortly after WW II

This novel is set 10 years after its predecessor in New York and it was a pleasure to meet Michael and Ida again.

Michael is now in his early 70s and retired, while Ida opened her own detective agency in Chicago. At 47, Ida is no longer a young girl either. She is a widow and has one grown son.

Michael comes to New York because his son Thomas was arrested as a suspect of a four-fold murder and after a short time calls Ida for help when he gets stuck. It quickly becomes apparent that Thomas is about to be framed for the murders and that the evidence has been tampered with by the police.

As in the previous volume, we have a second narrative thread from the perspective of the Mafia gangster Gabriel. After years of (so far undiscovered) embezzling money from a Mafia boss, Gabriel wants to run away with his niece and go into hiding in Mexico. Before that, however, an order from Frank Costello falls on his feet, which he has to fulfill in 6 days if his escape plans are to work.

Ray Celestin brings these strands together more and more in the course of the story in order to skillfully tie them together in the end.

Louis Armstrong also plays a small role again and we learn a lot about how the music business is changing.

The author has added a very interesting epilogue to his story, which explains the actual historical circumstances after the Second World War and explains the interdependence between politics and the mafia. Racism is unfortunately still a big topic, but how not, it's still a big topic today, 70 years later.

This volume in the series is also a real asset in terms of historical knowledge as well as reading pleasure and excitement and is rated by me with 5 stars.

[Kath B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number 3 in this brilliant series follows Michael and Ida, former Pinkerton detectives, on their latest case. This one is set in New York City and is very much close to home for Michael as he is desperately trying to rescue his son from the dangerous Rikers Jail where he has been falsely imprisoned.

Taking place just after the Second World War, Michael is now in his 70s and not in a place he would choose to be. Nevertheless, he has terrific support from Ida and these two get to the heart of the issue very efficiently and work together to try to find an elusive witness who could help them.

The setting for this book is fabulous with the author painting a picture of a highly charged city finding its feet after the war and rife with corruption and menace. As with the previous two books, the characters include real-life personalities from the time - jazz musicians and promoters, politicians and mobsters - and actual events are incorporated into the storyline.

This is a very pacey read with action on every page. The plot is carried along in two distinct threads; Ida and Michael's search for answers is one with the other thread following Gabriel Leveson, a fixer for mob boss, Frank Costello, who is looking for the same person as the detectives though for very different reasons. The conclusion is amazingly structured and brings together all the diverse elements.

The writing is very good too with realistic dialogue and lovely descriptions of moments between different characters. Excellent read for fans of thrillers and historical fiction.

[Cathy Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first two books in the series—The Axeman’s Jazz & Dead Man’s Blues—and The Mobster’s Lament was no exception. Set in post war New York where private investigator Ida Davies arrives to help her old friend and mentor, ex Pinkerton Michael Talbot. Michael’s son Tom has been charged with multiple counts of murder and is destined for the electric chair, after a brutal massacre in the boarding house where he was staying. Prejudice and discrimination is widespread so being of African American lineage goes against him and his future looks very uncertain unless Ida and Michael can find enough evidence to prove his innocence.

Gabriel Leveson, night club manager and fixer for mob boss Frank Costello, wants out and is planning to disappear with his niece, until he gets called in by Costello to track down two million dollars of Mob money which has gone missing. As Gabriel navigates the dangers of the underworld a figure from his past forces him to scratch at the scabs of emotional scars. Time is running out for his plan to escape New York and he needs to keep his niece safe, even more in light of certain events. He has two choices—vengeance or flight.

Wonderful descriptions and writing create a totally believable scenario, with well defined and credible characters. Apart from Ida and Michael, there is always one main character (the good, ‘bad’ guy) who is easy to like and engage with.

