Red Cat

November 6, 2006
At the start of Spiegelman's fine third crime novel to feature New York City PI John March (after Black Maps
and Death's Little Helpers
), March's Wall Street executive brother, David, comes to March for help with a particularly nasty problem. David has been having torrid sex with a woman he met on the Internet who goes by the name of Wren, and now she's threatening to go public with their affair. David stands to lose his wife and his job unless March can find out what's going on. It turns out that Wren's not a blackmailer—she's a performance artist who videotapes men cheating on their wives, then sells the tapes to art collectors. When Wren turns up dead, David becomes the chief suspect. The melancholy March, his personal life in tatters, hovers constantly on the edge of depression, but he loves his work, and it's this passion that keeps him where readers will want him in the future: on the job. Spiegelman doesn't break new ground, but he continues to be one of today's best practitioners of neo-noir. Author tour.

December 1, 2006
Wall Street may be a rarefied world, but its inhabitants also can plumb the depths. John March is the black sheep of an investment banking family, formerly a cop and now a private investigator. When his very respectable older brother, David, comes to him for help, John quickly finds himself in a sordid world of perverse sex, dubious art, and, of course, murder. David is being harassed by a woman he met for a few sexual encounters. When she turns up murdered, David and his wife become the prime suspects. Spiegelman retired early from two decades on Wall Street, and his first March book, "Black Maps" (2003), won a Shamus Award. The second, "Death's Little Helpers" (2005), also made good use of financial background, but here we get more detecting and less white-collar ambiance. As John matures, so does Spiegelman. The writing is cleaner, the characters are varied and well drawn, and most of all, the plot is believably complex and full of shocking twists. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 10/1/06.]Roland Person, formerly with Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2006
The third entry in the John March series will provide a satisfying meal for any fan of Manhattan PI novels. In fact, Spiegelman stakes a strong claim to Lawrence Block's Matt Scudder turf (although it is to be hoped Scudder won't cede that territory soon). This time out, the stoic and savvy March must track down brother David's most recent mistress before she follows through on her threat to confront David's wife. For a man who spurned his family's august investment firm to become a detective, it's a hard assignment to swallow--especially with the churlish David constantly shoving March's black-sheep status down his throat. Throw in March's relationship with a married woman who doesn't appreciate his questions about why spouses cheat, and the tension couldn't be much thicker--until his brother's fling gets flung into a river with five slugs in her face, that is. Her intriguing, disturbing backstory gives Spiegelman a chance to revisit a favorite theme: the severe damage family members can inflict on each other in a seemingly endless dance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)

Starred review from April 30, 2007
Gould’s precise diction, which proved to be surprisingly effective in his narration of Raymond Chandler’s works, is just as satisfying in interpreting Spiegelman’s new John March novel. And why not? Spiegelman has come closer to channeling Chandler than just about any other private eye writer in recent memory. March has a mindset and honor system remarkably similar to Chandler’s Philip Marlowe. These are sleuths who use their brains along with their muscles, and Gould’s careful enunciation reflects that. Through March’s first-person narration, we walk the cold, sleet-slippery mean streets looking into the murder of a beautiful and promiscuous young woman. Gould creates an impressive lineup of characters: dumbing down his voice to become a lovesick bruiser, catching the hollow bravado of an actor in midlife crisis or adding a touch of East Coast snobbery to an assortment of quiet money types. Red Cat is a solid, stylishly written crime yarn, and Gould’s interpretation turns it into a near-classic. Simultaneous release with the Knopf hardcover (Reviews, Nov. 6).

June 15, 2007
Spiegelman's third entry in his series of "John March" books finds the New York private detective hired by his own brother to track down a woman who has been stalking him. David knew the woman as a classy hooker he had met over the Internet but had no idea she was videotaping their meetings. Now she is threatening to inform David's wife about the affair, but he tells John that all he knows about her is her name, Wren. As John begins his investigation, he discovers that "Wren" is actually an actress who is developing her own genre of "art films" by filming men in the midst of extramarital affairs. Wren's death brings a new problem for John to ponder: Could his brother be guilty of murder? Elliott Gould brings his years of acting experience to the reading of this novel, and, for the most part, he is exceptional. However, there are frequent pauses in the middle of passages that give listeners the feeling that Gould is taking a drink of water. Also, the volume level of the program fluctuates significantly, with some segments at normal volume while others are uncomfortably loud. These quibbles aside, "Red Cat" will be a popular addition to all audiobook collections.Joseph L. Carlson, Allan Hancock Coll., Lompoc, CA

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.