EMPIRE OF SIN A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans

Krist's memoir features Louis Armstrong, a possible serial killer, streetwalkers, politicians, prohibitionists, and, sadly, a rather dull performance by narrator Robertson Dean. Nothing in Dean's voice reflects the liveliness of the book's subject: raucous New Orleans at the turn of the twentieth century. Dean reads straightforwardly--and there's nothing wrong with that, necessarily, but it sure falls short of expectations for this look at a city that has, with varying degrees of success, resisted moral crusaders for well over a hundred years. The New Orleans of the book is vigorous and dynamic; Dean's narration is not. G.S.D. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2015]