Think of a Number - Softcover

Verdon, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141048700 ISBN 13: 9780141048703

Publisher: Penguin, 2010

Synopsis

Think of a Number is the chilling debut from John Verdon.

It begins with a letter . . . The letter contains a request - think of a number, any number - and a sealed envelope. Inside the envelope is that number.

When Dave Gurney, retired NYPD homicide detective, is contacted by an old college acquaintance about some startling letters he's been receiving, it is at first little more than a diverting but sinister puzzle. Until the acquaintance is brutally killed.

Suddenly Gurney finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation that makes no sense. The killer seems to have known his victim intimately. How else was he able to predict his victim's thoughts, even his actions? How did he know his darkest secrets?

The killer is smart and he is playing with the police. Gurney needs to be smarter if he's going to catch him, but this seems only to be the beginning. And the killer alone knows where it will end.

Think of a Number is the debut from John Verdon and is the first in a series starring the retired detective Dave Gurney. In the tradition of Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay, John Verdon's unique high-concept plot and memorable cast of series characters will be a major hit with thriller fans. Subsequent titles include let The Devil Sleep and Shut Your Eyes Tight.

Praise for John Verdon:
'The best thriller I've read in a long, long time' Tess Gerritsen
'Wow! Totally absorbing, brilliantly written. The best book I've read this year' The Sun

John Verdon, a former Manhattan advertising executive, lives with his wife on a small hilltop in upstate New York. His first two Dave Gurney novels are Think of a Number and Shut Your Eyes Tight.

About this title

Review:

Written with pace, style, intelligence, teasing puzzles and lots of tension.The number I'm thinking of is 1! (Reginald Hill)

Addictive and thoroughly engrossing . . . this tale will grab hold of you like a steel jaw trap (Joseph Finder)

Spectacular and mind-bending . . . the best thriller I've read in a long, long time. John Verdon's writing is so polished, so nuanced, it makes me envious that I didn't write this terrific novel (Tess Gerritsen)

John Verdon has written a flawless novel about flawed people and he's written it beautifully (Nelson DeMille)

With its edge-of-the-chair suspense, memorable characters that jump off the pages, and elegant and deft writing, John Verdon's Think of a Number is a stunning debut (Faye Kellerman)

One of the finest thrillers I've read in years. I devoured it. In a genre frequently and sadly known for delivering more of the same old familiar stuff, Think of a Number stands out as original and exciting (John Katzenbach)

Simply one of the best thrillers I've read in a lifetime of thriller reading - eloquent, heart-rending, deeply suspenseful on many levels, and relentlessly intelligent. Absolutely not to be missed! (John Lescroart)

About the Author:

John Verdon, a former Manhattan advertising executive, lives with his wife on a small hilltop in upstate New York. His first two Dave Gurney novels are Think of a Number and Shut Your Eyes Tight.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0141048700
• ISBN 13: 9780141048703
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 512