If you enjoy reading novels by Ray Celestin then you might also like the following authors:
Dashiell Hammett wrote classic detective stories about private detectives and crime. One of his best-known novels is “The Maltese Falcon.” The book introduces the character Sam Spade, a private detective who takes on a complex case filled with deception and murders.
When a mysterious woman named Brigid O’Shaughnessy asks Spade for help finding her missing sister, he quickly senses something else is going on. As the story moves forward, it becomes clear that everyone is trying to find a valuable figure known as the Maltese Falcon.
The novel shows how private detectives sometimes can’t trust anyone, even their own clients.
Hammett tells the story in a straightforward voice and fills the pages with sharp dialogue and memorable characters, typical of classic detective fiction that readers of Ray Celestin would enjoy.
James Ellroy is an American author who writes dark crime novels set mostly in mid-20th-century Los Angeles. If you like Ray Celestin’s attention to jazz-era atmosphere and mysteries with historical details, Ellroy’s style could appeal to you.
One good way to get started is with his book “The Black Dahlia.” It revolves around the real-life murder of Elizabeth Short in 1947. Two detectives become obsessed with finding answers, and as the case unfolds, their own secrets and weaknesses come to the surface.
The story gets dark fast, and Ellroy doesn’t shy away from the gritty reality of crime and corruption in post-war America.
If you enjoy stories by Ray Celestin, Chester Himes could be an author worth checking out. He wrote crime fiction set mostly in Harlem, and often explored crime and racism through different perspectives. One of his well-known novels is “A Rage in Harlem.”
It follows Jackson, an honest but somewhat naive man led into trouble by his shady girlfriend, Imabelle. After falling for a scam, Jackson ends up chased by dangerous crooks and in serious trouble with the law.
Detectives Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones enter the scene, bringing their toughness and street smarts to help unravel the chaos. The story shifts between suspense and humor, with many colorful characters that give the world Himes creates a feeling of authenticity.
David Liss is an author who tells suspenseful stories set in vivid historical periods. Readers who enjoy Ray Celestin might also appreciate Liss’s novel “A Conspiracy of Paper.” This book takes readers to 18th-century London, a city full of risk and reward.
Ben Weaver is a former boxer who turns detective when the mysterious death of his own father draws him into the shady world of finance and crime.
Liss captures the atmosphere of London’s coffee houses and back alleys and creates a believable mystery that explores corruption at the birth of the modern stock market.
Sara Paretsky writes crime novels set in Chicago. Her stories often follow V.I. Warshawski, a private investigator with a sharp mind and independent nature.
In “Indemnity Only,” Warshawski looks into a missing college student case that becomes complicated by murder and corporate secrets. The detective moves through dangerous city streets, meets suspicious company executives and takes risks to reveal hidden truths.
Readers who enjoy Ray Celestin might appreciate Paretsky’s combination of engaging characters, city atmosphere and clever plots.
Dennis Lehane is an author known for crime stories set around Boston, with strong dialogue and tense plots. His novel “Mystic River” follows three childhood friends who become connected later in life by a shocking crime.
Set in a Boston neighborhood, the story explores friendship and betrayal as secrets begin to surface. Lehane creates realistic characters who struggle with both loyalty and guilt.
If you enjoyed Ray Celestin’s take on crime, city atmosphere and thoughtfully drawn characters, then Lehane’s novels might be worth your time.
Louise Penny is a Canadian author known for writing mystery novels set in Quebec. Her stories revolve around Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, a detective who investigates cases in a small village called Three Pines.
In her novel “Still Life,” Gamache arrives in Three Pines after the sudden death of a local artist named Jane Neal. At first, Neal’s death looks like an accident, but as Gamache digs deeper, secrets hidden behind the village’s charming façade begin to surface.
If you enjoy Ray Celestin’s vivid settings and intriguing investigations, Louise Penny’s mysteries might offer something similar.
Philip Kerr wrote crime novels set mainly in the historical period around World War II. His detective Bernie Gunther works for the Berlin police and later becomes a private detective. Kerr’s novel “March Violets” takes place in Berlin in 1936 during the Olympic Games.