The themes throughout the series are mobsters and music, specifically jazz, and underscored with corruption. Again, the contrast between the violence, the musicians, the far reaching tentacles of the mob are captured so well. Louis Armstrong, a childhood friend of Ida’s, is a recurring character. In this story Armstrong’s career is in decline, the audiences no longer fill the venues and the band is all but bankrupt. It’s the end of the big band era and many have been disbanded, but a promoter from New York holds out hope that Louis’ career can be turned around.

The Mobster’s Lament, like the previous stories, skilfully combine cameo appearances from real people and fictional characters in a tightly woven and imaginative plot packed with historical detail, the research evident, bringing 1940s New York to vibrant life. Steady pacing builds the tension perfectly and the atmosphere is enhanced by various quotes and news articles on the state of affairs at the time, leaving no doubt about the lawlessness of mob rule. Another captivating crime thriller.

Christopher Ragland’s narration gives a perfect representation of the characters.

[Shannon M (Canada) · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE MOBSTER’S LAMANT is what historical fiction should be. It provides the essence of the era, and factual information, while moving quickly enough to keep the reader captivated. The author does this partially by telescoping events into a short time frame. In his Author’s Notes, Ray Celestin documents the changes he has made with regards to dates; the historical events happened, just not precisely within the precise time span described in the novel. But the essence is there—the elements that define the soul of time and place.

THE MOBSTER’S LAMANT is a mixture of real and fictional characters, of real and made-up facts. The made-up incidents are the murders that form the core of this thriller. The primary fictional characters are those affected by these murders—Ida Davies; Michael Talbot and his son, Tom; Gabriel Leveson; and, of course, the murderer. But these fictional characters and fabricated events are placed within a setting that is real, one that gives you the feeling of being there.

The setting for THE MOBSTER’S LAMANT is November 1947 in New York. I visited New York for a month in February 1960, so I think that, to a large extent, Celestin accurately portrayed the city setting. It was bustling and brash, and a nightmare for the majority of its residents, those who weren’t affluent enough to buy a large living area and partake of its expensive entertainment venues. It attracted people from everywhere—those who worked in the “Arts” and didn’t mind living in squalor, those who wanted to become movers and shakers in the finance industry, and those who moved there to find work as servants (slaves) to the money and power brokers. I visited (or at least walked by) most of the places mentioned in the novel, and only enjoyed two sites—neither of which is named in the book—the Apollo Theatre and the Museum of Natural History. I can see why the museum didn’t get a mention, but the Apollo was on 125th Street, and, in the story, Ida frequently walked down 125th. This was a main venue for music, a neighborhood site where jazz was evolving into bebop, and this evolution is one of the themes of the novel.

THE GANGSTER’S LAMANT is the third novel in the City Blues Quartet by Ray Celestin. There are four themes in this series, interweaving with each other and tied together by a murder plot specific to each novel. These themes are: (1) gangsters; (2) race; (3) the evolution of jazz; and (4) the cities where the music evolves.

The Gangsters

The gangster organization (mafia) appears to get top-billing in this third novel in the series. We follow Gabriel Leveson, a Jewish gangster working for the Italian group in his quest to free himself and his niece by “disappearing”. But first he has one more job for mob boss Frank Costello. I must admit that my knowledge of gangster activities comes primarily from reading The Godfather and viewing Goodfellas. I am not a “true crime” aficionado, and so many of the details about the mob organization and mob frictions were unknown to me before I read the book. I learned a bit of history. I was slightly disturbed when Costello’s actions and thoughts are described in detail; he was a “real” person whose story is told like a fictional character. But I googled him, and found that over the decades numerous actors has portrayed him on the screen, so the real and the fictional have been intermingling for a long time. It seems that we, the public, love stories about gangsters.

