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City Blues Quartet #4
Djävulsvind
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 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 never met the victim but her name has been found at the crime scene and the LAPD wants to know why . . .
Meanwhile mob fixer Dante Sanfelippo has put his life savings into purchasing a winery in Napa Valley but first he must do one final favour for the Mob before leaving town: find a bail jumper before the bond money falls due, and time is fast running out.
Ida’s friend, Louis Armstrong, flies into the city just as her investigations uncover mysterious clues to the killer’s identity. And Dante must tread a dangerous path to pay his dues, a path which will throw him headlong into a terrifying conspiracy and a secret that the conspirators will do anything to protect . . .
Completing his American crime quartet, Ray Celestin's Sunset Swing is a stunning novel of conspiracy, murder and madness, an unforgettable portrait of a city on the edge.
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 never met the victim but her name has been found at the crime scene and the LAPD wants to know why . . .
Meanwhile mob fixer Dante Sanfelippo has put his life savings into purchasing a winery in Napa Valley but first he must do one final favour for the Mob before leaving town: find a bail jumper before the bond money falls due, and time is fast running out.
Ida’s friend, Louis Armstrong, flies into the city just as her investigations uncover mysterious clues to the killer’s identity. And Dante must tread a dangerous path to pay his dues, a path which will throw him headlong into a terrifying conspiracy and a secret that the conspirators will do anything to protect . . .
Completing his American crime quartet, Ray Celestin's Sunset Swing is a stunning novel of conspiracy, murder and madness, an unforgettable portrait of a city on the edge.
541 pages, Hardcover
First published November 25, 2021
72 people are currently reading
1301 people want to read
About the author
Ray Celestin
10 books555 followersHello. 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
August 13, 2023
An outstanding book! How has SUNSET SWING been overlooked? It was the winner of both the CWA Gold Dagger and the CWA Historical Dagger in 2022, yet it only has 90 written reviews on Goodreads and I stumbled across it by chance, not as a result of reading a review from one of my Goodreads “friends”, many of whom read the latest thrillers/mysteries before I do. (Which is how I usually discover new books/authors to sample, because many of my Goodreads “friends” get access to new books sooner than I do.) Maybe the problem is that the CWA is a U.K. organization, yet this novel is set in the U.S. It straddles two reading communities, neither of whom has adopted it as one of their own.
The setting for SUNSET SWING is Los Angeles in 1967 and thus this is considered “historical fiction”. This backdrop is especially appealing to me because I lived in Los Angeles from 1959 to 1963. (Alas!—to be so old that my impetuous, daring years are now considered a “historical” period in time.) Many of the locales described are familiar to me—they hadn’t changed that much between 1963 and 1967. (They would be unrecognizable now, but live on in my memories.)
SUNSET SWING begins by following three different POVs:
(1) Ida Young, age 67, is a retired detective, trying to write her memoirs but restless; she is secretly happy to be called to consult on the latest murder scene of the Night-Slayer, a serial killer who is terrorizing the city—he appears to select innocent victims randomly and his killing scenes are chaotic and horrifying.
(2) Kerry Gaudet is in her early twenties, an army nurse whose face and body have been scarred by a traumatic encounter in Vietnam. She is using her week’s R&R leave to search for her young brother who arrived in Los Angeles several months earlier after running away from the group home in Louisiana. She is desperate because the last letter she received from him suggested that he was involved in a dangerous enterprise.
(3) Dante Sanfillipo is a mob “fixer”, looking forward to retiring at a newly acquired vineyard in Napa Valley, unhappy about being summoned by the head of the local mafia for a “last” job—find the mob boss’s son, a bail jumper, who may be dead. If dead, Dante is tasked with finding his body.
Initially, the pursuits of these three characters appear to be unrelated. The only thing in common among the three story lines is that each character listens to Chet Baker singing ‘Alone Together’ on the radio. For readers who know about Baker’s history of heroin abuse, this provides a clue to the direction that overall scenario will take.
While Kerry searches for her brother, Ida analyses the Night-Slayer’s reasoning, and Dante tracks down the boss’s son (or his body), their stories slowly intersect, with suggestions of one big conspiracy. The action occurs midst the mayhem that is occurring during a Santa Ana fuelled fire—very relevant during this summer when wind-fuelled fires are taking place throughout the world.
There is a fourth POV that occurs sparingly, that of Louis Armstrong. I am always hesitant when a ‘real’ person is placed in a fictional context, particularly when the story contains imaginary thoughts and actions of that ‘real’ person. The author handled this fairly well, not steering far from known facts about Armstrong, who plays a very minor role in the plot.
I loved this one because of its historic description of Los Angeles, the interspersing of jazz into the theme, and its portrayal of three strong women—Ida, Kerry, and Dante’s wife Loretta. It includes revelations about the role of sacrosanct U.S. government agencies in drug smuggling, which may have made it unpopular in the U.S. (In his endnotes, the author provides sources to support allegations about members of these sacrosanct agencies and their role in the drug trade.)
This is the final book in Ray Celestin’s City Blues Quartet. I haven’t read the first three novels but this one can be read as a standalone. Hopefully, my library will eventually get ebook copies of the first three instalments. I was lucky to pick up SUNSET SWING in a kindle sale.
The setting for SUNSET SWING is Los Angeles in 1967 and thus this is considered “historical fiction”. This backdrop is especially appealing to me because I lived in Los Angeles from 1959 to 1963. (Alas!—to be so old that my impetuous, daring years are now considered a “historical” period in time.) Many of the locales described are familiar to me—they hadn’t changed that much between 1963 and 1967. (They would be unrecognizable now, but live on in my memories.)
SUNSET SWING begins by following three different POVs:
(1) Ida Young, age 67, is a retired detective, trying to write her memoirs but restless; she is secretly happy to be called to consult on the latest murder scene of the Night-Slayer, a serial killer who is terrorizing the city—he appears to select innocent victims randomly and his killing scenes are chaotic and horrifying.
(2) Kerry Gaudet is in her early twenties, an army nurse whose face and body have been scarred by a traumatic encounter in Vietnam. She is using her week’s R&R leave to search for her young brother who arrived in Los Angeles several months earlier after running away from the group home in Louisiana. She is desperate because the last letter she received from him suggested that he was involved in a dangerous enterprise.
(3) Dante Sanfillipo is a mob “fixer”, looking forward to retiring at a newly acquired vineyard in Napa Valley, unhappy about being summoned by the head of the local mafia for a “last” job—find the mob boss’s son, a bail jumper, who may be dead. If dead, Dante is tasked with finding his body.
Initially, the pursuits of these three characters appear to be unrelated. The only thing in common among the three story lines is that each character listens to Chet Baker singing ‘Alone Together’ on the radio. For readers who know about Baker’s history of heroin abuse, this provides a clue to the direction that overall scenario will take.
