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Subtraction
Las Vegas in the 60s.
Mark Paris is pretty much an ex. Ex-boxer, ex-soldier, ex-mathematician, ex-husband. Now he passes the time winning small in casinos and offering assistance to people who can't find it anywhere else. He calls himself The Professor, much to the amusement of local criminals and barmen, and the contempt of the police.
An early phone-call from an acquaintance brings him his latest job, cleaning up after a sudden death, and at much the same time he's invited to help an elegant businesswoman with big trouble on her hands.
Can The Professor work out the right directions to head in, before his past catches up with him, or the people who wish him ill manage to cut his equation off permanently?
Mark Paris is pretty much an ex. Ex-boxer, ex-soldier, ex-mathematician, ex-husband. Now he passes the time winning small in casinos and offering assistance to people who can't find it anywhere else. He calls himself The Professor, much to the amusement of local criminals and barmen, and the contempt of the police.
An early phone-call from an acquaintance brings him his latest job, cleaning up after a sudden death, and at much the same time he's invited to help an elegant businesswoman with big trouble on her hands.
Can The Professor work out the right directions to head in, before his past catches up with him, or the people who wish him ill manage to cut his equation off permanently?
269 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 23, 2013
5 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Peters
13 books48 followersBorn in the swamps of Glamorgan, I have wandered the world, generally with a guitar in hand.
Here I am in a beautiful village in central Spain, where the sun shines, the lake is warm, the drink is cheap and the people and animals are friendly.
I share my place with two gorgeous local cats, more guitars than I can count and a fridge full of wine.
Oh, and I write stories. Many of them about Otis King, Memphis' Number One Welsh Blues detective. Others about Angels, murderers, failed Super-Villains and ingrowing toenails.
I'd be happy if some of my stories amused you for a while.
Here I am in a beautiful village in central Spain, where the sun shines, the lake is warm, the drink is cheap and the people and animals are friendly.
I share my place with two gorgeous local cats, more guitars than I can count and a fridge full of wine.
Oh, and I write stories. Many of them about Otis King, Memphis' Number One Welsh Blues detective. Others about Angels, murderers, failed Super-Villains and ingrowing toenails.
I'd be happy if some of my stories amused you for a while.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 3, 2014
A new character for Mr Peters in this full length crime novel, in which he departs from his usual hilarious style, not to say there isn't still some humour in this tale of wealthy young widower whose hobby is to take on cases as a P.I. in L.A. with the nickname of 'Professor'. A call from a friend about the killing of a girl in a hotel room sends him on a trail of mysterious deaths leading to a surprising end. Gripping the reader from the start this book is one you just can't put down and proves without a shadow of doubt that Andrew Peters can write a serious crime thriller as well as anybody can, a talent that places him up there with the best. Highly recommended.
November 3, 2014
Nicely done old-school type of story. The period and tone are throwbacks, but Peters avoids having it come off as musty. He's also good at striking the balance between jaunty and too jokey, mild and spicy, light and dark. He's a good driver; take a ride with him.
November 3, 2014
A Thoroughly Engaging Chandleresque Romp Through Sleazy Street.
Our hero, Professor Mark Paris, is a man who had been pretty aimless since the death of his wife. He likes fine food, fine wine, gambling large sums, and to have the desirable Margot on his arm. A wealthy man, he can afford to live at his ease. And, for the most part, he does.
But, although something of an idle man-about-town, when prodded, the Prof can be stirred out of his lethargy sufficiently to take on the role of part-time private investigator (unlicensed) when the fates or fancy moves him. He is surprisingly successful as a PI and has gained something of a reputation as a man with a good brain who is able to fight for justice when the police seem happy to let things lie.
So, when a sometime acquaintance found a dead prostitute in his bed, his protestations of innocence in the hooker’s murder drew a reluctant Prof into action to check out the sleazy side of the street on his friend’s behalf.
But his dilettante efforts proved insufficient to prevent the next death, that of his friend.