Race

We view “race” in America through the eyes of Ida Davies and Michael Talbot. Ida is a fair skinned black woman (who could pass for white) and Michael is a white man married to a black woman. Tom, Michael’s son, has been arrested for murder, and that is why Ida and Michael are in New York. They were detectives in Chicago. They live and breathe racism and race hatred, and sometimes receive kindnesses from the few who don’t hate; we experience this by following the fast-paced plot as Ida and Michael search for clues to exonerate Tom. I loved the fact that Celestin used the correct word “Negro”—the acceptable name in that time period. He also uses other words. Ida herself says “colored” on one occasion, the acceptable name from a decade earlier. And of course there are other words thrown around, signifying in most cases hatred but sometimes brotherhood. It depended on who was using them and in what context. It is small facts like this that dig deep into the soul of what it was like to have one drop of Negro blood in post-War America.

Jazz

It was a time of change, and one of the changes taking place is the transition from large orchestra “swing” music to small band “bebop” and “modern experimental jazz” as personified by Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. Yes, a few of the best orchestras remained—like Duke Ellington and Count Basie—but small-town middle America no longer could sustain large swing orchestras, and they were dissolving. This change is personified in the novel by the travails of Louis Armstrong. Armstrong’s endeavours are also used to show how the music business in America was being manipulated by gangster cartels.

City (New York)

Each of the novels in the City Blues Quartet takes place in a different city. The setting for this third one is New York. Celestin tries to make New York exciting:

The heart of the country was here. This was where the nation’s economy was based, where its corporations were, where its ideas and innovations came from. These were the people the rest of the country relied on for its products, it’s imports, it’s radio and music, it’s novels and magazines, it’s ads, it’s art, it’s culture. New York created it all, and the rest of the country sucked it up.

But in the pages of the novel, one also finds phrases like: Times Square was where the city slammed against you. and a city destroyed by race riots, awash with heroin and not much else. and the nightmarish streets of New York.. In the winter of 1960, I found it to be a cold, dark city—no light, no warmth, no beauty, very unfriendly—and I was glad to leave. It is a city of vivid contrasts, and as I was leaving, I remember thinking that it offered respite only for the very rich and powerful. The middle class was not welcome there.

Conclusion

This was a slow read for me because I wanted to absorb its totality. It was very easy to read—one could read it in a day if so inclined because the prose is easy to process, the actions move quickly. But to absorb the ambiance, the interweaving of complex patterns and systems, it is better to read it slowly. Top-level all the way.

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My review for the fourth novel in the series:
 Sunset Swing (City Blues Quartet #4)
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[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again this was wonderful. Ray Celestin really knows how to make characters, their era and the setting come alive. He is also very good at interweaving storylines and give the readers a sense of everyone working towards the same goal yet also having their own thing going on as well.

As always I enjoyed the team up of Michael and Ida and getting a sense of what happened in the years since we've last met them. We start off when Michaels son as found himself in prison and when we meet Gabriel he is looking to escape out of the mobs clutches. These look like two completely different stories, but you'll see, as per usual it all comes together nicely.

New York in the 1940s is such a rich setting and a perfect backdrop for this. Which reminds me as always the characters are realistic to their time and place. Given this diverse cast of characters I'm glad that the issues they faced were accurately portrayed and not shied away from. That of course means that some characters said things that made me cringe, but you can't pretend that history did not happen the way it did.

I for one do not know why this series does not have half a million (or more) rating each. It is just that good (and in case anyone was wondering this is the third installment.

[SueKich · Rating 4 out of 5]

1940s New York brought to life. And death.

This is the third instalment of Ray Celestin’s very readable City Blues Quartet and it can be read as a stand-alone novel. The setting is a vivid New York just after the end of the Second World War and I enjoyed the author’s ability to evoke the spirit of the city: “That feeling there’s always something going on, that you’re living somewhere big. How the city’s big and it makes you feel big. How everyone walks fast and talks fast. How every cab driver and bellboy and kid running an elevator’s got an angle, a story to tell. How when a train leaves Grand Central the sidewalk on Park Avenue shakes. How when the wind blows west the smoke drifts over Jersey and it makes the sunsets red. How you can tell how the Yankees did just by looking on the faces of the old-timers catching the Eighth Avenue Line back from the game. How when it’s foggy the skyscrapers disappear and all you can see are the windows glowing in the sky. How when they fill the swimming pools at the start of summer all the neighbourhood kids run to the parks, like they know, like there’s a siren only they can hear.”