While Kerry searches for her brother, Ida analyses the Night-Slayer’s reasoning, and Dante tracks down the boss’s son (or his body), their stories slowly intersect, with suggestions of one big conspiracy. The action occurs midst the mayhem that is occurring during a Santa Ana fuelled fire—very relevant during this summer when wind-fuelled fires are taking place throughout the world.
There is a fourth POV that occurs sparingly, that of Louis Armstrong. I am always hesitant when a ‘real’ person is placed in a fictional context, particularly when the story contains imaginary thoughts and actions of that ‘real’ person. The author handled this fairly well, not steering far from known facts about Armstrong, who plays a very minor role in the plot.
I loved this one because of its historic description of Los Angeles, the interspersing of jazz into the theme, and its portrayal of three strong women—Ida, Kerry, and Dante’s wife Loretta. It includes revelations about the role of sacrosanct U.S. government agencies in drug smuggling, which may have made it unpopular in the U.S. (In his endnotes, the author provides sources to support allegations about members of these sacrosanct agencies and their role in the drug trade.)
This is the final book in Ray Celestin’s City Blues Quartet. I haven’t read the first three novels but this one can be read as a standalone. Hopefully, my library will eventually get ebook copies of the first three instalments. I was lucky to pick up SUNSET SWING in a kindle sale.
August 3, 2022
Perfect.
May 18, 2022
Not sure how I missed this coming out last year, but now that I have it is another great addition to this great great series. Not sure why these books are not more popular, they certainly get lots of acclaim and are very well written and if you like jazz, mobsters, action and great characters I cannot recommend it more highly.
November 6, 2025
A fabulous finale to the City Blues series sees private investigator Ida Davies, now in her 60s, coming out of retirement to join Kerry Gaudet, a young Vietnam veteran, in a search for information about Gaudet's missing brother.
The book pulls together a scintillating story based on a true-life conspiracy about how the mob and the CIA worked together testing the impact of LSD and other drugs on vulnerable offenders to potentially control their minds. Ida and Kerry have their work cut out for them. It's difficult to differentiate between the good and the bad guys and a wrong decision at any time could be fatal for either of them.
Meanwhile, Dante Sanfelippo, former fixer for the mob, is also in trouble. He might feel he's no longer attached to the outfit but that's not how they see it and for him to reach a peaceful retirement, he will need to tread carefully when the Boss asks him to find his son who seems to have run away with mob money.
As both cases start to coincide, Ida and Dante come face to face with past and new adversaries and there is tension on practically every page. So many enemies and so little time to get things right. This is a wonderfully detailed and complex plot which moves along rapidly to a heart stopping climax in a dangerous 1960s/70s Los Angeles setting.
This is a riveting read with strong characters and a frighteningly real and violent plot. A marvellous finish to a superb series.
The book pulls together a scintillating story based on a true-life conspiracy about how the mob and the CIA worked together testing the impact of LSD and other drugs on vulnerable offenders to potentially control their minds. Ida and Kerry have their work cut out for them. It's difficult to differentiate between the good and the bad guys and a wrong decision at any time could be fatal for either of them.
Meanwhile, Dante Sanfelippo, former fixer for the mob, is also in trouble. He might feel he's no longer attached to the outfit but that's not how they see it and for him to reach a peaceful retirement, he will need to tread carefully when the Boss asks him to find his son who seems to have run away with mob money.
As both cases start to coincide, Ida and Dante come face to face with past and new adversaries and there is tension on practically every page. So many enemies and so little time to get things right. This is a wonderfully detailed and complex plot which moves along rapidly to a heart stopping climax in a dangerous 1960s/70s Los Angeles setting.
This is a riveting read with strong characters and a frighteningly real and violent plot. A marvellous finish to a superb series.
September 4, 2022
A satisfying if not spectacular end to the Quadrology. The timing means Michael Talbot, a central character in the first 3 books, doesn't feature here, which leaves a void. The setting of LA in the 60s was also least favourite of the stories, partly due to much of the same ground being covered in greater style by James Ellroy. The Louis Armstrong strand feels even more extraneous than in the previous books too, adding very little to the central plot. All that being said, like the other books, it's a cracking thriller and as a series, definitely a must for those who like epic historical crime thrillers. Look forward to what Celestin decides to write next.
September 20, 2021
It’s here! "Sunset Swing". The fourth and final book in Ray Celestin’s City Blues Quartet. Fans have been waiting, but finally we get the final chapter in Ida and Louis’ journey. It’s a new city, a new time, we’ve got a new song and a new killer (or do we?)
This time we’re in Los Angeles. It’s December 1967 and a young army nurse travels there to find her missing brother. A serial killer is terrorising the city and she fears he is the next victim.
Ida, now 67, has retired from her PI job but is dragged back to work when a young woman is found murdered in her motel room, with Ida’s name in her possessions. Louis Armstrong, flies into the city just as her investigations uncover mysterious clues to the killer's identity.
And so we launch into another gorgeous tale of murder, conspiracy and madness. As usual, the pace is frantic, racing against the clock to find the killer. We meet old friends, catch up with events, mess with The Mob, and also possibly come face to face with old enemies. The various threads of the story are nicely interwoven and as they all come together, the whole series comes into focus.
One of the best things about this series has been the attention to detail – whether it’s 1900’s New Orleans, Chicago 1928, or 1960’s Los Angeles, the author manages to capture the sounds, sights and smells of the period. This is America in the sixties so there’s the Vietnam War, riots, gangsters scrabbling to survive, conspiracies and hippies and sit-ins. Ray Celestin perfectly weaves real-life events into the story, and we get some heart-wrenching scenes with Louis Armstrong that will live in my memory for a long time.
It’s also been lovely to follow Ida, Louis and friends as they age and move through the decades, and this final story perfectly ends their journey. While probably of most interest to fans of the series, this will also appeal to newcomers. Highly recommended. I was lucky to score a NetGalley ARC, but rest assured I’ll be first in the queue when the book hits the shelves.
This time we’re in Los Angeles. It’s December 1967 and a young army nurse travels there to find her missing brother. A serial killer is terrorising the city and she fears he is the next victim.
Ida, now 67, has retired from her PI job but is dragged back to work when a young woman is found murdered in her motel room, with Ida’s name in her possessions. Louis Armstrong, flies into the city just as her investigations uncover mysterious clues to the killer's identity.
And so we launch into another gorgeous tale of murder, conspiracy and madness. As usual, the pace is frantic, racing against the clock to find the killer. We meet old friends, catch up with events, mess with The Mob, and also possibly come face to face with old enemies. The various threads of the story are nicely interwoven and as they all come together, the whole series comes into focus.
One of the best things about this series has been the attention to detail – whether it’s 1900’s New Orleans, Chicago 1928, or 1960’s Los Angeles, the author manages to capture the sounds, sights and smells of the period. This is America in the sixties so there’s the Vietnam War, riots, gangsters scrabbling to survive, conspiracies and hippies and sit-ins. Ray Celestin perfectly weaves real-life events into the story, and we get some heart-wrenching scenes with Louis Armstrong that will live in my memory for a long time.
