Peter Spiegelman Books In Order

Publication Order of John March Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Harold Middleton Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Peter Spiegelman is an award-winning American writer of crime fiction, mystery, suspense, and thriller novels. He is also an ex-Wall Street executive. Spiegelman is particularly famous for writing the crime fiction series featuring the famous Manhattan-based private investigator named John March. The first book featuring John March is the winner of the Shamus Award in 2004. In all, he has penned five John March books and two standalone novels. Author Spiegelman has said that he came up with John March’s character while driving from Ridgefield to the place he worked in White Plains, New York. Spiegelman was born in 1958 in New York City. He was brought up in Forest Hills, Queens; and has also lived in Los Angeles for a short period. While growing up, he used to create his own superheroes and homemade comic books.

Spiegelman had developed an interest in writing at an early age. He completed his schooling from a boarding school and later obtained an undergraduate degree in English from the Vassar College, New York. For being a senior class member and demonstrating excellence in poetry composition, Spiegelman was awarded the Beatrice Dow Brown prize. Before going on to start a career in the field of writing, Spiegelman worked in the industry of financial services and spent 20 years of his life in this field. The reason for choosing to shift his focus from writing to working in financial services was Spiegelman’s poor financial background. He had to pay rent and earn for his family. This forced him to put his dream of becoming a writer to a temporary halt. Spiegelman started by working as a computer programmer. He was employed at a small consulting firm in New York and went on to become J.P. Morgan’s vice president. Later, he worked for various other companies such as The Frustum Group, where he was a junior partner. This company was involved in selling computer software to big financial institutions.

Spiegelman also worked with brokerage firms, central banks, and other leading banks throughout the world. In 2001, Frustum Group was sold for a high 8 figure sum. This allowed him the financial freedom to retire and focus on his writing interests. When asked about the time he spent on the trading floor of Wall Street, Spiegelman said that it is a perfect place to study uncompromising greed and dysfunctional egos, which are great for aspiring novelists. According to him, Wall Street is a noirish place. Author Spiegelman gained inspiration and was influenced by the works of authors like Ross Macdonald, Dashiell Hammett, and Raymond Chandler. He is happily married and resides in Ridgefield, Connecticut. His wife, Alice Wang, is a managing director at JP Morgan.

After winning the 2004 Shamus Award in the Best First private Investigator category, Spiegelman went on to receive a Barry Award nomination in 2008 for his third John March novel. His standalone book, Thick as Thieves, has been recognized as one of the best fiction novels of 2011 by Elaine Szewczyk, the editor of Kirkus Reviews. Nowadays, Spiegelman is not much active in the field of writing. He likes to take out time for writing stories whenever he can. Most of the time, he remains in the company of his family members and enjoys his life after retirement. Spiegelman is grateful for all the love and support given to him by readers from all over the world. He also offers his gratitude to all the critics who have genuinely reviewed his work and have pointed out areas where there is scope for improvement. Spiegelman is hopeful of coming up with a new book in the near future.

The John March series written by author Peter Spiegelman is comprised of a total of 5 books released between 2003 and 2009. In each of the books, John March is depicted as the central character. He is shown as a former deputy sheriff and current private investigator living in Manhattan. John March hails from a merchant-banking family. Several other essential characters created by Spiegelman for the series include Rick Pierro, Gregory Danes, David March, Wren, etc. The debut book of this series is entitled ‘Black Maps’. It was released in 2003 by the Knopf publication. Initially, it is mentioned that John March moves away from his wealthy banking family to work as a deputy sheriff. This decision ends in a professional disaster and personal tragedy for John. After a period of 3 years, he returns to Manhattan and takes up the job of a private investigator.

The first case that he takes up is that of a wealthy man named Rick Pierro. He informs John that he is in danger of losing everything. The feds already investigating his involvement in a money-laundering case. With his investigation, John March uncovers a paper trail with blood stains that lead him to deadly insiders and dangerous outsiders living on the streets. John also finds that Rick Pierro is the victim of a notorious extortionist, who plays by physical and psychological intimidation. The more he investigates, the more questions come to his mind related to Rick and his wife as well as the secrets revolving around their lives. John March also wonders about the safety of his life as the path he has taken is filled with too many dangers. The narrative of this book is filled with incisive language, legal and illegal details of the finance business, and fast-paced plot. It was appreciated by many readers across the globe.

The second volume is entitled ‘Death’s Little Helpers’. It was also published by Knopf in 2005. The primary characters featured in this novel include Gregory Danes, John March, and a few others. This novel shows John March getting drawn into the world of corruption that runs from high finance institutions to organized crime’s dark underworld. Gregory Danes is introduced as an analyst working on Wall Street. When he goes missing, his former wife approaches John March to help her in finding him. The actual reason why the fashionable painter wants to find her ex-husband is that she wants her alimony checks to be signed by him. John’s investigation leads him to discover that many other people are trying to find Gregory Danes. He was considered a hot shot in the industry at one time, but lost all his touch lately. The only gains he had made in recent times were in enemies. Even the Russian mob members were after him. When John March’s family is threatened for his involvement in Gregory Danes’ disappearance investigation, he realizes that Gregory was involved in a far more dangerous thing than just insider trading.