(Reviewed by JD Jung)
I was excited to read The Bolden Cylinder because of its promise of jazz and its New Orleans setting—two of my favorite things. What I got was so much more: a richly layered mystery involving arson, unrequited love, and a fifty-year-old disappearance that ties the past and present together in unexpected ways.
Bruneau “Bru” Abellard, who lives above his antique shop in modern-day New Orleans, came across an interesting piece of furniture-a sidebar, probably from the 19th century. After hearing some rattling, he and some employees discover a hidden compartment. Upon opening it, they make an astonishing discovery—an Edison cylinder, one of the earliest forms of recorded sound. With the help of an eccentric music collector named Izzy who had a phonograph to play it, they listened to a recording of a raw and unbridled cornet. With the help of some local music professors, they realized that it could have been the music of jazz legend Charles “Buddy” Bolden, who died in a Louisiana insane asylum in 1931. No known recordings of his music have ever surfaced.
What begins as a thrilling musical discovery quickly spirals into something darker. The cylinder goes missing in a fire and Bru finds himself involved in an arson investigation and a possible murder case. With the help of Bo, his friend and NOPD detective, Bru uncovers long-buried secrets that force him to confront both the haunted past and the hidden motives of those closest to him.
One of the novel’s greatest strengths lies in its structure. The narrative alternates between Bru’s and Bo’s perspectives, interwoven with glimpses into Buddy Bolden’s life and music. This layered storytelling builds toward revelations that are as emotional as they are surprising.
The cast of quirky, memorable characters adds warmth and texture to the mystery, each one playing a meaningful role in the unfolding drama.
I couldn’t put The Bolden Cylinder down. This fast-paced novel is more than a mystery—it’s jazz history, secrets, friendship, and New Orleans.