"The numbers game gets a murderous spin in Verdon's deft, literate debut.
Recently retired NYPD homicide detective Dave Gurney is an old warhorse much too easily led to water, in the view of his increasingly disenchanted wife, who insists it's now me-time. But it surprises neither of them that Gurney snaps at the lure when a beleaguered friend sets before him a tasty, number-driven puzzle. Mark Mellery has been receiving mysterious mailings that terrify him because he's convinced the author of them can somehow read his mind, and because the mailings threaten his death for crimes he can't recall having committed. Nor is Mellery the only one, it soon become evident, as a particularly malignant serial killer buckles down to business. Ever the puzzle master, Gurney tracks and unravels each clue until—in an attenuated denouement that constitutes one of this thriller's rare self-indulgences—he finally makes the numbers add up." About the author:
John Verdon has held several executive positions with Manhattan advertising firms, but like his protagonist, he recently relocated with his wife to rural upstate New York. Think of a Number is his first novel.
My Thoughts:
Think of a Number is a debut novel by John Verdon and is a murder mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end. Retired NYPD detective Dave Gurney and his wife Madeliene moved out of the big city to try to get their life back together after he retires. He is asked by Mark Mellery, who he went to college with, to help him try to figure out the messages he is receiving by an unknown person. The first letter to arrive states "See how well I know your secrets- just think of a number." Mark comes up with the number and is shocked when the second letter states what the number is. It is exactly the number that Mark has picked. Dave's wife is not real happy to have him dragged into this puzzle, but Dave is not a person to not help out a friend and he loves solving puzzles. As he investigates further there are more messages left for Mark. Mark has an alcoholic past and he knows he has made some enemies but does not remember some parts of his past so it is up to the two of them to try to figure out the cryptic messages. The messages start to get more threatening and are in the form of poems written in red ink. Then Mark is found murdered at his retreat center, and Dave is asked by the police to be an investigative consultant and it is up to his puzzle solving skills to try to prevent any more murders.His consulting takes a toll on his fragile marriage as there is the death of his second son that he still has not come to grips with and some issues regarding his first son. This is a unique mystery as Dave gets into the mind of the killer and when he realizes that he and his wife may be in the killers path he needs to work fast. In the story you also get into the mind of the killer as he plans his next moves and what his ultimate goal is. I found this to be a very readable story and I hope the author is planning on a sequel or a series. Great book!!!
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