However, New York is perhaps the most fully rounded character in The Mobster’s Lament; Ida Davis and Michael Talbot seem to have lost their sparkle and the entwining of Louis Armstrong and the jazz story – so cleverly handled in The Axeman’s Jazz – seemed here to fizzle out. There is also much treading of water and far too much extraneous detail. The plot itself is a predictable mix of a grisly multiple murder, nefarious wartime activities, political corruption and sexual secrets stretched out to, in my view, unnecessary lengths. (Something that I now call The Reader’s Lament.) Half as long and this would have been twice as good. I did very much like the fact though that such a hard-boiled novel should be dedicated to seven of Ray Celestin’s aunties: Georgia, Maria, Marina, Panayiota, Sofia, Voula and Marie. What a very thoughtful nephew they have!

3.5*

[Γιώτα Παπαδημακοπούλου · Rating 5 out of 5]

Έπειτα από μια μεγάλη αναποδιά που οδήγησε σε μεγάλη εκδοτική καθυστέρηση, το τρίτο μέρος των Μπλε Κουαρτέτων των Πόλεων βρίσκεται επιτέλους στα χέρια μας, με την υπογραφή, φυσικά, του αγαπημένου της καρδιάς μας, πλέον, Ray Celestin, που όχι απλά ήρθε για να μείνει, μα και για ν' αφήσει το ολόδικό του στίγμα στον χώρο της αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας. Ένα στίγμα ποτισμένο με το άρωμα και την γοητεία μιας άλλης εποχής. Μιας εποχής που ήταν βουτηγμένη στην παρανομία και στο έγκλημα, μιας εποχής που όλα άλλαζαν με ιλιγγιώδεις ρυθμούς, μα και μιας εποχής που όσο έτρεχες να προλάβεις τις εξελίξεις τις, τόσο μπορούσες να χαθείς μέσα στα δαιδαλώδη μονοπάτια που αυτές σε οδηγούσαν. Μιας εποχής που δεν ήρθε και πέρασε απλά, ως μια άλλη μόδα, αλλά που συντηρήθηκε για δεκαετίες ολόκληρες και που διήρκεσε τόσο όσο χρειάστηκε προκειμένου να αλλάξει και να διαμορφωθεί μια ολόκληρη χώρα σε αυτό που είναι σήμερα.

Μετά τη Νέα Ορλεάνη του 1919 και το Σικάγο του 1928, λοιπόν, ο Ray Celestin μάς ταξιδεύει στη Νέα Υόρκη του 1947. Μια Νέα Υόρκη τόσο ζωντανή όσο τη γνωρίζουμε σήμερα, μα πολύ διαφορετική στον πυρήνα της, με τους δικούς της νόμους και κανόνες, που τις περισσότερες φορές γεννιόντουσαν στα πιο σκοτεινά της άδυτα. Μιας Νέα Υόρκης που υπάρχει και κινείται στους ρυθμούς μιας Αμερικής που παλεύει να συνέλθει από τον Β' Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο και τα αποτελέσματα που αυτός επέφερε, μα και που αγωνίζεται να επιβιώσει ανάμεσα σε ένα πολιτικό σύστημα που βρίθει από βρόμικους και διεφθαρμένους πολιτικούς που δεν κοιτάζουν τίποτα άλλο παρά το συμφέρον τους, και στην Ιταλική Μαφία που κυριαρχεί στους δρόμους και στις νύχτες της πόλης, υπηρετώντας τα δικά της συμφέροντα μα και ακολουθώντας τους δικούς της κώδικες. Ωστόσο, ένα πράγμα παραμένει αναλλοίωτο μέσα στον χρόνο και αυτό δεν είναι άλλο από την τζαζ.

