Ray Celestin

Ray Celestin is a British author of historical crime fiction known for his City Blues Quartet, a series of jazz-era novels set in New Orleans, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. He won the CWA Gold Dagger for Sunset Swing (2022), the final volume of the quartet. Celestine began his career as a television writer before turning to historical crime fiction. The Dead Man's Blues series opener Dead Man's Blues, set in 1920s Chicago, was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger in 2017. Sunset Swing, set in 1960s Los Angeles, won the Gold Dagger outright in 2022 and was praised as a richly atmospheric conclusion to the quartet. His work is celebrated for its meticulous historical research, vivid period atmosphere, and complex plotting that weaves real historical figures into fictional criminal investigations. Celestin lives in London.