Chilling and psychologically complex, "Red Cat" is the electrifying story of a banker who is stalked by a lover he met online--a woman who films shocking videos of her affairs to sell as art. Unabridged. 9 CD Unabridged.
Red Cat: John March Series, Book 3 (John March Mysteries)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. 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.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
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. Frank Sennett
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Picky Reader
Format:Hardcover
The beginning is not too bad, though you can easily guess who the culprit is. The plot lacks punch, the style does not bring any real suspense. Big disappointment.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.9 out of 5 stars
23 reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Discovery
Feb 18 2007
By Linda Burkins
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
Easily one of the best mysteries I've read in a long time. John March is one of those jaded, cynical detectives in the noir tradition of Sam Spade, but there's an idealistic heart buried under his tough exterior. In "Red Cat," John tries to save his thankless brother David first from blackmail and later from a charge of murder. The murder victim is David's beautiful, talented, dangerously disturbed mistress and Spiegelman does a great job of making the reader care about this woman, whose unsavory life reads like a sleazy tabloid story. There are plenty of suspects to go around and Spiegelman also does a good job of diverting reader suspicion from one to the other. I admit I did have the who figured out before the end, but the clues were subtle and easily missed; and the story was so well-written, I enjoyed reading along and waiting for John's detecting to catch up to my own. The pacing of the story is excellent. In fact, I read the book in one day. Every time I tried to put it down and do something else, I just had to get back to it. All in all, a really well-written and enjoyable mystery.
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
fabulous modern day Noir
Feb 10 2007
By Harriet Klausner
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
Growing up brothers John and David March detested one another; as adults their scorn for the other remains unabated. Thus John is more than shocked when his snobbish business executive David turns to him for help. The married David used an Internet site to arrange a tryst. The woman videotaped their performance, which if revealed would cost the older sibling his job and probably his wife; he wants his younger sibling, a private investigator to find out what is going on and how to prevent the personal disaster from occurring. The only additional clue is a red cat tattoo on the hooker.
John learns the female is Wren, who is not blackmailing David per say, but considers herself an artist selling her tapes of married men cheating with her to the highest bidding collector. The scenario takes a deadly spin when someone murders Wren. John assumes that a sex client committed the homicide, but wonders if righteous David could have performed the deed even as he ponders whether blood is thick enough to propel him to protect David especially if he turns out to be the killer.
Besides the family dynamics, RED CAT is a fabulous modern day Noir that brings the Internet fully into the sub-genre. John is terrific as he loathes his pompous "superior" older brother, but also resolves to do his best by him as he is family. Peter Spiegelman provides a great whodunit starring one of the best sleuths to hit the information age (see BLACK MAPS and DEATH'S LITTLE HELPERS).
Harriet Klausner
John learns the female is Wren, who is not blackmailing David per say, but considers herself an artist selling her tapes of married men cheating with her to the highest bidding collector. The scenario takes a deadly spin when someone murders Wren. John assumes that a sex client committed the homicide, but wonders if righteous David could have performed the deed even as he ponders whether blood is thick enough to propel him to protect David especially if he turns out to be the killer.
Besides the family dynamics, RED CAT is a fabulous modern day Noir that brings the Internet fully into the sub-genre. John is terrific as he loathes his pompous "superior" older brother, but also resolves to do his best by him as he is family. Peter Spiegelman provides a great whodunit starring one of the best sleuths to hit the information age (see BLACK MAPS and DEATH'S LITTLE HELPERS).
Harriet Klausner
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
John March is not your stereotypical gumshoe
Mar 3 2007
By Henry W. Wagner
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
As Spiegelman's third John March novel opens, the PI is approached by his insufferable brother David for help in extracting himself from a scenario straight out of Fatal Attraction--sexually adventurous, David is being stalked by a woman he met on the Internet who is apparently interested in more than anonymous sexual trysts. Somehow, she's figured out who he is, and is threatening to reveal their illicit affair to David's wife. David, who only knows the woman as "Wren", finds himself in need of someone with his brother's unique skill set. John agrees to help his sibling, and begins digging into the woman's background. Before he can locate her, however, a corpse fitting Wren's description is fished from the Hudson, rendering his brother a suspect in a brutal murder.
Inventive, nimble, and knowing, Spiegelman cements his position as one of today's most gifted mystery writers with the action rich, yet strangely cerebral, Red Cat. John March is intelligent, sensitive and empathetic, a thinking man's gumshoe who brings a fresh perspective to the mystery genre. March is totally consumed by the difficult case, which leads him into some pretty volatile terrain, both professional and personal, teaching him lessons about himself and about his brother, with whom he has little in common. Although she never appears in a speaking role in this novel, Wren is a powerful presence in the book, exerting a strong influence over the people around her, and, eventually over John, as he comes to appreciate her as a person.
Inventive, nimble, and knowing, Spiegelman cements his position as one of today's most gifted mystery writers with the action rich, yet strangely cerebral, Red Cat. John March is intelligent, sensitive and empathetic, a thinking man's gumshoe who brings a fresh perspective to the mystery genre. March is totally consumed by the difficult case, which leads him into some pretty volatile terrain, both professional and personal, teaching him lessons about himself and about his brother, with whom he has little in common. Although she never appears in a speaking role in this novel, Wren is a powerful presence in the book, exerting a strong influence over the people around her, and, eventually over John, as he comes to appreciate her as a person.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 23 reviews
3.9 out of 5 stars
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
