Description

An extraordinary fiction debut, Think of a Number is an exquisitely plotted novel of suspense that grows relentlessly darker and more frightening as its pace accelerates, forcing its deeply troubled characters to moments of startling self-revelation.
 
Arriving in the mail over a period of weeks are taunting letters that end with a simple declaration, “Think of any number…picture it…now see how well I know your secrets.”  Amazingly, those who comply find that the letter writer has predicted their random choice exactly.  For Dave Gurney, just retired as the NYPD’s top homicide investigator and forging a new life with his wife, Madeleine, in upstate New York, the letters are oddities that begin as a diverting puzzle but quickly ignite a massive serial murder investigation.
 
What police are confronted with is a completely baffling killer, one who is fond of rhymes filled with threats and warnings, whose attention to detail is unprecedented, and who has an uncanny knack for disappearing into thin air.  Even more disturbing, the scale of his ambition seems to widen as events unfold.
 
Brought in as an investigative consultant, Dave Gurney soon accomplishes deductive breakthroughs that leave local police in awe.  Yet, even as he matches wits with his seemingly clairvoyant opponent, Gurney’s tragedy-marred past rises up to haunt him, his marriage approaches a dangerous precipice, and finally, a dark, cold fear builds that he’s met an adversary who can’t be stopped.
 
In the end, fighting to keep his bearings amid a whirlwind of menace and destruction, Gurney sees the truth of what he’s become – what we all become when guilty memories fester – and how his wife Madeleine’s clear-eyed advice may be the only answer that makes sense.
 
A work that defies easy labels -- at once a propulsive masterpiece of suspense and an absorbing immersion in the lives of characters so real we seem to hear their heartbeats – Think of a Number is a novel you’ll not soon forget.


From the Hardcover edition.

Details

• Published on: 2010-06-25
• Released on: 2010-07-06
• Format: Kindle Book

Reviews

I am thrilled to introduce Dave Gurney, retired homicide detective!
Edward X Delaney has long been my favorite detective in a crime fiction series. Until now....Allow me to introduce Dave Gurney, Ret. NYPD Detective, famous for catching serial killers, now the main character in "Think of a Number," by first-time novelist John Verdon.

Advice to Mr. Verdon: Keep those Gurney books coming. You've got a long, bright future with this character, his driven nature, and his smart wife. Can you tell I loved this book?!

So how does Dave Gurney compare with Det. Delaney? Gurney does not eat drippy tomato sandwiches over the kitchen sink nor does he drink exotic liquors or beers. But both men are very methodical, very minute in first figuring out how the murder was done, then finding the killer. Delaney had a dying wife, but Gurney has a very smart one. In fact, on at least two occasions, she provides the key to discovering the mystery behind two of the murders.

What Lawrence Sanders does in the Deadly Sins series and Verdon in this (hopefully) new Gurney series is give the reader very human detectives with positive traits and negative ones. Gurney is very rational, logical, number-driven, and possessing a powerful work ethic that won't rest until the murder is solved and the murderer arrested.

"Think of a Number" is doubly tricky. What would you do if a mysterious letter arrived and the contents indicated that the writer knew of your secret history and could identify a number that he asks you to randomly pick right then. And voila! The number in the second envelope is exactly the wild, random number you picked out of 1000. Your number is 658; the number in the second envelope is 658. How in the world!!? And how does he know your past. You continue to receive communications from this unknown person, each more ominous.

The receiver is Mark Mellery, a college acquaintance of Gurney, one he barely knew, but one who knows Gurney's record for catching serial killers. Mellery is really frightened and pretty much begs Gurney to find out who the letter-writer, then telephone-caller is. Madeleine, Gurney's wife, pretty much begs him to not get involved. He is retired; they were supposed to do things together. She was a patient wife during all his absences of active duty cases when his steel-trap mind was working non-stop to solve serial murders.

Then there's the art teacher who is attracted to Gurney, despite his marital status and despite also having Madeleine as a student in the same art class. This class was Madeleine's effort to have them do things together in their retirement. But what annoys her is that this art teacher is encouraging Gurney in his new art effort. He takes photos of his serial killers and uses a photo program to enhance the killer look. Too chilling, too horrifying, too downright reminiscent of the killers' sick psyches. And this woman would hang these in her art gallery! And call him on pretext!

