The second book in the Skip Langdon mystery series by Edgar Award-winning author Julie Smith.

“Gritty and Witty … Langdon is a splendid female heroine … The Axeman’s Jazz is a mesmerizing story.” -People

It’s a steamy August in New Orleans and a murderer has borrowed the name of the Axeman, a serial killer who roamed the city in 1919. The modern-day Axeman has strangled a young woman and stabbed an elderly man, beside whose body a teddy bear is found. The letter “A” is scrawled near both corpses in lipstick and in blood. Both victims, it develops, were members of 12-point recovery programs modeled on Alcoholics Anonymous; the killer may be using the groups’ anonymity as a shield.

A most appealing heroine, social-misfit Skip Langdon, is now a homicide detective assigned to the Axeman team. Risking her life, Skip must get close to suspects, among them beautiful but ditzy Di, a New Era devotee; the very angry Alex, “a walking testosterone bomb” who writes self-help books; Sonny Gerard, a stressed-out second-year medical student; and Missy, Sonny’s overmothering girlfriend. As Skip threads her fascinated way from one self-help group to another, she finds she has more in common with the twelve-steppers than just the murder. And she knows what they do not: that among their anonymous numbers is a deadly murderous, and dangerously attractive — psychopath….

“With an acute ear for New Orleans speech and a sharp eye for the city’s social stratification, Smith keeps the reader’s heart palpitating to the end of this mystery of unusual depth.” -Publishers Weekly

“The Axeman’s Jazz is the kind of book that leaves you torn between running out and devouring all the other mysteries in the series, or spacing them out as periodic special treats. Julie Smith garnered great attention, including an Edgar for Best First Mystery, with her initial entry in this series, the 1990 publication of New Orleans Mourning featuring police detective Skip Langdon … in New Orleans, of course. The Axeman’s Jazz is the second of the series and even better than the first.” -BookLoons Reviews

If you like Laura Lippman, Sue Grafton, Linda Barnes, Nevada Barr, and Marcia Muller, Julie Smith’s your new best friend.

It’s true what Shakespeare wrote about killing lawyers being a good start. At least that’s what Sgt. Edward Pulaski secretly believes when attorneys start popping up dead all over Washington, D.C. in the thriller, First, Kill All The Lawyers. If reporters could be next on the hit list all his dreams would be fulfilled. An obscure poison, no suspects, and no forensic evidence hinder the investigation until a federal judge is the target and Pulaski’s friend, FBI agent Shawn Cleary, joins the task force.

Shawn, fresh from a shootout that may leave her partner a quadriplegic, throws herself into the investigation to assuage her guilt and stop the horrible flashbacks of the event. As the body count rises and crosses state lines, lawyers from across the country begin to panic and demand action. Patterns emerge as pieces of the puzzle begin to come together.

The breakneck pace accelerates until Sgt. Pulaski reluctantly realizes all the clues lead to Shawn Cleary as the main suspect. She does nothing to dampen his suspicions when she flees instead of turning herself in. Worlds collide when powerful people in Washington seem more interested in a shoot to kill order than capturing Shawn alive. Pulaski is torn when Shawn calls him professing her innocence.

Working both inside and outside the system, Pulaski and Shawn continue to connect all the dots until the killer’s next move becomes obvious. Aware her life hangs in the balance, Shawn tells Pulaski she is determined to save someone she loves and capture the killer before he gets away. Pulaski must choose between trusting a friend and doing what his bosses want. As Shawn races to the historic theater where the climax awaits, she prays she can make it in time while Pulaski wonders if he made the right choice.

Manzo, is seventeen year old, experiencing a rough patch in his life. His life was all planned out. He was going to become super smart, super rich and marry the girl next door. Then his parents split up and things go from bad to worse. One bad experience leads to another, and another and his whole life comes crash down around him as he self-destructs. Previously good relationships turn bad. Lost and alone he meets an unusual stranger on the bus.
The Sage, is a celestial guide, who shares with Manzo, Universal Principles that help him understand himself better and discover his true potential. While he introduces him to a whole range of interesting characters with more life experience.
This book contains ‘young people’ life experience and so there is reference to mild sex scenes, swearing, cannabis, and alcohol. This is a thought provoking book.The characters and entertaining story line in this book are fiction but the wisdom shared comes from the channelled wisdom of gentle energy beings from higher realms. This is not a religious book. It has been written specifically for young adults aged 14 and above. It holds the key to Enlightenment if you can read it with an Open Heart and Mind. The Creator believes that young people on Earth have the potential to see beyond what they have been previously told and can create a world that lives in harmony with each other, all life-forms and nurtures the planet that is your home if you have a better understanding of all that truly is.
This book has been created for you, the young people of Earth. So the wisdom is available to you in a format that you will appreciate. More information can be found at http://1universalguidance.blogspot.com and www.1universalguidance.com

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Lauren’s Dilemma

by Margaret Tanner