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Chasing the Devil’s Tail: A Mystery of Storyville, New Orleans Audiobook
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(3.03) - 366 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In the raucous, bloody, red-light district of Storyville, New Orleans, in 1907, where two thousand scarlet women practice their trade in grand mansions and filthy dime-a-trick cribs, where cocaine and opium are sold over the counter, and where rye whiskey flows like an amber river, there's a killer loose. Someone is murdering Storyville prostitutes and marking each killing with a black rose.
As Creole detective Valentin St. Cyr begins to investigate, he encounters a cast of characters drawn from history: Tom Anderson, the political boss who runs Storyville like a private kingdom; Lulu White, the district's most notorious madam; a young piano player who would come to be known as Jelly Roll Morton; and Buddy Bolden, the man who all but invented jazz and is now losing his mind.
No ordinary mystery, Chasing the Devil's Tail is a chilling portrait of musical genius and self-destruction, set at the moment when jazz was born.
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"i struggled between 3 1/2 stars and 4 with this story. went to 4 cause i read the second half in one sitting to find the black rose killer- plot kept my interest. loved the characters, esp tino and justine, lots of subplots, lots of odd relationships. the setting is the city of new orleans in the 1900s and practically becomes the strongest character. great facts re:beginning of jazz (you can almost hear the music), the racial class distinctions, voodoo and hoodoo. well done. will definitely read fulmer's other books set in storyville. NOTE: do you know how jelly roll morton got his name?"
— Barb (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Dion Graham is a masterful narrator. His clear, crisp voice shifts seamlessly from the storyteller to the myriad characters who populate this fascinating story…Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile -
“A beautifully constructed, elegantly presented time trip to a New Orleans of the very early 1900s.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“A wonderful rendition of a particular world at a very distinctive time.”
— Times-Picayune -
“Captures Storyville in all its creative, mystical, and sordid excess.”
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution -
“Debut novelist David Fulmer has created an amazing story, and he makes it look easy.”
— Cleveland Plain Dealer -
“[A] riveting and provocative debut mystery of sex, alcohol, drugs, insanity and murder…Fulmer’s use of historical figures…authenticate[s] an already believable and spellbinding story, which will echo in the reader’s mind like the mournful notes of good blues.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“An exotic and erotic mixture of things we like—jazz, pimps, prostitutes, murder, and dirty politics.”
— Nelson DeMille, New York Times bestselling author -
“In the tradition of The Alienist, Chasing the Devil’s Tail gives us top-notch suspense fiction in a delightfully evocative, and harrowing, time and place: in this case, New Orleans’ Storyville at the beginning of the twentieth century. We immediately fall under author Fulmer’s spell and are soon roaming the authentic haunts of that neighborhood in the company of his characters—some good and some not so, but all wonderfully colorful and as reall as the blues.”
— Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author -
“In Chasing the Devil’s Tail…I could almost taste fried shrimp and smell the sweetness of magnolia blossoms, almost hear Buddy Bolden’s cornet calling to us across the hot evening.”
— James Sallis, author of Drive and the Lew Griffin mysteries
Awards
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Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award
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Winner of the 2002 Shamus Award for Best First P.I. Novel
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Finalist for the Barry Award for Best First Novel
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Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller
Chasing the Devil’s Tail Listener Reviews
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" What a wonderful tale of mystery. The setting is 1907 New Orleans and the background jazz music whispers through the pages while this tale of mystery unfolds slowly with such a surprise ending it had me guessing "whodunit" up to the very end. "
— Ginny, 2/19/2014 -
" Although not a page turner, I still enjoyed this book. I think I more enjoyed learning about the culture and history of NOLA in the 1900's and have even heard Buddy Bolden's name mentioned at a jazz concert! "
— Lindsay, 2/11/2014 -
" This is a particularly great read for those of us who love that hot, sticky, nasty, stink of New Orleans after a long night of libation and soul pounding horns...It takes place in the early 1900's, along side the birth of jazz, but it still evokes that feelings of New Orlenas today in all its crazy glory. "
— Dina, 1/24/2014 -
" great insight into storyville and early jazz greats. detective crime novel that brings new orleans alive "
— Franco, 1/20/2014 -
