King Zeno by Nathaniel Rich

New Orleans 1918
A city of new beginnings now that the war is over and the birth of Jazz has begun to catch on or is it a city sliding back into the swamp facing corruption, racial tension and murder? Jazz is the newest thing to catch fire but few musicians can make a living of it. Instead they must act as laborers building the new canal or fall into illegal means that make more money. The Spanish Flu is sweeping through the city taking it's toll on young and old, black and white, rich or poor. Corruption is rampant and there is a serial killer on the loose- the Axeman who has everyone on edge and the police hassling all the young black men in the city. The author blends the characters and their story almost like the jazz music itself - short jerky bursts of violence blended with the low mournful sound of a solo trumpet.