It’s also been lovely to follow Ida, Louis and friends as they age and move through the decades, and this final story perfectly ends their journey. While probably of most interest to fans of the series, this will also appeal to newcomers. Highly recommended. I was lucky to score a NetGalley ARC, but rest assured I’ll be first in the queue when the book hits the shelves.
November 22, 2021
Visit the locations in Sunset Swing
This is the final installment of the Jazz infused series and I am gutted! This episode was brilliant. The city of Los Angeles is on fire and desperation and fear stalks the streets. We're back in the hearts of old favourites Ida, formerly from the Pinkerton Agency and Louis Armstrong. There's a Santa Ana wind blowing and it brings dirt and danger to this place. People come for the American dream, glitz and glamour but the reality is here - the dark side, the shallow side and the downright dangerous side...
Full review nearer the time but this is a corker of a read. Detailed and complex investigation with jazz infused pages, and the heat of the case and the weather coming off the page. Just brilliant.
FULL REVIEW HERE AND HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
THIS IS ONE FANTASTIC BOOK AND SERIES
November 4, 2022
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Η στιγμή της ολοκλήρωσης της τετραλογίας "City Blues Quartet" έφτασε! Δεδομένου ότι πρόκειται για μια σειρά που έχω αγαπήσει εξαιρετικά πολύ, νιώθω ενθουσιασμένη με τον τρόπο που ο συγγραφέας επέλεξε να την κλείσει, αλλά από την άλλη μεριά νιώθω και κάπως στεναχωρημένη, γιατί το αναγνωστικό αυτό ταξίδι ήταν πραγματικά ιδιαίτερο και θα μου μείνει αλησμόνητο. Ένα ταξίδι που ξεκίνησε από τη Νέα Ορλεάνη του 1919, μας μετέφερε στο Σικάγο του 1928, στη συνέχεια στη Νέα Υόρκη του 1947, για να τερματίσει στο Λος Άντζελες του 1967. Ένα ταξίδι συναρπαστικό, γεμάτο εικόνες, πρόσωπα -κάποια απ' αυτά πραγματικά-, Ιστορία. Ένα ταξίδι στον χώρο και στον χρόνο, που μπορεί ν' αποτελείται από αυτοτελείς αφηγήσεις, αλλά που στο τέλος αποδεικνύει περίτρανα πως πρόκειται για ένα σύνολο πολύ σφικτά δεμένο, με έναν δικό του, πολύ ξεχωριστό τρόπο, όπως ξεχωριστή ήταν και η ταυτότητά του από το πρώτο κιόλας βιβλίο του.
Το 1967 βρίσκεται στη δύση του κι ένας κατά συρροή δολοφόνος κυκλοφορεί ελεύθερος στο Λος Άντζελες. Η Κέρι, μια νεαρή νοσοκόμα, φτάνει στην πόλη θέλοντας να ανακαλύψει που βρίσκεται ο αδερφός της, ο οποίος έχει εξαφανιστεί χωρίς ν' αφήσει ίχνος ζωής πίσω του. Την ίδια ώρα, η Άιντα, έχοντας φτάσει πλέον την έκτη δεκαετία της ζωής της, έχει αποφασίσει να βγει στη σύνταξη και να πουλήσει το επιτυχημένο πρακτορείο ερευνών της, όμως η ζωή τής τα φέρνει αλλιώς, αφού το όνομά της εντοπίζεται στη σκηνή ενός εγκλήματος, το θύμα του οποίου, μια νεαρή γυναίκα, η Άιντα δεν γνωρίζει ούτε έχει ακούσει ποτέ κάτι για εκείνη. Όπως είναι λογικό, αυτή δεν είναι η κατάλληλη στιγμή για ν' αποσυρθεί από την ενεργό δράση, αλλά για να βοηθήσει την αστυνομία ν' ανακαλύψει τι πραγματικά συμβαίνει. Ο διαμεσολαβητής της Μαφίας, Ντάντε Σανφελίπε, έχει αγοράσει έναν αμπελώνα στη Νάπα Βάλεϊ και βρίσκεται κι αυτός μόλις μια βδομάδα πριν από τη συνταξιοδότησή του, όταν δέχεται κλήση από τον νεοδιορισμένο επικεφαλής της τοπικής μαφίας. Προτού, λοιπόν, εγκαταλείψει την πόλη, πρέπει να βρει έναν άντρα που αποφυλακίστηκε πρόσφατα κι έκτοτε έχουν χαθεί τα ίχνη του, μια έρευνα που θα τον φέρει αντιμέτωπο με μυστικά που θα κάνουν ό,τι μπορούν προκειμένου να παραμείνουν κρυμμένα.
Όπως όλα τα βιβλία της σειράς, έτσι και το "Φονικό σουίνγκ", διαθέτει μια πολυεπίπεδη πλοκή και μια πολυδιάστατη απεικόνιση της πραγματικότητας και των ανθρώπων που ενεργούν σε αυτή. Μια πλοκή συναρπαστική, όπου όλες οι εξελίξεις "τρέχουν" παράλληλα, με τους ήρωές μας να λαμβάνουν μέρος σε έναν αγώνα δρόμου, ο καθένας χωριστά αλλά όλοι τους με μια γραμμή τερματισμού, έστω κι αν δεν το γνωρίζουν. Και μπορεί αυτή να είναι περίπλοκη, ίσως και δαιδαλώδης σε ορισμένα σημεία, όμως ο Celestin έχει αποδείξει πολλάκις πως ξέρει πολύ καλά πως να διατηρεί τις ισορροπίες, χτίζοντας τη δομή της κάθε ιστορίας του με τέτοιον τρόπο, ώστε ακόμα κι αυτά που νομίζουμε πως δεν έχουν θέση σε αυτή, τελικά να μπαίνουν και να ταιριάζουν ακριβώς εκεί που πρέπει, με την εικόνα του παζλ να ολοκληρώνεται μπροστά στα μάτια μας με τρόπο μαγικό, και τότε όλα μοιάζουν λογικά, όλα εξηγούνται και κανένα ερώτημα δεν μένει αναπάντητο.
