Ah Kusu Man No Jazz / Hara Title : the AXEMAN'S JAZZ (HAYAKAWA POCKET MYSTERY BOOKS 1907)

[Machine Translation] In New Orleans in 1919, an ax murderer called the Axeman is on a killing spree. A man and a woman are in hot pursuit of the killer, who has even announced that he will kill anyone who does not listen to jazz music. Lieutenant Talbot, who hides the fact that he has a black wife in this racist town, has a difficult investigation. Luka, a former detective, is asked by the mafia to catch the killer for a certain reason. Aida, a young woman who wants to be a detective, works with Jazzman to solve the case. What is the shocking truth that is revealed through their persistence? Based on an actual unsolved case, this is a novel that won the British Mystery Writers' Association Award for Best Newcomer.

1919年のニューオーリンズで、斧を使って殺人を繰り返す、アックスマンと呼ばれる犯人。「ジャズを聴いていない者は殺す」と予告までする殺人鬼を懸命に追う男女がいた。人種差別の強い街で、黒人の妻がいることを隠して困難な捜査をするタルボット警部補。ある事情から犯人を捕えるようマフィアに依頼された元刑事ルカ。ジャズマンと共に事件の解明に挑む探偵志願の若い女性アイダ。彼らの執念で明かされる衝撃の真相とは?実際に起きた未解決事件をもとに大胆な設定で描く、英国推理作家協会賞最優秀新人賞受賞作。