Ίσως το πιο δυνατό στοιχείο του Celestin να είναι η ικανότητά του να δημιουργεί ολοκληρωμένη, άκρως δομημένη και εντελώς άρτια πρόζα, χωρίς, ωστόσο, αυτή να στερείται συναισθήματος ή να είναι "στεγνή" σε οποιοδήποτε επίπεδο. Πολλές φορές, στην προσπάθειά τους η πρόζα τους να έχεις ύφος και χαρακτήρα, οι συγγραφείς παρασύρονται με αποτέλεσμα να χρησιμοποιούν μια γλώσσα κάπως αυστηρή και ξύλινη, αλλά αυτό δεν είναι κάτι που συμβαίνει στην προκειμένη περίπτωση και πολύ χαίρομαι γι' αυτό. Αντίθετα, ο συγγραφέας, δημιουργεί μια ιστορία που διαθέτει ένταση σε κάθε της πρόταση, είναι γεμάτη ανατροπές και εκπλήξεις που την κορυφώνουν ακόμα περισσότερο, δεν διστάζει ν' ακολουθήσει δαιδαλώδεις διαδρομές και να περιπλέξει τη ροή των γεγονότων, παραμένοντας, όμως, την ίδια στιγμή ακριβής και ξεκάθαρος, τόσο όσον αφορά την δόμηση και ανάπτυξη της πλοκής, όσο και ως προς το αφηγηματικό σκέλος αυτής.

Ένα άλλο στοιχείο που ξεχωρίζει τον Celestin, είναι το ότι παρά που φαίνεται να επικεντρώνεται βαθιά στις ιστορίες του και να τις αναλύει πολυεπίπεδα, αναλύοντας τον πυρήνα τους και διαχωρίζοντάς τον σε πολύ μικρότερα κομμάτια, με το καθένα απ' αυτά να έχει τη δική του σημαντικότητα στη δομή του παζλ που στο τέλος μάς δίνει τις όποιες απαντήσεις χρειαζόμαστε για να καταλήξουμε σε ένα τελικό συμπέρασμα ή σε μια ολοκληρωμένη εικόνα, αυτό δεν σημαίνει πως αφήνει τους χαρακτήρες του στη μοίρα τους. Αντίθετα, τους αναλύει εξίσου, κάτι που τους καθιστά πολυδιάστατους, μα και εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέροντες. Πόσο μάλλον όταν οι χαρακτήρες αυτοί έχουν τις ρίζες τους σε έναν κοινό πυρήνα ύπαρξης, μα συνάμα προέρχονται από διαφορετικούς ή έστω αντικρουόμενους κόσμους -ή, ίσως, όχι και τόσο αντικρουόμενους, αλλά υπαγόμενους σε διαφορετικούς κυρίαρχους άξονες.

Έχουμε να κάνουμε, λοιπόν, με άλλη μια γκανγκστερική ιστορία, ειπωμένη με τον μοναδικό και άκρως χαρακτηριστικό τρόπο του Celestin, που τον έχει κάνει να ξεχωρίσει την καρδιά μας, μα και στην αναγνωστική μας συνείδηση. "Ο θρήνος του γκάνγκστερ" είναι ένα ακόμα δυσοίωνο και σκοτεινό μυθιστόρημα, απόλυτα συναρπαστικό, αναμφίβολα καθηλωτικό και εξαιρετικό τόσο ως προς το χτίσιμο της πλοκής του, όσο και ως προς την εξιστόρηση των γεγονότων του. Γεγονότα γεμάτα πάθη, ίντριγκες, αγώνα για εξουσία και κυριαρχία, προδοσίες, διαφθορά, βία και αίμα. Και μπορεί να μην αισθανόμαστε πάντα άνετα με αυτά που διαβάζουμε, αλλά εκεί βρίσκεται η μαγεία των βιβλίων αυτών. Εκεί που μας κάνουν να αισθανόμαστε άβολα -άλλος λιγότερο, άλλος περισσότερο-, εκεί είναι που δεν μας επιτρέπουν να τα αφήσουμε από τα χέρια μας, ρουφώντας κάθε λεπτομέρειά τους άγρια και αχόρταγα. Ένα μυθιστόρημα που μας ταξιδεύει με αφηγηματικό ρεαλισμό και μοναδική παραστατικότητα σε μια άλλη εποχή, επικίνδυνη και γοητευτική συνάμα, το οποίο δεν πρέπει να χάσετε.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cracker of a historical crime novel. Immensely looking forward to the rest of the series!

