The Mobster’s Lament

by Ray Celestin

  The doctor whom Michael visits at the Harlem Hospital is based on the pioneering African-American surgeon Louis Tompkins Wright.

  The New York City blizzard of 1947 actually happened on Christmas Day, a few weeks after it does in the book.

  Lastly, a young Stanley Kubrick did go backstage at the Copa to do a photoshoot for Look magazine, though this was a year later, in 1948. The photographs he took are available to view online at the website of the Museum of the City of New York. A link is also available via my own website: www.raycelestin.com, as are galleries of other photos from the period, maps, a bibliography, and more information on the quartet of books of which this forms the third part.

  *

  The fourth, and final, part will be set in Los Angeles in 1967 and will feature characters from the previous three books. The details are a little hazy at present, as I’ve not started writing it yet. Updates will be available on the website.

  RAY CELESTIN

  London, August 2018

  Acknowledgements

  Huge thanks to Mariam Pourshoushtari, Shemuel Bulgin, Julia Pye, Chris Branson, Sam Armour, Jane Finigan, Juliet Mahony, Susannah Godman, Josie Humber, Maria Rejt, Natalie Young. Everyone at L&R, Mantle and Macmillan. Special thanks to Ben Maguire and Nana Wilson, who offered no help whatsoever. Extra special thanks to Cedric Sekweyama, who is solely responsible for the existence of my writing career.

  Also by Ray Celestin

  THE AXEMAN’S JAZZ

  DEAD MAN’S BLUES

  First published 2019 by Mantle

  This electronic edition published 2019 by Mantle

  an imprint of Pan Macmillan

  20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR

  Associated companies throughout the world

  www.panmacmillan.com

  ISBN 978-1-5098-3895-0

  Copyright © Ray Celestin 2019

  Cover design and illustration by Joanna Thomson

  The right of Ray Celestin to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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