What do You think about Black Maps (2003)?
You get what you expect here. Spiegelman prefers the introverted, conflicted anti-hero to the skull crushing bravado of say Spillane's Mike Hammer, but at its heart it's still a gumshoe detective novel. It flowed well and I enjoyed the muted style of the violence and the romance through much of it. It's the second book I've read by Spiegelman and while I'm not in a rush to go out and buy his others, they do make for good travel reading. A solid 3.5 stars that I rounded up out of thankfulness for keeping me going on long car rides this summer.
—Jacob
#1 of the John March series. I very much enjoyed Spiegelman's depiction of investigator John March's efforts. No computer specialist who can track a phone call in seconds or instaneously match DNA evidence, rather this novel features intelligent following of available clues. This is not to say that March is everyman; he is obviously a superior physical and mental speciman without extending into the range of superhero. A much recommended read.John March, a sheriff's investigator for seven years in upstate New York, gained fame for solving a serial killer case that had baffled locals and the FBI. He lost his wife to this killer, went into a tailspin of alcohol abuse, then emerged as a private eye in Manhattan. Now working for a lawyer friend, he must find out who is blackmailing a self-made millionaire in danger of losing it all. A mysterious financier, missing for three years, seems to be the key, while both a sociopathic ex-employee of the financier and the FBI threaten March. Recorded.
—Ed
A good standard mystery novel that I polished off in a weekend while recovering from a cold.It occurred to me while reading this book that women who wish to understand men might profitably read this novel, as the hero is a modern variation on a standard male fantasy figure, the Last Moral Man in a Corrupt World, a familiar figure in mystery novels from Raymond Chandler onwards. This hero is especially beloved by those of us who have failed to cut a very successful figure in life. In this case, the Last Moral Man is born into enviable privilege (a problem that few of us, sadly, have to deal with), rejects it, finds and loses great happiness, shoulders crushing despair, passes through a dark night of the soul, and emerges at the other end physically fit, impossibly disciplined, and with a clearer moral vision. If reading about such a character is your idea of a good time, this is a book for you. If not, not.
—David