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful,brutal,tightly plotted,makes you breath New York,great characters and prose that sings.A perfect,perfect book.
I can't praise this quartet enough.

[_book_topia_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fab read from Ray Celestin

I read The Axeman’s Jazz initially because of my obsession with New Orleans, and was so happy the book was as good as it was. Next came Dead Man’s Blues which took me to Capone’s Chicago and yet another twist and turn investigation with Ida Young and Michael Talbot.

Now we’re in New York, post war and it’s Frank Costello’s turn under the spotlight. Ida and Michael are back together for another crime story that does not disappoint.

These books are one of a few I always recommend to people. So you there, yes you reading my review, do yourself a favour and read it, go on off you go, my words don’t do thee books justice at all!

[Michael Savill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Annoying

[Pirate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb thriller. The author probably would not forgive this remark but this is New York brought to life as Ellroy at his best years ago created the atmosphere of LA in the same era. Fascinating backdrop covering the Mob -- how J Edgar Hoover for reasons best known to himself focused on solely fighting communism -- and the intriguing character that was Frank Costello..the 'reluctant' boss of bosses. There is also a cracking under card with a struggling Louis Armstrong trying to reinvent himself as bebop takes over and the big band era declines. Gabriel his principal character is very well drawn as are the private detectives Michael and Ida. Draws in too the battle within Hollywood of denouncing communists with Ronald Reagan featuring prominently -- the author highlights in his notes how Reagan lied to a Federal Grand Jury committing a Federal crime which would have been a game changer in US politics had he been exposed for doing so. The story zings along at a rattling good pace well written engrossing and a cracking -- literally -- finale to the main thread of the story. Will go back and read the previous two in the series plus the best news of all there is a fourth to come to round off the quartet. Chapeau Seigneur Celestin!!!

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think Celestin has worn out his welcome with me. I love history and have no problem with historical fiction, but I don't think historical crime-fiction is my jam. Dare I say it, this book has the same feel (and plot theme) as the first two, just transported to a different era. As previously, fact and fiction meld and interplay, the latter taking precedence over the former. Overload of period details, which muddy the flow significantly and detract from what might have been an intriguing tale. The writing is wonderful, no doubt about it, but I get the impression Celestin is out to impress readers with his research to cover for his lack of inventive plot ideas. This third installment is the weakest yet, and leaves me almost totally disinclined to read the fourth when it is published. Recommended for completist-types and historical fiction aficionados, not so much for crime and mystery buffs, mavens, enthusiasts, or admirers.

[Kathryn_w_221185 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book in this great series. If you loved the others you will love this.

Set this time in post war New York in the 1940's, where the gangsters rule, drugs are rife and jazz is not quite king anymore. Ida Young arrives in town to help her old friend and mentor Michael Talbot whose son Tom is looking at the electric chair having been charged with four murders.

On the other side is Gabriel, a fixer for the mob but lives the dream of wanting to escape to live a new life with his niece Sarah. When his boss Frank Costello asks him to look for two million dollars that has gone missing it looks like Gabriel might not get to live out his dream after all.

Oh and to top it off there is a serial killer on the loose.

A gripping mystery full of back stabbings, family love, corruption and the 'real side of New York.'