Ένα ακόμα στοιχείο που κάνει τόσο τον συγγραφέα όσο τις ιστορίες του να ξεχωρίζουν, είναι η μοναδική του ικανότητα ν' αξιοποιεί στον απόλυτο βαθμό τον χώρο όπου επιλέγει να τοποθετήσει τη δράση της κάθε ιστορίας του, που στην προκειμένη περίπτωση είναι και μια διαφορετική πόλη κάθε φορά, που δεν αποτελεί απλά ένα σκηνικό, αλλά έναν ζωντανό οργανισμό, έναν άτυπο συμπρωταγωνιστή, που ζει, αναπνέει, έχει καρδιά που πάλλεται. Αυτή τη φορά, συμπρωταγωνιστής είναι το Λος Άντζελες, που φαινομενικά είναι λαμπερό, γεμάτο προοπτικές, μια πόλη που ο καθένας επισκέπτεται γιατί έχει έναν πολύ προσωπικό σκοπό, είναι η Πόλη των Αγγέλων, όμως την ίδια στιγμή είναι μια πόλη γεμάτη αντιθέσεις, που βαθιά στον πυρήνα της βρίσκεται σε αποσύνθεση, κρύβει βίαιες κι αιματηρές πτυχές της, στις οποίες είναι πολύ πιο εύκολο να μπλεχτείς απ' όσο νομίζεις, κι αν αυτό συμβεί, ακόμα πιο δύσκολο να καταφέρεις να ξεφύγεις. Γιατί το σκοτάδι έχει μια μαγικό ικανότητα να σε μαγνητίζει, ακόμα και τις στιγμές εκείνες που σε τρομοκρατεί και σου παγώνει το αίμα, μα και μια μοναδική ευκαιρία να σε καταπίνει χωρίς καν να το καταλαβαίνεις.
Μαζί με την Άιντα και τον Ντάντε επιστρέφει και ο αγαπημένος Λούις Άρμστρονγκ, με την ανάπτυξη όλων των χαρακτήρων να βρίσκεται σε πλήρη εξέλιξη, έτσι ο καθένας χωριστά και όλοι μαζί συλλογικά, να ολοκληρώσουν τον κύκλο του, όχι μόνο σε επαγγελματικό επίπεδο, αλλά κυρίως σε προσωπικό, σε όλες τις προεκτάσεις και τις διαστάσεις αυτού. Οι τρεις κεντρικοί χαρακτήρες φέρουν ολοφάνερα τα σημάδια της ηλικίας τους, με αυτά να είναι λίγο πιο έντονα στον Λούις, κυρίως λόγω του τρόπου ζωής του, με τα πορτρέτα της προσωπικότητας, των επιλογών και της ζωής τους ν' αποτυπώνεται με ρεαλισμό και αλήθεια, όπως πάντα. Κι ενώ αυτή η ολοκλήρωση έχει μια γλυκόπικρη γεύση, για πολλούς και διαφορετικούς λόγους, στο τέλος αυτό που μας μένει δεν είναι το συναίσθημα της θλίψης, μα κάτι πιο θετικό, πιο φωτεινό, πιο αισιόδοξο, γιατί ακόμα και μέσα απ' τα βαθύτερα σκοτάδια, μπορεί ν' αναδειχθεί εκείνο το ένα θετικό στοιχείο, που θα σε κάνει να εστιάσεις τελικά εκεί που πραγματικά πρέπει και σε αυτό που πραγματικά αξίζει.
Νέα δεκαετία, νέα πόλη, νέο τραγούδι και νέος κατά συρροή δολοφόνος -ή μήπως, όχι; Ωστόσο, και παρά τις αλλαγές των οποίων γινόμαστε μάρτυρες, υπάρχουν ορισμένα πράγματα που δεν αλλάζουν, με βασικότερο όλων την αποτύπωση της λαογραφίας και της κουλτούρα του σκηνικού του μυθιστορήματος, τόσο σε ό,τι αφορά την πόλη, όπου κάθε λεπτομέρειά της αποτυπώνεται με ρεαλισμό και παραστατικότητα, όσο και σε ό,τι σχετίζεται με τους ανθρώπους της. Οι σκελετοί συνεχίζουν να υπάρχουν, και όχι μόνο στη ντουλάπα μας, και τα φολκλορικά νήματα κινούν την αφήγηση, τους χαρακτήρες μας, που ωριμάζουν και αλλάζουν με το πέρασμα των χρόνων φτάνοντας στην ολοκλήρωσή τους, αλλά και τη δράση αυτών. Ο Celestin ρίχνει με εξαιρετικό τρόπο την αυλαία της τετραλογίας του, καταφέρνοντας να συνδέσει όλες του τις αφηγήσεις με πολύ οργανικό τρόπο, έτσι όπως ακριβώς καταφέρνει σε κάθε του βιβλίο να συνδυάζει τόσες πολλές διαφορετικές πτυχές αυτής, οδηγώντας τες σε μια τερματική γραμμή που σε αφήνει με το στόμα ανοιχτό. Αν μη τι άλλο, αυτό το σύμπαν θα μου λείψει και σίγουρα αναμένω τα επόμενα βήματα του συγγραφέα.
https://www.culture21century.gr/2022/...
Η στιγμή της ολοκλήρωσης της τετραλογίας "City Blues Quartet" έφτασε! Δεδομένου ότι πρόκειται για μια σειρά που έχω αγαπήσει εξαιρετικά πολύ, νιώθω ενθουσιασμένη με τον τρόπο που ο συγγραφέας επέλεξε να την κλείσει, αλλά από την άλλη μεριά νιώθω και κάπως στεναχωρημένη, γιατί το αναγνωστικό αυτό ταξίδι ήταν πραγματικά ιδιαίτερο και θα μου μείνει αλησμόνητο. Ένα ταξίδι που ξεκίνησε από τη Νέα Ορλεάνη του 1919, μας μετέφερε στο Σικάγο του 1928, στη συνέχεια στη Νέα Υόρκη του 1947, για να τερματίσει στο Λος Άντζελες του 1967. Ένα ταξίδι συναρπαστικό, γεμάτο εικόνες, πρόσωπα -κάποια απ' αυτά πραγματικά-, Ιστορία. Ένα ταξίδι στον χώρο και στον χρόνο, που μπορεί ν' αποτελείται από αυτοτελείς αφηγήσεις, αλλά που στο τέλος αποδεικνύει περίτρανα πως πρόκειται για ένα σύνολο πολύ σφικτά δεμένο, με έναν δικό του, πολύ ξεχωριστό τρόπο, όπως ξεχωριστή ήταν και η ταυτότητά του από το πρώτο κιόλας βιβλίο του.
