Black Maps

In this debut novel, author Peter Spiegelman has created a complex and entertaining character, John March, who hopefully will be at the center of many mysteries to come. John March is now a private investigator three years after his life collapsed with the death of his wife thanks to a serial killer he was stalking on behalf of his employer at the time, the FBI. The pain is still fresh as are the constant and well-meaning efforts from family concerning his chosen profession. After all they reason, when one is born to money one should stay in a money field to make more and what he does for a living is so unseemly.But March goes his own way as most loners do and at the request of a friend takes the strange case of Rick Pierro. Rick is wealthy by anyone's standards and is being blackmailed. From documents the blackmailer supplied and is threatening to use, it appears that Rick was a small part of a massive money-laundering scheme years ago. Part of the scheme has come to light in the last year or so and multiple investigations are underway. While Rick admits to doing business deals with the principals named in the documents, he claims that the documents themselves are fakes and that all his deals were and still are legit. With his job on Wall Street in jeopardy, Rick wants to pay off the blackmailer once, if the person can be convinced not to come back for more. Rick can't afford a hint of scandal should anything come out but has no intention of being bled dry either.March thinks the whole deal is strange and problematic at best but agrees to do what he can. Before long, he suspects that Rick is lying to him and that Rick isn't the only one that the blackmailer has blackmailed. But the blackmailer, who takes offense at being looked for isn't the only one that has resources to deal with March. So too does a Federal Prosecutor and her task force which have to show result from months of investigation and at this point, they don't care how they go about it.Hammered from all sides, March works the case in this complex and enjoyable novel. March is multi layered and complex as are many of the supporting characters. These characters were not cut out from cardboard but are instead created and soon come alive in the reader's imagination as the work moves forward.At the same time, the storyline continually twists and turns as the novel works towards a conclusion hidden in the shadows. Nothing is what it seems or appears to be and as things move forward, events and characters get murkier and murkier in this gritty novel. This is an amazing book that this review does not do justice and is well worth the read.

As an avid mystery reader, I am always looking for the next "new thing" in the genre. I think that I have found it. Black Maps is an exciting debut in what I hope will become a long series of mysteries set in my hometown of NYC.The writer spins an exciting and complex tale that gives equal weight to atmosphere, character development, action, and of course, plot. He draws the reader into the world of banking and Wall Street. While he does present some pretty detailed and technical financial information, he does so with such style and ease, that it neither boring, nor difficult to follow.John March easily has to be the most exciting new PI character to come on the scene in a awhile. Like most detective characters, he's tough, smart, and always skeptical -- but that's where the similarities end. He's the black sheep of a well to do family, plus he's also got a boat load of guilt to contend with, thanks to the untimely death of his wife. (Hopefully that story will be developed in a prequel someday!) He's also got some unusual hobbies for a PI -- running, music, and reading, to name a few, which make him quite interesting, and a true New Yorker.Black Maps is a great read for any fan of fiction, mystery, NYC, or of great writing. In fact, I'd have to say that thing that most excites me about Spiegelman is his writing style. Its quality is well beyond what most people would expect in a book of this genre. If you love to read, get this book.One last comment, if there are any Steely Dan fans out there reading this review, you should definitely read this book!

If you are in search of a truly captivating mystery thriller, then put this on your list. Spiegelman sets the stage in New York City where you can feel the crispness of Autumn. The characters such as March and Piero are multi-dimensional, unpredictable yet consistent throughout. Jane Lu, the meticulous, supportive and successful Asian-American possesses unwavering loyalty and adds an element of calm to the intensity of the plot. So, boil the kettle, put on your ski socks & look forward to a cozy weekend read; it's really tough to put down! Enjoy... JG

Mr. Spiegelman accomplishes a great deal with his debut novel, _Black Maps_, and foremost among these is the introduction of John March, a New York private investigator who is doubly haunted: First, he is the black-sheep scion of an established Manhattan banking family---shattering family tradition, he became a cop in upstate New York. Second, and far more painfully, he is a widower---March's wife was murdered by a serial killer, whom March ultimately made pay---whose pain tore him from his upstate life forever.Now back in New York City and a PI, he narrates us through his world and his latest case, that of a good, self-made man who once had dealings with the notorious money-laundering Merchants Worldwide Bank and has now become the target of a ruthless and ingenious blackmailer.John March is a thoroughly engrossing character. Erudite, classy, and insightful, he is also tough, exceptionally street-savvy, and (as we learn more than once) damn quick with his fists. Imagine if Sam Spade had gone to an Ivy League school, or if the Thin Man had spent his formative years throwin' down with the neighborhood bad boys. Via Mr. Spiegelman's linguistic artistry, March's descriptions---of New York, of the fascinating characters he encounters (including some of the mystery blackmailer's other victims, members of March's psychologically complex family, his attractive new neighbor, and both a loyal friend and a despicable foe from his dark past), of EVERYTHING---are absolutely engaging. [As a side note, this reviewer is a Manhattan ex-pat, and I can tell you that both Mr. Spiegelman and his protagonist DEFINITELY know New York.] In addition, from the very beginning of _Black Maps_ (a hypnotic prologue that could easily stand alone as prose poetry), we see and even feel the shadows in John March's life---shadows of his family, shadows of his painful past---and these shadows are not only the perfect backdrop for a sleuth's investigation but also a brilliant parallel to the two newest shadows in March's world, the shades of menace cast by Merchant Worldwide's utterly evil boss (who disappeared when the Feds busted the criminal bank) and his sadistic enforcer.This reviewer had never read a Wall Street thriller (or any sort of "financial fiction") before and has minimal understanding of the world of high finance. However, I can tell you that this IN NO WAY hindered my enjoyment of _Black Maps_. This is due to a bit of expository genius on Mr. Spiegelman's part: Black sheep though he is, because of his heritage, John March certainly understands the financial world. However, because he is an intensely PRIVATE private investigator (private with everyone but the reader, of course), he plays his cards extremely close to his chest---any closer and they'd be inside his lungs!---and doesn't let his clients know about his family background. Thus he lets his clients "explain" to him---and teach us---all of the important fiscal details. When a client omits something or gets an

If anyone knows the price of fame it is John March, a former upstate New York law enforcement official. John gained his fifteen minutes of distinction when he solved a serial killer case, but at the cost of the murderer killing his spouse. Leaving his job to drown his sorrow and guilt with the bottle, John eventually relocates to Manhattan to work as a private investigator.College friend attorney Mike Metz arranges for John to help investment banker Rick Pierro. Someone is blackmailing Rick using documentation from as late as eighteen years ago that alleges the financier was part of a money-laundering scheme. The culprit threatens Rick's career by aborting a major promotion to the executive committee if the allegations became known. Rick wants John to find the extortionist in order to strike a deal until the selections are made in five weeks. Though accounting forensics is outside his lane, John accepts the case. However, the FBI tells him to stay out or else face charges of impeding a federal investigation while John's inquiries go nowhere except to a missing financier.BLACK MAPS takes the white collar out of the financial mystery by placing it inside an urban noir private investigative tale with a blue-collar attitude due to the hero. The story line is somewhat complex because of the fiscal dealings, but more so because of John who swims in a salty sea filled with tuxedo sharks with he being a fresh water guppy. Though his angst and guilt at times feels overwhelming, the lead character is a strong individual. Peter Spiegelman needs to write more adventures of John in the land of Wall Street.Harriet Klausner