Bernie Gunther is hired by a wealthy industrialist whose daughter’s murder connects closely to people in power. The investigation leads Gunther into dangerous places filled with deception and corruption.
The clear storytelling and vivid historical detail makes Kerr’s work appealing to readers who enjoyed Ray Celestin’s “The Axeman’s Jazz.”
Faye Kellerman is a crime writer known for her suspenseful police mysteries and realistic detective work. Readers who enjoyed Ray Celestin may appreciate Kellerman’s novel “The Ritual Bath.”
The story begins with Detective Peter Decker investigating a crime connected to an isolated religious community. The case takes Decker into a tight-knit world of traditions and guarded secrets.
The investigation unfolds with careful attention to detail and thoughtful character development. The plot pulls readers along steadily, without rushing, building tension right to the final chapters.
If you enjoy Ray Celestin’s stories, Walter Mosley’s books could be a good choice. Mosley writes mysteries set in vivid historical settings. His character, Easy Rawlins, solves tough cases in post-war Los Angeles.
For example, in “Devil in a Blue Dress,” Easy needs money after losing his job, so he agrees to help find a woman named Daphne Monet. As he searches for her, Easy runs into dangerous people in LA’s nightclubs and crowded streets.
Mosley creates a realistic character who faces dangers and deals with tough choices. Readers who like historical crime fiction can find a similar appeal in Mosley’s novels.
Lyndsay Faye writes vivid historical mysteries set in gritty, atmospheric cities. Her book “The Gods of Gotham” takes place in 1840s New York City during the formation of its first police force.
Timothy Wilde, the central character, becomes one of these early policemen after a disastrous fire destroys his old life. He soon investigates a case involving several murdered children that shakes the city to its core.
The story captures the dark yet realistic life of that time and place, with memorable characters and realistic dialogue readers often admire in authors like Ray Celestin.
Martin Cruz Smith writes crime novels that often explore shadowy corners of places and history. If you’ve enjoyed Ray Celestin’s stories, Martin Cruz Smith might catch your attention too.
In his book “Gorky Park,” Detective Arkady Renko works a complicated murder case set in Soviet-era Moscow. Three bodies discovered in an amusement park lead Renko toward a web of corruption and political secrets.
This story shows the uncertain atmosphere of Cold War Russia and a detective determined to find answers even when powerful people would prefer him to stop.
Anthony Horowitz is a British author who writes mysteries and thrillers with an old-fashioned detective feel. If you enjoyed Ray Celestin’s historical crime fiction, then Horowitz’s “The Word is Murder” might interest you as well.
This novel follows the unusual mystery of Diana Cowper, a woman who arranges her own funeral and then is found dead soon afterward.
Horowitz cleverly puts himself directly into the novel as a character alongside Daniel Hawthorne, a sharp but secretive investigator who is trying to figure out what happened.
The story moves quickly with twists, interesting clues and plenty of amusing dialogue between Horowitz and Hawthorne. Readers who like detailed investigations and surprising outcomes will appreciate the approach Horowitz takes in this entertaining detective novel.
Rebecca Cantrell writes atmospheric historical thrillers set in vivid, evocative places. Her novel “A Trace of Smoke” introduces crime reporter Hannah Vogel in 1930s Berlin.
Hannah finds a disturbing photograph of her brother in the Hall of the Unnamed Dead at the police station and decides to investigate. As she searches through hidden parts of the city, she uncovers secrets that powerful people will stop at nothing to hide.
Cantrell creates strong characters within detailed historical settings. Her storytelling style matches the pace and suspense readers enjoy in Ray Celestin’s novels.
Charles Todd is actually a mother-and-son author team. They write detective novels set just after World War I. Their book “A Test of Wills” introduces detective Ian Rutledge, a Scotland Yard inspector struggling with memories from his war service.
Rutledge investigates the murder of a colonel in an English village and faces pressure to quickly solve the case. The plot moves between Rutledge solving the murder and confronting the voice of a soldier from his past.
Readers who enjoy Ray Celestin’s historical crime novels about detectives and cases based in real historical times may find Charles Todd’s books interesting and enjoyable.