Chicago 1928. I den tryckande sommarhettan inleds tre väsensskilda utredningar. Pinkertondetektiverna Michael Talbot och Ida Davis får i uppdrag att leta rätt på en försvunnen arvtagerska. Men de får märkligt svårt att hitta någon som vågar hjälpa dem.

Brottsplatsfotografen Jacob Russo kallas till platsen för ett förfärligt mord i stadens svarta kvarter. Men när ingen verkar vara riktigt intresserad av att finna den skyldige, ger han sig själv in i jakten på förövaren.

När ett gäng höga tjänstemän hittas förgiftade på Ritz, kallar maffiabossen Al Capone in sin betrodde fixare Dante Sanfelippo för att ta reda på om någon är ute efter att ta över hans imperium. Men Dante har egna hemligheter som på inga villkor får avslöjas.

DEAD MAN'S BLUES stunning cover and intriguing blurb made me eager to read the book. I have not read THE AXEMAN, the first book in this series, but that didn't concern me much since I'm used to reading books out of order. And I am pleased to say that it didn't matter that I hadn't read the first book since the story was very easy to get into.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION! ( )

As in many hard-boiled detective novels two apparently unrelated crimes or investigations turn out to be connected. In this book, both connect back to an even earlier situation--a shipment of poison champagne that poisoned Dante Sanfilippo's family. Now Dante is back in Chicago to pay back Al Capone for getting him out of town. Three sets of protagonists are focused on different aspects. Michael Talbot and Ida Davis are Pinkerton's hired to locate a missing socialite. Jacob Russo is a police photographer following up on the murder of a gangster in a Negro neighborhood, and Dante is assigned by Capone to trace poisoned alcohol delivered to a political dinner. Investigations lead from the luxury hotels in which Capone's gang make their headquarters to dingy tenement buildings, high class dance clubs, and the noisome neighborhoods around the stockyards. Dante struggles against a heroin habit acquired while he mourned his family, Jacob struggles with a crippled ankle that prevents him from becoming a police detective and the Pinkerton's struggle with a corrupt establishment trying to stall their investigation for unknown reasons. The pieces of the story fit together nicely; however I feel that the introduction of Louis Armstrong was too peripheral to the main plot. ( )

I'm on page 315 and I just don't care anymore.

A socialite goes missing and her mother hires Ida and Michael from the Pinkertons to find her.

Jacob, a police photographer, is called to a dead body in an alley. It's a low level mob stoolie.

Ultimately the investigations merge.

This book needed to be edited down by 100 pages. ( )

Ida Davis and Michael Talbot have been working for Pinkerton’s Detective Agency in Chicago for several years. The city is in thrall to the gangsters, particularly Al Capone, with organised crime controlling alcohol supplies under prohibition. The detectives are asked to look into the disappearance of heiress Gwendolyn but someone high up is trying to block them. Meanwhile Dante Sanfilippo has been summoned back from New York by Capone to look into a fatal poisoning of a political party, the booze being supplied by Capone’s outfit. Dante’s own family were victim to this poison and he fears he is being set up. As the city gears up for the big boxing match between Tunney and Dempsey, all sides are looking to find out just who is behind a plot to destabilise organised crime in Chicago.

This is the second book by Celestin and it features the same central characters of Ida and Michael, with a little input from Louis Armstrong! It is an incredibly strong book, the plot is twisty and very clever. Celeste’s writing is really maturing, he understands the hedonism and paranoia that inhabited Chicago in the late 20s and has researched the links between organised crime and jazz music well. Ida is a great character – being both female and black, she suffers huge prejudice and more than a little self-doubt – yet Celestin has created a sympathetic and strong persona. I loved the little twists such as Jacob and Dante’s relationship and the set pieces are scary yet believable. A terrific read. ( )