Το 1967 βρίσκεται στη δύση του κι ένας κατά συρροή δολοφόνος κυκλοφορεί ελεύθερος στο Λος Άντζελες. Η Κέρι, μια νεαρή νοσοκόμα, φτάνει στην πόλη θέλοντας να ανακαλύψει που βρίσκεται ο αδερφός της, ο οποίος έχει εξαφανιστεί χωρίς ν' αφήσει ίχνος ζωής πίσω του. Την ίδια ώρα, η Άιντα, έχοντας φτάσει πλέον την έκτη δεκαετία της ζωής της, έχει αποφασίσει να βγει στη σύνταξη και να πουλήσει το επιτυχημένο πρακτορείο ερευνών της, όμως η ζωή τής τα φέρνει αλλιώς, αφού το όνομά της εντοπίζεται στη σκηνή ενός εγκλήματος, το θύμα του οποίου, μια νεαρή γυναίκα, η Άιντα δεν γνωρίζει ούτε έχει ακούσει ποτέ κάτι για εκείνη. Όπως είναι λογικό, αυτή δεν είναι η κατάλληλη στιγμή για ν' αποσυρθεί από την ενεργό δράση, αλλά για να βοηθήσει την αστυνομία ν' ανακαλύψει τι πραγματικά συμβαίνει. Ο διαμεσολαβητής της Μαφίας, Ντάντε Σανφελίπε, έχει αγοράσει έναν αμπελώνα στη Νάπα Βάλεϊ και βρίσκεται κι αυτός μόλις μια βδομάδα πριν από τη συνταξιοδότησή του, όταν δέχεται κλήση από τον νεοδιορισμένο επικεφαλής της τοπικής μαφίας. Προτού, λοιπόν, εγκαταλείψει την πόλη, πρέπει να βρει έναν άντρα που αποφυλακίστηκε πρόσφατα κι έκτοτε έχουν χαθεί τα ίχνη του, μια έρευνα που θα τον φέρει αντιμέτωπο με μυστικά που θα κάνουν ό,τι μπορούν προκειμένου να παραμείνουν κρυμμένα.
Όπως όλα τα βιβλία της σειράς, έτσι και το "Φονικό σουίνγκ", διαθέτει μια πολυεπίπεδη πλοκή και μια πολυδιάστατη απεικόνιση της πραγματικότητας και των ανθρώπων που ενεργούν σε αυτή. Μια πλοκή συναρπαστική, όπου όλες οι εξελίξεις "τρέχουν" παράλληλα, με τους ήρωές μας να λαμβάνουν μέρος σε έναν αγώνα δρόμου, ο καθένας χωριστά αλλά όλοι τους με μια γραμμή τερματισμού, έστω κι αν δεν το γνωρίζουν. Και μπορεί αυτή να είναι περίπλοκη, ίσως και δαιδαλώδης σε ορισμένα σημεία, όμως ο Celestin έχει αποδείξει πολλάκις πως ξέρει πολύ καλά πως να διατηρεί τις ισορροπίες, χτίζοντας τη δομή της κάθε ιστορίας του με τέτοιον τρόπο, ώστε ακόμα κι αυτά που νομίζουμε πως δεν έχουν θέση σε αυτή, τελικά να μπαίνουν και να ταιριάζουν ακριβώς εκεί που πρέπει, με την εικόνα του παζλ να ολοκληρώνεται μπροστά στα μάτια μας με τρόπο μαγικό, και τότε όλα μοιάζουν λογικά, όλα εξηγούνται και κανένα ερώτημα δεν μένει αναπάντητο.
Ένα ακόμα στοιχείο που κάνει τόσο τον συγγραφέα όσο τις ιστορίες του να ξεχωρίζουν, είναι η μοναδική του ικανότητα ν' αξιοποιεί στον απόλυτο βαθμό τον χώρο όπου επιλέγει να τοποθετήσει τη δράση της κάθε ιστορίας του, που στην προκειμένη περίπτωση είναι και μια διαφορετική πόλη κάθε φορά, που δεν αποτελεί απλά ένα σκηνικό, αλλά έναν ζωντανό οργανισμό, έναν άτυπο συμπρωταγωνιστή, που ζει, αναπνέει, έχει καρδιά που πάλλεται. Αυτή τη φορά, συμπρωταγωνιστής είναι το Λος Άντζελες, που φαινομενικά είναι λαμπερό, γεμάτο προοπτικές, μια πόλη που ο καθένας επισκέπτεται γιατί έχει έναν πολύ προσωπικό σκοπό, είναι η Πόλη των Αγγέλων, όμως την ίδια στιγμή είναι μια πόλη γεμάτη αντιθέσεις, που βαθιά στον πυρήνα της βρίσκεται σε αποσύνθεση, κρύβει βίαιες κι αιματηρές πτυχές της, στις οποίες είναι πολύ πιο εύκολο να μπλεχτείς απ' όσο νομίζεις, κι αν αυτό συμβεί, ακόμα πιο δύσκολο να καταφέρεις να ξεφύγεις. Γιατί το σκοτάδι έχει μια μαγικό ικανότητα να σε μαγνητίζει, ακόμα και τις στιγμές εκείνες που σε τρομοκρατεί και σου παγώνει το αίμα, μα και μια μοναδική ευκαιρία να σε καταπίνει χωρίς καν να το καταλαβαίνεις.
Μαζί με την Άιντα και τον Ντάντε επιστρέφει και ο αγαπημένος Λούις Άρμστρονγκ, με την ανάπτυξη όλων των χαρακτήρων να βρίσκεται σε πλήρη εξέλιξη, έτσι ο καθένας χωριστά και όλοι μαζί συλλογικά, να ολοκληρώσουν τον κύκλο του, όχι μόνο σε επαγγελματικό επίπεδο, αλλά κυρίως σε προσωπικό, σε όλες τις προεκτάσεις και τις διαστάσεις αυτού. Οι τρεις κεντρικοί χαρακτήρες φέρουν ολοφάνερα τα σημάδια της ηλικίας τους, με αυτά να είναι λίγο πιο έντονα στον Λούις, κυρίως λόγω του τρόπου ζωής του, με τα πορτρέτα της προσωπικότητας, των επιλογών και της ζωής τους ν' αποτυπώνεται με ρεαλισμό και αλήθεια, όπως πάντα. Κι ενώ αυτή η ολοκλήρωση έχει μια γλυκόπικρη γεύση, για πολλούς και διαφορετικούς λόγους, στο τέλος αυτό που μας μένει δεν είναι το συναίσθημα της θλίψης, μα κάτι πιο θετικό, πιο φωτεινό, πιο αισιόδοξο, γιατί ακόμα και μέσα απ' τα βαθύτερα σκοτάδια, μπορεί ν' αναδειχθεί εκείνο το ένα θετικό στοιχείο, που θα σε κάνει να εστιάσεις τελικά εκεί που πραγματικά πρέπει και σε αυτό που πραγματικά αξίζει.
Νέα δεκαετία, νέα πόλη, νέο τραγούδι και νέος κατά συρροή δολοφόνος -ή μήπως, όχι; Ωστόσο, και παρά τις αλλαγές των οποίων γινόμαστε μάρτυρες, υπάρχουν ορισμένα πράγματα που δεν αλλάζουν, με βασικότερο όλων την αποτύπωση της λαογραφίας και της κουλτούρα του σκηνικού του μυθιστορήματος, τόσο σε ό,τι αφορά την πόλη, όπου κάθε λεπτομέρειά της αποτυπώνεται με ρεαλισμό και παραστατικότητα, όσο και σε ό,τι σχετίζεται με τους ανθρώπους της. Οι σκελετοί συνεχίζουν να υπάρχουν, και όχι μόνο στη ντουλάπα μας, και τα φολκλορικά νήματα κινούν την αφήγηση, τους χαρακτήρες μας, που ωριμάζουν και αλλάζουν με το πέρασμα των χρόνων φτάνοντας στην ολοκλήρωσή τους, αλλά και τη δράση αυτών. Ο Celestin ρίχνει με εξαιρετικό τρόπο την αυλαία της τετραλογίας του, καταφέρνοντας να συνδέσει όλες του τις αφηγήσεις με πολύ οργανικό τρόπο, έτσι όπως ακριβώς καταφέρνει σε κάθε του βιβλίο να συνδυάζει τόσες πολλές διαφορετικές πτυχές αυτής, οδηγώντας τες σε μια τερματική γραμμή που σε αφήνει με το στόμα ανοιχτό. Αν μη τι άλλο, αυτό το σύμπαν θα μου λείψει και σίγουρα αναμένω τα επόμενα βήματα του συγγραφέα.