Since his friend no longer required his services, the Prof next took on the case of the madam of a high-class brothel. The madam told the Prof that she feared for her business as first one, then another of her part-time ‘ladies of the night’ had been persuaded into premature retirement after being badly beaten. She asked the Prof to find out who was behind these vicious attacks.
Soon, the Prof was engaged in a high-end game of intrigue where nothing was quite what it seemed. But the threats to both the Prof and his girlfriend, the delectable Margot, were real enough. Not a man to crumple under physical danger, the Prof ignored the threats and continued his investigation.
Yet, even though he sought help and information from a mostly useless network of acquaintances who supposedly had their ears to the ground, he was no nearer to finding out who was responsible for beatings that had now escalated into further murders.
The attacks on the hookers continued. The bodies were starting to pile up in a most inconvenient manner for the Prof, especially as he hadn’t troubled to tell the police what was happening.
Then he got lucky; the murderer proved all too human and made a small, but fateful miscalculation. The ever-astute Prof was quick to pounce on this first indicator of guilt.
And in a confrontation with the murderer, he put his life on the line with the nonchalance of a man who felt he had little to bind him to the human existence.
In the Prof, the author has created an engaging, all too believeable, character who is more than capable of supporting a series.
I thoroughly enjoyed Subtraction and look forward to more of the same. Five stars.
Our hero, Professor Mark Paris, is a man who had been pretty aimless since the death of his wife. He likes fine food, fine wine, gambling large sums, and to have the desirable Margot on his arm. A wealthy man, he can afford to live at his ease. And, for the most part, he does.
But, although something of an idle man-about-town, when prodded, the Prof can be stirred out of his lethargy sufficiently to take on the role of part-time private investigator (unlicensed) when the fates or fancy moves him. He is surprisingly successful as a PI and has gained something of a reputation as a man with a good brain who is able to fight for justice when the police seem happy to let things lie.
So, when a sometime acquaintance found a dead prostitute in his bed, his protestations of innocence in the hooker’s murder drew a reluctant Prof into action to check out the sleazy side of the street on his friend’s behalf.
But his dilettante efforts proved insufficient to prevent the next death, that of his friend.
Since his friend no longer required his services, the Prof next took on the case of the madam of a high-class brothel. The madam told the Prof that she feared for her business as first one, then another of her part-time ‘ladies of the night’ had been persuaded into premature retirement after being badly beaten. She asked the Prof to find out who was behind these vicious attacks.
Soon, the Prof was engaged in a high-end game of intrigue where nothing was quite what it seemed. But the threats to both the Prof and his girlfriend, the delectable Margot, were real enough. Not a man to crumple under physical danger, the Prof ignored the threats and continued his investigation.
Yet, even though he sought help and information from a mostly useless network of acquaintances who supposedly had their ears to the ground, he was no nearer to finding out who was responsible for beatings that had now escalated into further murders.
The attacks on the hookers continued. The bodies were starting to pile up in a most inconvenient manner for the Prof, especially as he hadn’t troubled to tell the police what was happening.
Then he got lucky; the murderer proved all too human and made a small, but fateful miscalculation. The ever-astute Prof was quick to pounce on this first indicator of guilt.
And in a confrontation with the murderer, he put his life on the line with the nonchalance of a man who felt he had little to bind him to the human existence.
In the Prof, the author has created an engaging, all too believeable, character who is more than capable of supporting a series.
I thoroughly enjoyed Subtraction and look forward to more of the same. Five stars.
November 3, 2014
In 1960s Las Vegas, Mark Paris, ex-mathematician, ex-boxer, ex-soldier and just about ex-everything he’s ever tried, including marriage, has a reputation for fixing things and knowing useful people. With no real idea of what he wants to do in life he makes money playing the tables in Vegas casinos and spends his free time helping people sort out the problems no one else will take. His many talents are called upon when a drinking acquaintance telephones him in panic to report that he’s woken up next to a dead blonde hooker, and that he has no memory of what happened. Drawn in against his better judgment Mark agrees to help clear up the scene. In doing so he becomes inexorably caught up in a sinister and complex crime. Soon he’s not only trying to solve the mystery, but is also fighting for his life…
I downloaded this novel intending to add it to my long TBR list, but decided to take a sneak peak at the beginning. An hour later I was still reading. The story grabbed my attention from page one. The main character, Mark Paris, tells his tale in hindsight with witty asides in the narration that had me laughing out loud at times. Author Andrew Peters has a relaxed, easy writing style and an appealing turn of phrase that makes this well-plotted, gritty mystery a delight to read. Five stars from me for the sheer enjoyment his story provided.
