Black Maps - Softcover

Peter Spiegelman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099453444 ISBN 13: 9780099453444

Publisher: Arrow Books Ltd, 2005

Synopsis

Years after the personal tragedy that scarred his life, Private Investigator John March lives a twilight existence in Manhattan. He is tough and ruthlessly efficient in his professional life, yet introspective and vulnerable when it comes to his relationships with women. And he struggles daily to maintain a tenuous armed truce with his memories. March's latest case threatens to shatter that brittle peace: his client is a banker who is being blackmailed, and the man's beautiful wife is in the firing line. March's prime suspect is Gerard Nassouli, a monstrous manipulator who vanished years ago. Is Nassouli still a fugitive, or has the law - or one of his many enemies - finally caught up with him? Did he die, or was the vanishing act just one more devilish ploy? Whoever is behind the blackmail is not afraid of killing and March is going to risk everything, including a fragile new happiness as he plunges into a feverish world of greed, corruption and murder. Praise for "Black Maps": 'He knows where the bodies are buried and he knows how to write' - Jonathan Kellerman. 'Stylish and fast-moving- gripping' - "Daily Telegraph". 'An excellent 21st century thriller'. - "Independent". 'Spiegelman's first novel pitches from one taut, suspenseful scene to another - Nothing about this stylish, literate mystery reads like a debut, as Spiegelman handles the complex plot with verve. John March is one of the most intriguing new PIs to come along in quite some time, and if this strong first outing is any indication, he should be in for a long and enjoyable run.' - "Publishers Weekly." 'From the first growls of its take-no-prisoners narrator, all the way to the vivid financial details that only an insider can deliver, "Black Maps" takes readers on an engrossing underground tour through the world of high finance.' - Brad Meltzer.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

The stronghold of white-collar crime in the rarefied world of high finance?this is the setting for Peter Spiegelman's edgy, suspenseful, sharply-honed debut novel.

At the center: John March, who walked away from his family's venerable merchant bank for the life of a rural deputy sheriff?a life that would explode in personal tragedy and professional disaster. Three years later, he's back in Manhattan, working as a PI and running from his grief and the expectations of his wealthy family.

March takes the case of Rick Pierro, a self-made man who has everything?and who's in danger of losing it all. An anonymous, poisonous threat has implicated him in a vast money-laundering scheme already under investigation by the feds.

March's own investigation uncovers a blood-stained paper trail that leads him deep into the lives of both insiders and outcasts on the street. He discovers that his client may be the latest victim of a serial extortionist diabolically adept at psychological and physical intimidation, but the more March learns the more questions he has about Pierro, his wife, and the secrets hidden beneath the glossy surfaces of their lives. And the more he begins to fear that his own blood will be added to the trail before the case is closed.

With its headlong narrative, quick, incisive language, and brilliantly clarified details of finance?the legal and the illegal?Black Maps is a stunning first novel.

About the Author:

Peter Spiegelman is a twenty-year veteran of the financial services and software industries. He retired in 2001 to devote himself to writing. He lives in Connecticut.

About this edition

• Publisher: Arrow Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0099453444
• ISBN 13: 9780099453444
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240