Great third instalment.

[Athina Petromichelaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

A random birthday present, all the more joy in an unexpectedly great book.
I hadn't heard of Ray Celestin and his City Blues Quartet, hadn't met Ida and Michael. Well, pleased to meet you I guess and to be introduced to this dark post war New York tale.
Atmospheric read, an almost cinematographic immersion to the word of gangs of NY, the Copa, the jazz scene and all. Characters well written (even for those of us who hadn't read the previous installments), multilayered, complex.
Fast paced, full of conspiracies and twists, mixing love and revenge to a happy ending.
And I know what my next book purchases will be😉

[Trevor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been on my ‘to read’ pile for longer than it should. It is, however, a whopper and comes in at 550 pages and my hardback edition weighs 870g. Set that aside, this is third book in Ray Celestin’s fabulous series that mixes fiction with telling the story of the American mob over a number of decades. This book is set in New York in 1947 and Michael Talbot’s son is charged with murder. Michael calls on his friend Ida Young for help and thereby reassembles the very formidable team of private investigators that took on the mob in the first two books.
The reach of the mob is astonishing – every area of business is run by one or more of the mob families that dominate New York; be it the docks, the media, the police, politicians, entertainers, the judiciary or the clubs, drugs and guns. In short, there is almost no one you can trust, and everyone is looking over their shoulder.
Ray Celestin is clearly a jazz fan, for not only is Louis Armstrong back, but Dizzy Gillespie gets a look in as does Charlie Parker and also Jack the Dripper (artist Jackson Pollock) and Ronald Reagan. It’s also the age of HUAC – the House Unamerican Activities Committee, which spent its time seeking ‘reds under the bed’. The CIA was formed in 1947 as was the UN and the Marshall Plan launched.
History and context aside, this is another wonderful book. Michael and Ida are really up against it with this case. Running alongside their investigation is nightclub manager Gabriel who wants to get away from the mob, a murderer is on the loose, blackmail and corruption is everywhere. Oh, and New York is heading into the worst winter storm for many a year.
Gripping stuff – start at the first book, but read this series.

[Alberto Illán Oviedo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tercer libro que Ray Celestin y tercer libro que disfruto intensamente. Celestin teje relato magnífico, mezclando hechos y personas reales con personajes y situaciones que surgen de su creatividad, hasta lograr una historia perfecta, donde por tercera vez, la ciudad, en este caso Nueva York, y el Jazz, en este caso la transición de las grandes bandas a los grupos menos numerosos de nuevos estilos, como el bebop, forman parte esencial del conjunto. Si bien, no es una novela histórica, ni pretende serlo (en el epílogo explica qué hechos históricos ha manipulado para dar contexto y sentido a la historia), sí que puede dar pie a una curiosidad más intensa por un fenómeno tan visual y cinematográfico como la mafia y los mafiosos. En definitiva, una placer poder leer a Celestin.

[Selina Öberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stark fyra. Det är en fröjd att läsa Ray Celestin. Så mycket historiska detaljer att man verkligen färdas i tid och rum när man läser. Enda invändningen är att boken var något lång för att hålla mitt intresse uppe på varje sida.

[Maja Åström · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s an old song by now, but god I love these books.

[grazia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Every time I finish one of Celestin's books I need to let everything I read sink in for a while because boy he knows how to set a scene. His talent of creating the atmosphere in a way that literally makes you feel like you're right there with the characters is unmatched. I love crime stories but they always leave my brain blank after I finish reading because there's so much information to process but once again, I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I was very positively surprised by how GOOD this book got the second half as I found some passages in the beginning to be a bit lengthy and not that gripping (100% excused though, I pretty much finished the last 300 pages in one sitting). Part of this was also because I didn't fully like Gabriel at first or at least I didn't develop a certain attachment to his character while reading, he was simply just there for me. But that quickly changed in the second half of the book. I love how his characters develop over time.
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Let me tell you, I almost cried my eyes out and was ready to write an upset review when I thought he and Sarah died. I was never happier about a good ending. Same thing with Michael and Tom. Thank you from the bottom of my heart (not exaggerating).

