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

Los Angeles is a city on the edge! IT’s straight to the city of Angels. However, the angels here seem to have blood dripping from their wings. Not far fom the Hollywood sign, we visit Vacaville prison where hewly released inmates are turning up dead around Los Angeles. There’s a link but police are finding it hard to determine what that is. Enter Ida from previous novels and the Pinkerton Agency who is forced out of retirement as one of the victims seemed to know her….. Then there’s Louis Armstrong and the story of jazz and of a famous song is a lovely addition to the criminal elements of the novel. Once again, the folklore and culture of the novel’s setting is a focal point of the story. There’s dancing skeletons and all sorts of folkloric threads to enjoy. I always learn something spooky with Ray’s novels. It all sounds so fascinating! Los Angeles is a city on the edge. We follow several people who have come to this city for a reason. Slowly but surely each one gets swallowed in the city’s belly only to be spat out in various stages of decomposition. It’s supposed to be the city of dreams and Hollywood and we’re given contrasting views of this city every which way. The sparkles are there, but the dark shadows or murder and violence, not to mention the dust of the Santa Ana wind soon envelopes and smothers those who live here and the dreams which still linger. From the bowels of the city, the reader gets to experience the morass along with the mafia, prison staff, police investigators and the victims family members. You might feel dirty, hot and sweaty at the end. Totally worth it. This is cinematic, awe-inspiring and with the historical afternote, this raises the bar of excellence even more. This series HAS to be a film box set at some point. If they’re even half as good as the way they play out in my mind, then I’d expect them to win Oscars.

So sad this series of books is at an end as they are beautifully written, historically fascinating and have a whole lot of heart, despite the subject matter.

How Ray Celestin isn't yet a household name in the UK, up there with Tana French and Val McDermid, I simply do not understand. This final instalment in his brilliant quartet was the perfect gift when I got the hardback for Christmas, especially considering it's set during the holiday season. Celestin's powers of evocative description, of historical transportation, are simply unmatched: you are *there* in California in the late 60s, breathing the air, feeling the heat, admiring every bit of texture and colour with which he infuses the tightly plotted story. Whether you're a newcomer or (like me) a longtime fan of this author, I highly recommend you order the paperback and settle in for a vivid, exciting journey.

Great book, so compelling and so nicely written. When I finished it I wanted to go back and read them all from the start again. Just beautiful.