Review: Think Of A Number by John Verdon
by Jenners • 07/08/2010 • 3.5 Stars, Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, T Titles, V Authors • 21 Comments
Think Of A NumberCrown Publishers, Random House, July 2010
ISBN: 978-0-307-58892-0
418 pages
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Story Description
Dave Gurney is a retired NYPD homicide investigator credited with catching numerous serial killers during his illustrious career. But he’s been retired for the past two years and trying to live a quiet life with his wife Madeline in a little town in upstate New York. When an old college buddy, Mark Mellery, contacts Gurney about a disturbing letter he’s recently received, Gurney’s interest is piqued. The letter asked Mellery to: “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.” Mellery thought of the number 658 … and inside a little sealed envelope that accompanied the letter it says “Does it shock you that I knew you would pick 658?” The letter goes on to give instructions about where to mail an oddly specific amount of money in order to find out why the letter writer seemingly knows so much about Mellery.
Intrigued, Gurney questions Mellery in-depth about the letter, how it arrived, and how the writer could have known the number that Mellery would think of―a number that Mellery insists meant nothing to him. Reluctant to involve the police, Mellery asks Gurney for his help in figuring out what is going on. As additional letters arrive, Gurney gets more and more involved in solving the puzzle. As the author of the notes performs additional acts of seeming clairvoyance, the stakes escalate, and Gurney becomes increasingly concerned about Mellery’s welfare. When Mellery turns up dead―and the crime scene is filled with odd details and seemingly impossible and nonsensical evidence―Gurney gets involved with the investigation, which expands as related cases are uncovered.
As Gurney races to find a serial killer who seems to be infallible and predicting the police’s every move, he is also forced to confront his own troubled past and a marriage that is teetering on the brink of disaster.
My Thoughts
To paraphrase the popular song from Porgy and Bess:
Summertime…
And my reading is thrillin’
Killers are killing
And the mysteries are good.(OK … that was no parody worthy of Jill at Fizzy Thoughts but I tried.)
I love reading mystery thrillers during this time of year. Nothing like the sun baking your brain while tackling a mystery. I’m pleased to report that Think Of A Number is a fast-moving, intriguing mystery/thriller that will have you turning the pages so fast you’ll forget to reapply sunscreen and will end up reading on the beach until the tide comes in.
Now I have to confess that I’m not the brightest bulb when it comes to mysteries. I almost never figure out who done it. But in this book, that isn’t necessarily the issue. It is more like “How does who done it.” Just like Gurney, I got involved in figuring out how the killer was doing all these seemingly impossible things like predicting numbers and vanishing into thin air at a crime scene. And don’t worry … there is nothing supernatural going on here. Everything is explained and makes sense (at least to this dim bulb) … but darned if I knew how it was being done until Gurney unraveled the puzzle.
The other thing I liked about the book besides the intriguing mystery was how Verdon gave Gurney a compelling back story. Hopefully, this will not be the last Dave Gurney book; he seems like a character ripe with possibility. This is Verdon’s first novel, and I think he did a whiz bang job with it. Of course, I suspect he might have a hard time topping the premise of this book, but I wish him luck, and I hope to be reading another Dave Gurney book this time next year when my brain is, once again, ripe to be thrilled.
My Final Recommendation
As much a “how it was done” as well as a “who done it,” Think Of A Number is a fast-paced, exciting mystery/thriller that is a cut above average with an interesting hero and an intriguing puzzle of a mystery. Definitely recommended for summer beach reading!
The Whys and Wheres
I saw this book advertised on Shelf Awareness and on Net Galley and somehow managed to snare both an ARC and a PDF for my Kindle. Good news for you … it means it means the ARC will be in my August giveaway!
What are other book bloggers saying about this book? Find out at the Book Blogs Search Engine.
Loved your review! I'm looking forward to this book!
Okay, this is the second fantabulous review I've read of this book…you all have convinced me….I just bumped it to the top of my "buy now" list!
I adore a great mystery!!! I'm the queen of mysteries!….just keep that in mind come August, okie doke?
Wow, I'm excited now! Just got this one in the mail yesterday. Fantastic review, Jenners! sounds like a real winner to me.
sounds like it'd make a good movie, too!
This does sound interesting, I do enjoy a good mystery thriller. I can't usually figure out 'who dunnit' either…lol.
Great review!
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
this one sounds really good . . . TBR list. That thing just keeps getting longer. Funny I never had one before I started blogging.
This sounds VERY good!! Dadgum you….I keep finding books here that I want to read!! I'll never get to them all!
Okay….off to add this to my wish-list. I'll hold off buying on the remote chance I might win again in August.
I like the sound of this one. I can't help but think it would make a great movie too!
You've definitely made me curious!
I think you have just come up with a whole new genre – How does who done it.
Thanks for the recommendation, it sounds just like my kind of read.
I can never figure out endings either. Sometimes not even after they tell me what it is…
I somehow missed this in SA, so I'm really glad to be exposed to it here. I love a good mystery/thriller.
Ech, I had a copy of this, but as I'm not big into mysteries of this sort, I gave it away. Now I'm regretting that choice.
Sounds really good. Sun screen is so much work, then you have to go wash your hands before you can turn pages…
I'm not really a big mystery person, but I love the idea behind this. It makes me automatically think Mellery wrote the letter himself and involved himself in something…but then again, what do *I* know?
My mom is reading this one as well since I snagged the new thriller for her at BBC. She was excited. She loves these mysteries.
This sounds like it's right up my alley! Great review, as always.
Hey first before I comment on the review, I noticed you are reading The Passage…I'm listening to it right now as well! Great minds think alike!
LOVE the little rhyme! There is nothing like a grisly mystery to devour while lying by the pool. This one definitely has a curious approach…not just your average "find a dead body, search for the demented killer and bad things happen" kinda deal. Nice find!
I will not start whining about how I wish it was winter….
I will say though that I always, regardless of season, love a good thriller/mystery and this one sounds interesting.
I really enjoyed reading your review. Especially the Porgy and Bess tribute
If only it were summertime here in Australia.
This who/how done it sounds wonderful. Fit for anytime of the year.