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent installment in this underrated series! The Mobster's Lament takes us to the post WW2 era of New York. It's gritty and corrupt and as winter looms closer there is a shadow of gloom hanging over the city. Ida returns to meet Michael and the pair team up once again. This time there is a lot more at stake as they race against the clock to free Michael's son from a multiple murder charge and find themselves caught up in a mess of organised crime and Mobsters. Enter Gabriel Leveson, Costello's mob fixer who is racing against time to get himself and his niece out of town when he gets landed with the hardest job he's ever had - locate 2 million in lost mob money. The stories intertwine and time hangs on their every move. In fitting with the timeline, Celestin's prose is fast paced and accelerating and you really are fully immersed into the very sinister underbelly of the 1940's Mob era in New York. If you loved his first two novels in the City Blues Quartet then you will enjoy this and I highly recommend picking it up.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ray Celestin's historical fiction series continues to entertain and enthral. If you want actual dates and actions lined up steer clear, because Celestin is far more interested in rewriting history to enhance his own stories; and I'm all for it. Celestin's style of mostly personable writing, mixed with flourishes of vivid detail, makes this an easy read despite its length. Like the first two novels in the series, there are a couple of sequences of brilliant tension building and execution, with a chase in a blizzard being a particular highlight.

I've loved seeing the journey Michael and Ida have taken in the series and I'm really looking forward to moving forward into the 60's and over to LA, and seeing how an older Ida fits in to a drastically different time in America.

[Sadibebooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quel génie cet auteur! Retracé des faits historiques concernant la mafia italo-américaine pour en faire un roman thriller d'une grande ampleur. Lisez ses deux autres premiers romans avant d'attaquer celui-ci vous n'allez pas être déçus!!! (Carnaval et Mascarade)

[Carolin Kopplin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the first two volumes of the quartet but still entertaining enough, and well researched.

[Andy Weston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third in Celestin's City Blues Quartet, which is set across the middle 50 years of the century with the respective histories of jazz and organised crime very much at its heart.
By now it is clear what Celestin does well, after all it takes a lot to get me to read anything more than 300 pages. His city panoramas are enticing, previously New Orleans and Chicago, and now New York, from its tenements to its luxury hotels, its ‘bebop’ clubs to the wharves of the Brooklyn waterfront.
He also has a blend of fact and fiction that works. The historical content is accurate and extremely readable, set as it is, at a time when organised crime, the Mafia, is at the height of its power.
The highly plausible plot is structured around a psychotic killer who even the Mafia are concerned about.
The cast of characters, from the back sex workers and a black population inundated by a tidal wave of drugs brought in by the Mafia to the reluctant Mafia boss Costello, are convincing and authentic.
As strong as any of the characters though is New York itself, riddled with massive and endemic corruption, racism, casual violence and organised crime.
A skill to Celestin's pen is that he doesn't glamourise the era and its people, rather it is his often deeply unflattering descriptions that stand out.

[Megs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was perhaps my least favorite of the series but still a great read.
(review written without spoilers)
Ray Celestin continues this series in a surprising and more personal turn of events, for some characters. However in doing so we seem to lose touch with others that have been a moving force in previous novels. The result is an interesting story moving at a slower pace. Considering the huge increase in pages compared to the previous books, the fact that there are some loose ends at the end of the story is a bit disappointing but Celestin gets away with it due to the writing style that grabs you and pulls you into the time period and city atmosphere of each book; basically while reading you are entertained enough to not realize those loose ends being ignored but after finishing you wonder what happened to certain story points, if they were editted out due to length or just missed having some closure. The best thing is that there are some wonderful new characters introduced which I hope we see more of in the final installment.