Customer Reviews

Death's Little Helpers (John March Mysteries)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was looking forward to this book, having loved "Black Maps". But I had a hard time finishing it.

First, I found March to be seriously irritating. Despite his constant movement, he struck me as basically passive; I kept wanting to say something like "get over it". Of course, this criticism is also a testimonial at how well Mr. Spiegelman delineated his character, I lose interest in a well written character who makes me impatient. The same can be said for March's girlfriend, Jane. Moving on...March's client is so dislikeable that I was constantly wondering why March was still working on the project, even after she fires him AND he understands that the case may be endangering people dear to him (I understand persistence, but to continue when your loved ones are threatened with physical harm, and the case is hardly of earthshattering importance anyway?) One of the consequences for me of this disbelief and irritation was that I didn't care who or what was responsible - I just lost interest. Some of this may also be attributable to the fact that the usual clue to clue journey of the detective structure was mostly missing. Instead, it was a lot of dead ends and a Big Revelation.

I enjoyed the author's "Black Maps" a lot, and found his newest book just as good. John March is a sympathetic hero, whose alienation from his family and occasional penchant for violence hint at a difficult past. The plot of this novel is a good one; it moved along well, though sometimes I wished the author would not so thoroughly describe every room that March enters. I also felt that girlfriend Jane's ambivalence about March's profession was not as well presented as it might have been. First she's with him, then she isn't, then she returns at the end more as a plot device to get March out of trouble than anything else, and then she is gone again. I'd like to understand her better, and see the two of them in a real discussion about his work. However, I cared about her and about March: that is tribute to the author's skill.

Finally, I hope the author will at some point go more into March's past, and show us how he became the man he is. Highly recommended.

I recently picked up a copy TIME Magazine and read the article on 5 mystery books/authors that you shouldn't miss. Usually I'm skeptical of professional reviews, but I'm happy to say that this one was spot on as far as Death's Little Helpers, by Peter Spiegelman, is concerned. The story and writing are of the highest quality and the characters are so compelling. I urge all fans of mystery and fiction in general, to give it a chance. You won't be sorry. I'm hooked and am curently reading Black Maps, the first book in the series.

It was not a complete loss, but it is slow moving, boring and some parts are annoyingly unbelievable.

One of the great strengths of Spiegelman's first book, Black Maps, was that it showed just how well the author understood the workings of Wall Street and could weave it into a compelling plot accessible to the layman.

Although this second book in the series also involves a prominent Wall Street figure, the emphasis is far less on the financial crime and more on what happens when a member of the family disappears without explanation.

The novel is paced well, more evenly than the first book. March's love interest is realized finally in this novel and the chemistry between the characters is much better. Spiegelman also allows the action to spill out of New York City, and his portrays of rural massachsetts ring true to those of us who know the area.

I was concerned that Spiegelman would stay in a Wall Street rut after the success of Black Maps. Thanksfully, he took a chance and the readers will reap the benefit.

This is a another great straight-ahead book. I really hope this book gets noticed. Involved, but not over the top at all. A real joy to read.

I read and rate 8 to10 books in this genre each month. I rate each book based on a 0-5 point scale. This book rated as follows: Characters: 4. Realism: 3.25. Description: 3.50. Ah Ha: 3.75. The Read: 4.00 Overall, the book ranked 34 out of 365 books

Death's Little Helpers is a great read. It's truly absorbing and the writing is spectacular. The characters grab you and it's difficult not to get emotionally involved with one or more of them. I found the young character Billy a very sympathetic one. The book is a real page turner, and you'll find it difficult to put down. It's a winner.

I read Black Maps, which is the first John March book. I thought that was great. Well let me tell you, this one is even better. The writing is crisp and sharp and the story complex. John March is turning into a classic PI who can run with the best of them. I am really looking forward to the next installment. A must read for all mystery fans.

Peter Spiegelman won the 2004 Shamus Award for Best First Novel with BLACK MAPS, which introduced not only Spiegelman but also his creation --- emotionally complicated New York City private investigator John March --- to the world. March is not cut from the rumpled knight-errant mold that most of his colleagues and peers, past and present, spring from. He is a bit of a fashion plate (without being metrosexual), he doesn't have to worry about money coming in (thanks to a trust fund), and his clients are more white shoe than downtrodden. On a crime fiction scale, March is closer to Amos Burke than Mike Hammer. Yet Spiegelman has somehow infused his narrative with an upper crust noir that is both credible and intriguing.

Spiegelman continues his March mythos with DEATH'S LITTLE HELPERS. March is retained to ascertain the whereabouts of one Gregory Danes, a Wall Street analyst whose television presence and reputation rose, and then fell, with the fortunes of the market. Danes, presently best known for his obnoxiousness and tenaciousness, has been attempting to restore his financial bona fides. When he suddenly disappears, it is noteworthy how few people notice and how even fewer care. It is Nina Sachs, Danes's ex-wife, who oddly enough retains March to find Danes. Her concern is ostensibly motivated by the sudden cessation of her alimony payments from Danes. Yet their already acrimonious relationship was further complicated by legal action Danes initiated against her, thus making it somewhat unlikely that she would care about Danes's unexpected disappearance.

March pursues a twisted trail that takes him from the boardrooms of Wall Street to the boiler rooms of New Jersey, yet every lead he follows raises more questions. He is disturbed to learn that someone else also appears to be pursuing Danes; given that Danes left tangled strings of deception, business betrayals and family difficulties in his wake, it is doubtful that March's opposite number wishes Danes, or March, well.

Meanwhile, March is dealing with the intricacies of his relationship with Jane Lu, his neighbor and lover, attempting to maintain a comfortable distance from long-term commitment while being inexorably drawn to it, even as his search for Danes moves toward an uncertain and potentially dangerous conclusion.

Throughout, Spiegelman creates a quiet cerebral tension that relies more upon drama than violence to propel the narrative. The man's powers of description are marvelous; while he does not infuse his narrative with the detail of a Faulkner or McCarthy, he will spend a page or so describing a room or a setting. Such a tendency in a lesser writer would bog down the narrative; Spiegelman, however, uses words as a painter uses a fine brush, providing details with a subtlety that entertains while it informs.

DEATH'S LITTLE HELPERS meets, and exceeds, the expectations created by BLACK MAPS. In the short space of two books, Spiegelman has made a place for himself on the A-list of writers of noir fiction. Highly recommended.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Affluent private eye John March does not need to work as his has a trust fund from the family banking business to pay his bills. Still, he enjoys sleuthing the mean streets and back allies of Wall Street solving financial related cases for his clients.

Worried that her alimony gravy may have ended, Nina Sachs hires John to find out what happened to her missing ex-husband, Gregory Danes, former financial guru who has recently fallen from grace on the Street. John quickly learns that Gregory's firm Pace-Loyette reprimanded him for unethical behavior and rumors abound that the SEC is coming for him. However, the simple missing person's case turns bizarre when John realizes competing sleuths are searching for Gregory. These soulless detectives work for some deadly folks high up in the Russian Mafia. If John can stay alive long enough to march from one clue to the next, he might find the missing former spouse, but not necessarily breathing.

Though John at times pontificates even when he takes a punch or bullets whiz by, fans will enjoy this hard boiled detective with a susceptible to love heart and seek his previous appearance (see award winning BLACK MAPS). The story line is action-packed as the simple inquiries turn ugly with adversaries willing to act as DEATH'S LITTLE HELPER. John is terrific and the end of the rainbow will stun the audience as much as it ravages the hero. Readers will enjoy Peter Spiegelman's unique look at the center of the capitalist system from a lethal perspective.