September 21, 2024
Με το Φονικό Σουίνγκ κλείνει η υπέροχη τετραλογία των City Blues.
Μια τετραλογία που περιλαμβάνει ιστορικά στοιχεία, εξαιρετική γραφή, καταπληκτική ατμόσφαιρα, ενδιαφέρουσες υποθέσεις και μοναδικά ωραίους ήρωες!
Συνίσταται ανεπιφύλακτα στους εραστές της αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας!
Μια τετραλογία που περιλαμβάνει ιστορικά στοιχεία, εξαιρετική γραφή, καταπληκτική ατμόσφαιρα, ενδιαφέρουσες υποθέσεις και μοναδικά ωραίους ήρωες!
Συνίσταται ανεπιφύλακτα στους εραστές της αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας!
January 11, 2022
Another wonderfully penned tale with many of the central characters present. There's nothing here that doesn't need to be, the story flows and the writing crisp.
Having said that, it may be a few pages too long, but what do I know!
Having said that, it may be a few pages too long, but what do I know!
November 14, 2023
Cuarto y último libro de esta tetralogía (al menos, que el autor quiera ampliarla y hacer una pentalogía) y sólo puedo decir que es un magnífico relato, intenso, llenos de matices, con personajes complejos, que evolucionan y crecen a lo largo de estos cuatro libros, y que, como en los tres anteriores, respira la ciudad que lo alberga, Los Ángeles. El ambiente decadente de finales de los sesenta se muestra tanto en los protagonistas, como en la mafia contra la que lucha, que tuvo tiempos mejores, lo mismo que el resto de los protagonistas, o que la propia sociedad, que se dirigía a los tumultuosos y decadentes años setenta. La Guerra de Vietnam, a través de uno de los personajes, tiene cabida en la historia, lo mismo que los efectos indeseados de la drogas, la corrupción policial y política, la decadencia de la industria cinematográfica, el jazz (que no falte) dan contexto y sentido a una historia magníficamente trazada y contada. Una delicia.
August 30, 2024
Good up til the half way point. Then it got lost on me. With vodoo stuff and Louisanna myths etc. Could not relate to it at all.
Super convoluted and super farfetched. I wish the author had stayed more true to real facts instead of speeding off into fantasyland.
Very little character development. Did not get under the skin of the characters.
After the half way point I realized that one has to have read the previous books in the series to get the most out of the book and fully understand the plot. Characters were thrown into the mix (Faron etc) that made little sense to me.
I felt the plot was too complex (and too long) overall. It had promise and excitement (especially in the beginning) but all in all I was not enthusiastic about it.
Super convoluted and super farfetched. I wish the author had stayed more true to real facts instead of speeding off into fantasyland.
Very little character development. Did not get under the skin of the characters.
After the half way point I realized that one has to have read the previous books in the series to get the most out of the book and fully understand the plot. Characters were thrown into the mix (Faron etc) that made little sense to me.
I felt the plot was too complex (and too long) overall. It had promise and excitement (especially in the beginning) but all in all I was not enthusiastic about it.
March 26, 2023
Finalizada. Edición digital. Con esta novela he tenido un problema. Es la cuarta, y posiblemente última, de una saga. Ha habido comportamientos y relaciones entre los personajes que no termino de comprender. Por los demás es una novela muy bien escrita y muy entretenida. Tiene el añadido del jazz, punto a favor. Nota 3,5/5. FIN.
May 28, 2023
What a wonderful world. The words of Louis Armstrong. Yes, a wonderful world it is. And this story is one with not only this Armstrong music but also a lot of suspense, all set in California. With the Los Angelos Police Department, the Central Intelligence Agency and also the narcotics brigade. And three people: Ida, Dante and Kerry. In the background Louis. Truly worthwhile reading. Wonderful.
December 29, 2021
This is the final instalment of Ray Celestin’s City Blues Quarter. However it is my first Celestin book and I picked up and followed the story without having read any of the previous books (although admittedly I may have missed some of the references).
The book is a very clever interconnection of 4 different stories focussing on 4 different key characters - Ida (a retired agent), Kerry (a nurse in Vietnam), Dante (a mob fixer) and “the” Louis Armstrong. It is set against the backdrop of mob versus detective life in LA in the ‘60s. I really enjoy stories about the mob and the Mafia, and this had some excellent drama and historical references.
I particularly liked the character development - at first I lost track of who was who but it became clear once the stories started overlapping. I actually thought the references to Louis Armstrong were unnecessary since the other characters are strong enough by themselves.
I was amazed to read in the Afterword that most of the historic references are true, albeit sometimes in slightly different times and places - the book is very well researched and engaging to the end.
With thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, Mantle for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
The book is a very clever interconnection of 4 different stories focussing on 4 different key characters - Ida (a retired agent), Kerry (a nurse in Vietnam), Dante (a mob fixer) and “the” Louis Armstrong. It is set against the backdrop of mob versus detective life in LA in the ‘60s. I really enjoy stories about the mob and the Mafia, and this had some excellent drama and historical references.
I particularly liked the character development - at first I lost track of who was who but it became clear once the stories started overlapping. I actually thought the references to Louis Armstrong were unnecessary since the other characters are strong enough by themselves.
I was amazed to read in the Afterword that most of the historic references are true, albeit sometimes in slightly different times and places - the book is very well researched and engaging to the end.
With thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, Mantle for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
August 13, 2022
Ida Young är tillbaka, och nu är det 1967 i Los Angeles och hon har dragit sig tillbaka från detektivandet. Men inte så länge så klart, för folk mördas till höger och vänster och tvingar henner att ge sig in i världen igen.
Precis som tidigare tre böcker i serien är den här en detaljerad skildring av en stad i en tid. Till skillnad från tidigare böcker så är den här väldigt mörk, med ingen kärlek till staden i centrum av handlingen.
Lite för deppigt.
Lite för långsökt förklaring.
