2018- September - The Jazzman's Axe - Ray Celestin

A total contrast from Dickens - 1919 New Orleans and a killer on the loose.

Certain people in new Orleans are being killed with an axe, and there are three seperate investigations - The Police one, An ex-cop on early release from prison but working for the Mafia, and a young girl working for Pinkertons who wants to be a detective. She has as a companion a young trumpeter called Lewis Armstrong. They all are getting to the perpetrators and the masterminds behind him from different directions. I was sorry to see Luca die, especially as he was developing a relationship with Simone, the killers sister. It was a good story, well written and stuck to the facts behind it. A map of New Orleans would have been useful.


Chris had drawn a poster showing the three different investigations and what they learned.

A good discussion.
Marks 8-8-8-8-8-7-6-5 = avg: 7

His second book is available in Dorset Libraries now.

2018- August - Bleak House - Charles Dickens

I can't remember what we read in August.

In September we read Bleak House, by Charles Dickens. My, that was a heavy book. Only 5 people came to the meeting, and only one had finished it. Another was far enough through to comment and the rest of us had found it difficult to get into. Dickens wanted to describe everything in very small detail, so it was hard to get into the story. When I was reading it I enjoyed the flow of words, but I wanted something to happen.

The two who had read it both gave it an 8.