Chasing the Devil's Tail

A Mystery of Storyville, New Orleans

By: David Fulmer

Narrated by: Dion Graham

In the raucous, bloody, red-light district of Storyville, New Orleans, in 1907, where 2,000 scarlet women ply their trade, 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. 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.

©2001 David Fulmer (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Brimming with backstories and historical tidbits." ( Kirkus Reviews)
"A fine beginning to what looks like a first-rate historical series." ( Booklist)
"[Fulmer's] first fiction, which features a fascinating plot line and pervasive New Orleans atmosphere, is an outstanding historical." ( Library Journal)

fun story made even better by the story teller.

Great story. Excellent delivery. After listening to this, I bought the next two St. Cyr books. Just wish they'd been Audible books.

Travel back to early New Orleans

The performance of this story was amazing. I thought it was being read by several people, so fine was _____’s story telling.

I loved it!

This was such a good story! I felt like I was right there in the club with the musicians and walking down the street with the detective! Thank you so much! Reader was great too! Accents and inflections made it sound so real!

A Murder Mystery in Storyville at the Birth of Jazz

The heart-breaking true fact that Buddy Bolden, the musician most responsible for the birth of jazz, was mentally ill, underpins this gripping murder mystery. As the suave protagonist, creole detective Valentin, Bolden’s fictional childhood friend, sets out to unravel the crimes, a dusty world of prostitution, graft, honky tonks and “sports” and “fancy men” imbibing Raleigh rye is evoked. Along the way, fascinating scenes of trade of “scarlet women” and the New Orleans music scene as jazz was born are described.

Fascinating

As a native of New Orleans, I have always been entranced by the legends and history of the city. This is a wonderful story. The author captures the gritty feel of the area, and the narrator's voice and talent accentuate it nicely. If I could give 10 stars, I would!

I liked it

Chilling...I really liked the book and the narration was perfect as usual when Dion is reading.

Wwould make a great movie

With the right actors the right story to right screenplay this could be great movie

Greatest Murder Mystery on Audible

I loved this book full of great history and culture. The narrator makes the book phenomenal!

Loved it.

Where does Chasing the Devil's Tail rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The narrator brings historical fiction to life in an enchanting way.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Chasing the Devil's Tail?

It was a series really; King Bolden's descent into mental illness.

What about Dion Graham’s performance did you like?

He has a rich, beautiful voice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, yes, yes!

Great mystery

Slow start but it got very interesting. The crime mysteries of New Orleans and it’s history