Lite för mycket konspirationsteorier invävda i berättelsen, de tog över uppmärksamheten från handlingen. Till exempel att CIA var med och planerade mordet på Kennedy och liknande, man studsar till och tänker ”jaså” och vill googla runt lite (men inte tillräckligt intressant för att egentligen vilja), och sen har man glömt bort att det ju inte var det boken handlade om.
Intressant upplägg dock, att det går tjugo år mellan böckernas handling. En del som hänt där emellan förklaras, men inte allt, ibland bara nämns det i förbigående. Jag hade nog kunnat stanna efter förra boken, Gangsterns klagan. Men snygga omslag!
Precis som tidigare tre böcker i serien är den här en detaljerad skildring av en stad i en tid. Till skillnad från tidigare böcker så är den här väldigt mörk, med ingen kärlek till staden i centrum av handlingen.
Lite för deppigt.
Lite för långsökt förklaring.
Lite för mycket konspirationsteorier invävda i berättelsen, de tog över uppmärksamheten från handlingen. Till exempel att CIA var med och planerade mordet på Kennedy och liknande, man studsar till och tänker ”jaså” och vill googla runt lite (men inte tillräckligt intressant för att egentligen vilja), och sen har man glömt bort att det ju inte var det boken handlade om.
Intressant upplägg dock, att det går tjugo år mellan böckernas handling. En del som hänt där emellan förklaras, men inte allt, ibland bara nämns det i förbigående. Jag hade nog kunnat stanna efter förra boken, Gangsterns klagan. Men snygga omslag!
December 20, 2022
Whenever I pick up a book by Celestin it is always with great expectations and anticipation and I have never been disappointed. What a tale he weaves. To continue the story twenty years in the future with Ida now retired, Michael passed on you wondered what would unfold! But this book had it all the serial killer, terrorising LA, the mob, the CIA all up to their old tricks and Ida drawn out of retirement hot on their tail. We are introduced to iKerry the young nurse who leaves the Vietnam war to seek her brother who has gone missing. Is he the Night slayer? Has he been killed by the Night Slayer? It all unravels and culminates in a rapturous finale. All I can say Is I loved this book as I have all the others. I just want to know where next Ray?
November 18, 2021
This is the fourth and final book in Ray Celestin’s City Blues Quartet and it proved a suitable requiem and ending to what has been superlative body of work.
It has been wonderful and moving to see Ida, Dante and Louis gradually evolve and age a characters and they interact beautifully throughout this gorgeous yet dark novel in which perhaps the real hero is LA of the late series.
The description is so accurate that you can almost smell the joss sticks and even napalm form the Vietnam conflict.
This is a complex plot with lots of loose ends that come together beautifully at the end.
I will miss them all and loved this book.
It has been wonderful and moving to see Ida, Dante and Louis gradually evolve and age a characters and they interact beautifully throughout this gorgeous yet dark novel in which perhaps the real hero is LA of the late series.
The description is so accurate that you can almost smell the joss sticks and even napalm form the Vietnam conflict.
This is a complex plot with lots of loose ends that come together beautifully at the end.
I will miss them all and loved this book.
December 22, 2021
Four stars for this taut and moving finale in what I consider to be a modern crime fiction classic series. Celestin has weaved yet another fascinating tale around private detective Ida with Dante, Faron and Louis Armstrong also back again as the quartet wind down their careers in a blaze of glory, regret and acceptance. Celestin’s depiction of late 60s Los Angeles and the societal tension boiling underneath the surface is as atmospheric as usual, while his introduction of Kerry and the Vietnam aftermath is also handled well. I shall miss these characters.
January 9, 2022
Brilliant! One of the best series I’ve ever read. Each book is fantastic but taken together they are a masterwork. The plots are thrilling, the characters believable and fully fleshed out and the interweaving of real people and events takes everything to another level. Can’t wait for whatever Ray Celestine writes next but a big part of me wants to involve the Mob and jazz!!
June 13, 2022
Very decent detective cum mobster novel, set in 1967 around the time of the LA fires, demise of the FBN and the infiltration of la causa nostra by the CIA
June 22, 2022
The atmosphere of these books is always captured perfectly, you really feel immersed in the time they are set. Plus there's a cute wee doggo!
December 31, 2023
Helt makalöst vad bra det är. Helt sjukt. Vill inte acceptera att serien är slut. Så jävla bra! Perfektion.
March 18, 2022
The City Blues Quartet started in New Orleans in 1919, took in Chicago in the 20s, New York in the 40s, now we’re in Los Angeles in the 60s and each time and place has been depicted vividly and atmospherically, incorporating real characters and events. I’ve loved these books and am sorry this is the final one, but I enjoyed very much catching up with those characters I was drawn to during the series.
It’s nearing the end of 1967 and a serial killer was on the loose in Los Angeles. The Night-Slayer had claimed his third victim. Added to that, a Santa Ana was sweeping through the city, mayhem following its progress. Kerry Gaudet, a young army nurse, had traveled to Los Angeles, using her sick leave after being caught in a fireball, to try and find her brother Stevie, who had gone missing.
Ida Young, well into her 60s, had decided on retirement and sold her successful detective agency. She was sitting on her veranda, unsettled by the Santa Ana, when a patrol woman drew up outside. Sent by Detective Feinberg to find Ida, she had news of a homicide and Feinberg wanted Ida to attend. Ida’s name and address has been found at the scene and the murder looked like a mob hit.
Dante Sanfillipo, a week away from leaving town for good and looking forward to retirement and his recently acquired vineyard, had been summoned by the newly appointed head of the local mafia. As much as he didn’t want anything more to do with the mob, Dante knew he had no choice, despite the fact it was more than likely things wouldn’t end well.
Sunset Swing has a multilayered, compelling and intricate plot, with each characters’ story arc running concurrently, including that of Louis Armstrong. I love how the plot lines twist and turn and are all woven together seamlessly as the story progresses. There is more truth included than is comfortable, but unfortunately not surprising. Los Angeles is not the utopia most people expect, it’s a dark and dangerous place, rife with corruption and lawlessness.
The character development is ongoing. Louis, Ida and Dante are showing signs of their age, Louis mostly because of his lifestyle-always travelling and the battering his body has taken as a trumpet player. Although it could have been sad, the story does end on a positive note.
It’s nearing the end of 1967 and a serial killer was on the loose in Los Angeles. The Night-Slayer had claimed his third victim. Added to that, a Santa Ana was sweeping through the city, mayhem following its progress. Kerry Gaudet, a young army nurse, had traveled to Los Angeles, using her sick leave after being caught in a fireball, to try and find her brother Stevie, who had gone missing.
Ida Young, well into her 60s, had decided on retirement and sold her successful detective agency. She was sitting on her veranda, unsettled by the Santa Ana, when a patrol woman drew up outside. Sent by Detective Feinberg to find Ida, she had news of a homicide and Feinberg wanted Ida to attend. Ida’s name and address has been found at the scene and the murder looked like a mob hit.