I downloaded this novel intending to add it to my long TBR list, but decided to take a sneak peak at the beginning. An hour later I was still reading. The story grabbed my attention from page one. The main character, Mark Paris, tells his tale in hindsight with witty asides in the narration that had me laughing out loud at times. Author Andrew Peters has a relaxed, easy writing style and an appealing turn of phrase that makes this well-plotted, gritty mystery a delight to read. Five stars from me for the sheer enjoyment his story provided.
November 3, 2014
...another terrific read from a superbly gifted crime-story spinner...
...Author Andrew Peters possesses that rarest of talents, the ability to make story-telling appear simple... the distinctive trademark, dry, throwaway humour wraps so easily round SUBTRACTION, it's almost a character in itself... the setting is Las Vegas in the 60's, with enough voluptuous females, the threat of violence from big-time gangsters, the ever-present reality of the need for prostitution, the need being income and excitement for the hookers, and the need for making money for the bordello owners... the primary character, Mark Paris has brains and street smarts aplenty to keep himself above water in a dangerous city, flitting from cop stations to society-columnists' desks, to seedy bars and upscale restaurants, sharing his bed with enough womanhood to keep him physically and mentally exercised... murder and violence sit side by side in this latest masterly offering from a highly gifted writer...
...Author Andrew Peters possesses that rarest of talents, the ability to make story-telling appear simple... the distinctive trademark, dry, throwaway humour wraps so easily round SUBTRACTION, it's almost a character in itself... the setting is Las Vegas in the 60's, with enough voluptuous females, the threat of violence from big-time gangsters, the ever-present reality of the need for prostitution, the need being income and excitement for the hookers, and the need for making money for the bordello owners... the primary character, Mark Paris has brains and street smarts aplenty to keep himself above water in a dangerous city, flitting from cop stations to society-columnists' desks, to seedy bars and upscale restaurants, sharing his bed with enough womanhood to keep him physically and mentally exercised... murder and violence sit side by side in this latest masterly offering from a highly gifted writer...
November 3, 2014
"Subtraction" by Andrew Peters is a crime noir book set in 1960s Las Vegas and features Mark Paris, a professor on 'sabbatical' in Las Vegas who earns his money as a fixer.
We get thrown right into the story of Stan Maxwell, his latest client, who wakes up next to a dead blonde hooker in a motel room. Paris cleans it up but the story has only just begun.
Told in a dry and witty commentary the case unfolds into a more complex and involved mystery. Andrews has a very engaging and wonderful style of writing that makes his stories very enjoyable but this is rather well plotted. Set in the 1960s the detecting is done in the oldfashioned way by deducting (subtracting?)information and establishing facts logically. As always original and never boring this is great intelligent entertainment.
We get thrown right into the story of Stan Maxwell, his latest client, who wakes up next to a dead blonde hooker in a motel room. Paris cleans it up but the story has only just begun.
Told in a dry and witty commentary the case unfolds into a more complex and involved mystery. Andrews has a very engaging and wonderful style of writing that makes his stories very enjoyable but this is rather well plotted. Set in the 1960s the detecting is done in the oldfashioned way by deducting (subtracting?)information and establishing facts logically. As always original and never boring this is great intelligent entertainment.
February 8, 2017
Good
the story had so many different people doing things that were against the law or covered up that it takes to the end of book to fall in to place.
the story had so many different people doing things that were against the law or covered up that it takes to the end of book to fall in to place.
November 3, 2014
Offbeat story told conversationally by the protagonist as if the reader was tagging along. Good portrayal of Las Vegas without trying to be a tourist brochure, and a murder mystery that actually makes sense all the way to the end.
December 22, 2014
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews