Jazz Funeral

Jazz Funeral (1994) by Julie Smith (Ivy Books)
ISBN: 0804112525
Condition: Used (street worn, rhythm intact) as sold by Crappy Old Books

Welcome to New Orleans, where the music is loud, the secrets are louder, and even funerals come with a backbeat. In Jazz Funeral, Julie Smith throws homicide detective Skip Langdon into a murder case soaked in brass bands, bad tempers and industry egos so large they really ought to file separate tax returns.

A famous, infuriatingly successful record producer turns up dead, and shockingly, it seems more than one person might have wanted him silenced. The local music scene, which already runs on grudges, gossip and late nights, suddenly finds itself hosting a police investigation. Skip, tall enough to see over most people’s nonsense and stubborn enough not to look away, wades through musicians, ex-wives, hangers on, business partners and assorted liars, all of them playing a slightly different tune.

New Orleans itself turns into a character: steamy streets, dive bars, grand old houses that are falling gently to bits, and neighbourhoods where everybody knows your business and will happily tell it to a detective if you buy them a drink. There are parades, parties, and the general sense that in this city, life and death have always been uncomfortably close neighbours. Somewhere between the brass bands and the beignets, a killer is trying very hard to blend in.

Your particular copy has arrived here via Crappy Old Books, a proud institution where paperbacks do not pretend to be untouched. You should expect

A cover with light scuffing and maybe a faint crease or two, as if it has already been on a couple of late night bus rides and at least one slightly sticky table.
A spine with honest reading lines that say someone once thought I will just read to the end of this chapter then discovered, quite late, that it was three chapters later.
Corners that are gently softened, like the memory of a night out that you mostly recall as sounds, smells and one questionable decision.

Inside, the important stuff is still crisp: the plot twists, the sharp dialogue, the humid atmosphere, the awkward interviews where everyone is lying but in different keys. The pages may have shaded into a respectable off white over the years, which only enhances the sense that this is a slightly smoky story rescued from a bar at closing time. All chapters are present, and no previous owner has helpfully underlined the identity of the murderer in red pen, so you still get to be surprised the old fashioned way.

Buying Jazz Funeral in Used condition from Crappy Old Books feels thematically correct. This is a book about a city that thrives on history, repetition, and things that refuse to stay buried. Your copy has already had a life with at least one other reader and is now ready for an encore performance on your shelf. New editions are for tourists. This one is for locals at heart.

Perfect for readers who

like their crime fiction with more atmosphere than autopsy
enjoy smart, slightly world weary detectives who know how people actually behave when nobody is looking
have a weakness for New Orleans, jazz, and mysteries where the city is as important as the corpse

Adopt this Used copy of Jazz Funeral and let it play in your head for a while. The outside may be a little worn, but the rhythm, intrigue and slow burn of the investigation inside march on, like a second line parade you did not mean to join but are very glad you did.

Keep browsing: See more Crime books Other books by Julie Smith