Oh, I could wax on all night about this book. Short version: Gurney is hooked. New York pays him as a consultant. There are murders and such spooky mysteries concerning each case. How are the victims related? What is the connection? Does Gurney maintain his record and solve them? You would think so, wouldn't you?

John Verdon, please keep Dave Gurney alive by writing another book! He is too fascinating a character, as is his smart wife, to let them rest in just one book!

3 1/2 Stars -- A Good (Not Great) Debut That Is A Step Removed From The "Same Old, Same Old" In The Mystery Genre!
John Verdon's first book, Think Of A Number, provides some needed freshness to the mystery genre, which is filled with books that can be characterized as "same old, same old." While Think Of A Number has a few too many peaks and valleys, it, overall, is an interesting, suspenseful and intelligent book that I found enjoyable and entertaining. Without going into a lot of detail, the plot kicks off with some people receiving a taunting letter that ends with a simple declaration: "See how well I know your secrets -- just think of a number." Those who comply find the letter writer has predicted their random choices exactly. For the retired police investigator brought in as a consultant, the letters are oddities that begin as a diverting puzzle but then ignite a massive serial murder investigation. Besides its well-written (though at times uneven) plot, Verdon does a good job in creating some realistic and multi-dimensional characters. That should be enough to help you decide if this is a book for you.

Suspenseful Puzzle Mystery--Loved It!
"Do you believe in Fate? I do, because I thought I'd never see you again--and then one day, there you were. It all came back: how you sound, how you move--most of all, how you think. If someone told you to think of a number, I know what number you'd think of. You don't believe me? I'll prove it to you. Think of any number up to a thousand--the first number that comes to your mind. Picture it. Now see how well I know your secrets. Open the little envelope." - From Think of a Number

With a deviously dazzling premise, Think of a Number--an amazing new debut by suspense novelist John Verdon--teases the reader (and torments retired NYPD detective Dave Gurney) with a puzzling mystery: how can an anonymous person be able to guess the number someone is thinking (it's already written on paper!), not once...but twice?

And why does this individual demand an $289.87 "finders fee"--payable in cash or check? As if that's not bizarre enough, why do the checks end up returned to the person...uncashed?

Gurney and his wife, Madeline, move to upstate New York to create a new life that will mend their shattered hearts. However, when Gurney attends an art appreciation class at Madeline's invitation, the unexpected happens: he becomes enthralled with the instructor, and then begins a rather obsessive new hobby of re-touching photos of the serial killers he apprehended while on the NYPD.

With Madeline disappointed and disheartened at Gurney's plunge back into a world of sickos, his attention is further pulled away from her by an unexpected email from a former college classmate of Gurney's--a famous Self-Help author and guru named Mark Mellery who receives a puzzling letter from someone called X. Arybdis. Mark has no idea who this person is, but fears the threatening tone of the letter--especially since he was an alcoholic prone to blackouts before his spiritual awakening.

Mellery pleads with Gurney to help him, but since no crime has been committed--and Mellery doesn't want to involve the police for several reasons--Gurney's at a loss to what he can do. Yet, the letters and notes continue, and an increasingly alarmed Mellery (and intrigued Gurney) try to solve the puzzle on their own.

But when Mellery ends up dead at his retreat center--with boot prints leading away from the body and then disappearing in the middle of a clearing--Gurney becomes sucked into a vortex of deception and additional murders, and the clever killer's hatred of cops may find Gurney among the victims...

Let me just say I gobbled up Think of a Number. Not since Thomas Harris's Hannibal Lecter books have I been so entertained and freaked out. It's hard enough crafting compelling characters, believable twists and comprehensible mazes that engage readers, but newcomer John Verdon not only accomplishes all of this, but also writes with such fresh panache. In fact, I marveled at his crackling prose and ability to create well-drawn characters, not to mention an absolutely irresistible mystery!

If you enjoy well-written, suspenseful puzzle mysteries involving intelligent killers, a dose of psychological profiling, and a marriage worth rooting for--I believe you will LOVE Think of A Number by John Verdon. (I can't wait for his next book!)

-- Janet Boyer, author of Back in Time Tarot