" Compelling, hard to put down. Historical fiction about a mystery in the red light district of early 1900s New Orleans. Intriguing characters, exquisite details of the city. "
— Susan, 1/19/2014 -
" Try as I might, I could not get into this book. I stopped reading about half-way through and skipped to the end. I didn't find this engaging at all, nor did I find the characters interesting. Sorry David Fulmer, but I don't think I'll be reading any more of your books. "
— Sage, 1/10/2014 -
" The real life characters and history of New Orleans woven into the story is great stuff. For me the rest of the story elements didn't come together. It was a rich gumbo, but he burnt the roux. "
— Christina, 1/4/2014 -
" If you like early jazz and New Orleans, you might enjoy this atmospheric mystery. "
— Writer, 12/25/2013 -
" A good murder myster / time piece. I loved the descriptions of turn of the century New Orleans - captured the feeling of the place (well to me, I mean I wasn't there so what do I know) and a good story to boot! "
— Abbie, 12/21/2013 -
" Gloria suggested this book as a good thriller - who-done-it and she was right. The central character is an "enforcer" for the bordellos of NO and has a serial killer to catch. "
— Jack, 11/28/2013 -
" This was an interesting read about the brothels of New Orleans in 1907. I actually learned quite a few things. Probably a 3.5. "
— Lisa, 11/27/2013 -
" set in new orleans in the early 1900s...a good first book in a mystery series "
— Jeanne, 11/5/2013 -
" David Fulmer won a Shamus for this novel. I enjoyed being taken back in time to Storyville, the red-light district in New Orleans. I loved the blend of the "jass" music with the murders. A great read. "
— Jeffrey, 3/31/2013 -
" I didn't get into it until the end. It was slightly confusing but I liked the book. "
— Karen, 2/15/2013 -
" Great atmosphere, and convincing characterization (especially the portrait of Buddy Bolden) more than make up for the less-well-handled mystery elements. I expect to check out the next entry in the series. "
— Gerard, 1/24/2013 -
" Murder Mystery in New Orleans brothels "
— Joyce, 12/4/2012 -
" So so mystery, but really loved learning tidbits of New Orleans history. Will definitely continue to read the next book in the series for the same. "
— Stacy, 11/29/2012 -
" Eh. Just couldn't get into this one. The peek into New Orleans was reasonably interesting, but I just didn't care about the detective or the other characters very much at all. After 130 pages, I've decided to move on to something else. "
— Joanna, 9/21/2012 -
" Not perfect but very evocative of a time and place. Characters seemed really authentic-a rich and fascinating world. "
— Elizabeth, 8/25/2012 -
" This historical mystery novel was definitely worth the read. Loved the descriptions of old New Orleans. "
— Melva, 6/18/2011 -
" Gloria suggested this book as a good thriller - who-done-it and she was right. The central character is an "enforcer" for the bordellos of NO and has a serial killer to catch. "
— Jack, 5/26/2011 -
" Compelling, hard to put down. Historical fiction about a mystery in the red light district of early 1900s New Orleans. Intriguing characters, exquisite details of the city. "
— Susan, 10/17/2010 -
" Slow read - lazy action like the Big Easy. “You best be careful if you go chasin’ the devil’s tail, cause you just might catch it.” - attributed to Jelly Roll Morton "
— Hapzydeco, 4/21/2010 -
" For a mystery novel I didn't find this to be a page turner and was really disappointed with the ending, it felt cobbled together. I did enjoy the setting, can't beat New Orleans, and it was interesting to learn about that time period. "
— Christine, 10/20/2009 -
" Beautifully written mystery set in turn of the century New Orleans which nicely evokes the societal hierarcy, neighborhoods, tastes and smells of New Orleans. Likeable and believable characters, good suspense and a surprising ending. "
— Kgirard, 9/29/2009 -
" Didn't enjoy it as much as Blue Door. But once I made my predictions on who dunnit I liked it more. And I was half right with the ending. <br/> "
— Katrina, 8/20/2009
About David Fulmer
David Fulmer is the author of numerous critically acclaimed novels. Chasing the Devil’s Tail was nominated for a Los Angeles Times Mystery/Thriller Book Prize, a Barry Award, and a Falcon Award, was on Borders’ Best of 2003 List, and won a Shamus Award. His other books have received equally venerable accolades, including superlative reviews from the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Washington Post, and numerous other publications. A native of central Pennsylvania, he lives in Atlanta with his daughter Italia.
About Dion Graham
Dion Graham is an award-winning narrator named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine. He has been a recipient of the prestigious Audie Award numerous times, as well as Earphones Awards, the Publishers Weekly Listen Up Awards, IBPA Ben Franklin Awards, and the ALA Odyssey Award. He was nominated in 2015 for a Voice Arts Award for Outstanding Narration. He is also a critically acclaimed actor who has performed on Broadway, off Broadway, internationally, in films, and in several hit television series. He is a graduate of Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, with an MFA degree in acting.