Dante Sanfillipo, a week away from leaving town for good and looking forward to retirement and his recently acquired vineyard, had been summoned by the newly appointed head of the local mafia. As much as he didn’t want anything more to do with the mob, Dante knew he had no choice, despite the fact it was more than likely things wouldn’t end well.
Sunset Swing has a multilayered, compelling and intricate plot, with each characters’ story arc running concurrently, including that of Louis Armstrong. I love how the plot lines twist and turn and are all woven together seamlessly as the story progresses. There is more truth included than is comfortable, but unfortunately not surprising. Los Angeles is not the utopia most people expect, it’s a dark and dangerous place, rife with corruption and lawlessness.
The character development is ongoing. Louis, Ida and Dante are showing signs of their age, Louis mostly because of his lifestyle-always travelling and the battering his body has taken as a trumpet player. Although it could have been sad, the story does end on a positive note.
June 29, 2024
Five stars for this fabulous novel and five more the 4 book series of which this is the finale.
This book tells three complex and interweaving stories. Kerry, a nurse serving in Vietnam who returns to Los Angeles to find her missing brother; Dante, the mob fixer called in to do one final job before retirement and of course Ida: the private detective tempted out of retirement when a woman is discovered murdered in a motel room.
Although we have met a number of the characters throughout the series, it is Ida who provides the main line of continuity: starting with the Axeman's Jazz set in New Orleans in 1919; Deadman's Blues in Chicago in 1938; onto the Mobster's Lament set in New York in 1947 and finally Sunset Swing set in Los Angeles in 1967. Once again her determination to find truth where little exists is one of the shining lights in a story/series that involves murder, corruption, mobsters, crooked politicians and officials, drugs and more. This is a crime thriller, and there is plenty of crime but it is also thrilling and I moved through the 520 or so pages at a breathless lick.
Ray Celestin is a fabulous storyteller, setting his tales within contemporary events and people. He is particularly good on atmosphere and spares no effort to set the scene to fabulous effect, particularly the use of jazz music with Ida's childhood friend Louis Armstrong popping up regularly. Like the others in the series this is a top quality and thoroughly engaging novel. Highly recommended, but start from Axeman's Jazz if you choose to read it.
This book tells three complex and interweaving stories. Kerry, a nurse serving in Vietnam who returns to Los Angeles to find her missing brother; Dante, the mob fixer called in to do one final job before retirement and of course Ida: the private detective tempted out of retirement when a woman is discovered murdered in a motel room.
Although we have met a number of the characters throughout the series, it is Ida who provides the main line of continuity: starting with the Axeman's Jazz set in New Orleans in 1919; Deadman's Blues in Chicago in 1938; onto the Mobster's Lament set in New York in 1947 and finally Sunset Swing set in Los Angeles in 1967. Once again her determination to find truth where little exists is one of the shining lights in a story/series that involves murder, corruption, mobsters, crooked politicians and officials, drugs and more. This is a crime thriller, and there is plenty of crime but it is also thrilling and I moved through the 520 or so pages at a breathless lick.
Ray Celestin is a fabulous storyteller, setting his tales within contemporary events and people. He is particularly good on atmosphere and spares no effort to set the scene to fabulous effect, particularly the use of jazz music with Ida's childhood friend Louis Armstrong popping up regularly. Like the others in the series this is a top quality and thoroughly engaging novel. Highly recommended, but start from Axeman's Jazz if you choose to read it.
January 3, 2022
What a fantastic way to start the New Year. The last of Ray Celestin’s City Blues quartet of novels is every bit as good as The Axeman’s Jazz, which I read when it was first published back in 2014.
There are some writers who seem able to create a sense of time and place that is so vivid that you can smell the air there and Celestin sits within that firmament. The feel of a noir film with a jazz soundtrack persists, although the setting is now LA and those who already love Ida, Dante and Louis will be delighted to be reunited with them.
The writing is so wonderful, the plot threads are woven together so skilfully and the characters are so engaging that you really can’t decide between reading it quickly or slowing down and savouring it. I had to keep stopping reading to Google things in any case - what did Chet Baker look and sound like? How did Bugsy Siegel look in a suit?
Most astonishing of all is that Ray Celestin is English - this sounds so authentically American. I can’t help but wonder if he really will be able to walk away from this world or whether Kerry may live to see another day, I really hope that she might.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Pan MacMillan for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
There are some writers who seem able to create a sense of time and place that is so vivid that you can smell the air there and Celestin sits within that firmament. The feel of a noir film with a jazz soundtrack persists, although the setting is now LA and those who already love Ida, Dante and Louis will be delighted to be reunited with them.
The writing is so wonderful, the plot threads are woven together so skilfully and the characters are so engaging that you really can’t decide between reading it quickly or slowing down and savouring it. I had to keep stopping reading to Google things in any case - what did Chet Baker look and sound like? How did Bugsy Siegel look in a suit?
Most astonishing of all is that Ray Celestin is English - this sounds so authentically American. I can’t help but wonder if he really will be able to walk away from this world or whether Kerry may live to see another day, I really hope that she might.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Pan MacMillan for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
March 1, 2024
Λος Άντζελες, 1967. Τα τρία πρώτα βιβλία είχαν πολύ δυνατές ιστορίες, σε αυτό η υπόθεση δεν είναι το δυνατό του σημείο. Αρκετά τραβηγμένη ώστε να έρθει να κουμπώσει με τα πραγματικά γεγονότα που περιγράφονται.
Μαφιόζοι, πράκτορες, πειράματα με LSD σε κρατούμενους, υπερήλικες κυνηγοί κατά συρροή δολοφόνων, μπαρουτοκαπνισμένες νοσοκόμες με μετατραυματικό σύνδρομο και ένα σωρό άλλες λεπτομέρειες όλες μαζί ανακατεμένες.
Μαφιόζοι, πράκτορες, πειράματα με LSD σε κρατούμενους, υπερήλικες κυνηγοί κατά συρροή δολοφόνων, μπαρουτοκαπνισμένες νοσοκόμες με μετατραυματικό σύνδρομο και ένα σωρό άλλες λεπτομέρειες όλες μαζί ανακατεμένες.
September 17, 2022
Please find my review for Sunset Swing by Ray Celestin Here.
October 1, 2022
It’s Christmas in Los Angeles, and 3 peoples are about to intersect about a dark conspiracy involving the US Government. Kerry, Ida and Dante are going to face many dangers, but also face their past. It’s going to be explosive.
The final book in The City Blues Series and it’s been a really fantastic series. Ida and Louis Armstrong have been the constants throughout and Ida will relive the events of the first book. A brilliant read. I will miss this series.
The final book in The City Blues Series and it’s been a really fantastic series. Ida and Louis Armstrong have been the constants throughout and Ida will relive the events of the first book. A brilliant read. I will miss this series.
Want to read
June 6, 2025Synopsis: it's 1967 and Kelly Gaudet is looking for her brother in L.A. Then a body is found and retired detective Ida Young is asked to help the police.
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