Cahokia Jazz

By: Francis Spufford

Narrated by: Andy Ingalls

* Winner of the Sidewise Award for Alternate History * Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction * Named a Best Book of the Year by the New Yorker, The New York Times, Fresh Air (top 10 pick), NPR, the Los Angeles Times (top 15 pick),The Washington Post, and more!

The bestselling and award-winning author of Golden Hill delivers a "dazzling" (Los Angeles Times), “smoky, brooding noir set in the 1920s” (Slate) that reimagines how American history would be different if, instead of being decimated, indigenous populations had thrived.

Like his earlier novel Golden Hill, Francis Spufford’s Cahokia Jazz inhabits a different version of America, now through the lens of a subtly altered 1920s—a fully imagined world filled with fog, cigarette smoke, dubious motives, danger, and dark deeds. In the main character of hard-boiled detective Joe Barrow, we have a hero of truly epic proportions, a troubled soul to fall in love with as you are swept along by a propulsive and brilliantly twisty plot.

One snowy night at the end of winter, Barrow and his partner find a body on the roof of a skyscraper. Down below, streetcar bells ring, factory whistles blow, Americans drink in speakeasies and dance to the tempo of modern times. But this is Cahokia, the ancient indigenous city beside the Mississippi living on as a teeming industrial metropolis containing people of every race and creed. Among them, peace holds. Just about. Yet that corpse on the roof will spark a week of drama in which this altered world will spill its secrets and be brought, against a soundtrack of jazz clarinets and wailing streetcars, either to destruction or rebirth.

“Atmospheric…many of us will recognize our own held-breath bafflement, caught, as we are, on the darkling plain of our own barely believable times” (The Washington Post).

Critic reviews

"Narrator Andy Ingalls delivers all the nuances of a full cast in Spufford's latest, a literary detective novel that takes place in an alternate universe. In an authoritative tone, Ingalls brings to life Cahokia, located on the banks of the Mississippi. In the novel, this ancient Indigenous society lives on in the 1920s, seeming to flourish in its diversity. But when Barrow discovers a mutilated body, the community's facade of racial coexistence is exposed. Whether Native American, European, or African, each principal character has a unique voice, aiding the listener in following the complex story. Ingalls's skills shine as he smoothly delivers conversations in a hillbilly drawl, an Irish brogue, and the many other voices of the diverse characters. Ingalls is the perfect guide for this complex world."

Fantastic the whole way through.

A brutal murder, an investigation full of twists and turns, human fallibility and human triumph. Classic noir in an alter-Louisiana filled with sumptuous atmospheric details and music. Well worth the time.

Amazing creative, gorgeous prose

Amazing creative, gorgeous prose. I wish I could write half as well as the author.

This novel resonates profoundly with me

I picked this novel as one of my monthly credits because many years ago I was a graduate student doing field work at the Mississippian Culture site of Cahokia. I was curious as to how the author would incorporate the history of this unique archeological site into a fictional venue. This novel far exceeded any expectations I had. It was a grand effort by the author of constructing an incredibly believable alternative history and culture amongst the tapestry of American history. The development of language, class distinctions, and cultural were effortlessly woven into the real environment of post WWI America in the St. Louis area. Above and beyond the details of this evocative alternative Spufford addresses much larger issues of the human condition such as loyalty, love, and predjudice. Passages within this novel were so beautifully written I found myself going back and rereading and listening to them again. Spufford’s Cahokia and the cast of characters who lived there begged to be savored and contemplated. CAHOKIA JAZZ ranks among one of the finest books I have had the privilege to read. It will resonate with me for a very long time.

Cahokia feels so real

Cahokia is as fascinating as the other characters in this story. The place and the people will stay with me.

Unique World Building

The title to this caught my attention, because I like Jazz. The author created an awesome world. Who would have thought of a Native American country that became a part of the US. The details he used were awesome. The mystery was cool too.