John Verdon

Oh, this series has grabbed me. And this latest installment was really hard to put down. I read when I should have been sleeping, when I should have been doing housework, when I should have been paying attention to cooking supper -- a bit of a hazard, actually. I read at train crossings. It almost tempted me into sneaking a few pages in quiet moment at church before the service -- which would have been quite inappropriate, especially on Good Friday.

Retired NYPD detective Dave Gurney is asked show more to help a journalism student with her latest project, which is turning into a TV series. It's a look at the families of the victims of a serial killer on the 10th anniversary of the unsolved so-called Good Shepherd murders. Kim, the student, is quite emotionally invested in her project, but is distracted by strange incidents which she blames on a stalking ex-boyfriend who worked with her early in the project's development.

What starts for Dave as a one-day consultation project quickly develops into something much more intense, as he is drawn into Kim's stalking drama and begins to question basic assumptions held about the long-ago killings. Dave's barn is set on fire. He manages to make an enemy of the lead FBI agent on the Good Shepherd case. And, perhaps creepiest of all, are the words of a mysterious whispered voice in a dark basement: Let the Devil Sleep!

This installment of the series also brings into sharper focus family relationships, particularly Dave's relationship with his grown son Kyle.

There's something about this writer's style . . . I can't quite put my finger on it. It's fast-paced, driving, yet there's room for character introspection. Anyway, when I'm in the mood for a suspenseful read, it really works for me. show less

Think of a number between 1 and 1,000: Go on, first one that enters your head.

7.

So John Verdon arrives on the scene with a cliche-ridden brick of a book about a genius detective whose obsessive behaviour is damaging his marriage and so he has retired from the NYPD to upstate NY where everything will be much better...if he doesn't get dragged into solving a mystery for an old college mate who is being sent freaky hand-written messages by a scary person who seems to know more about the show more recipient than is reasonable for anyone.

It's obvious where this is going to go and it does, but nevermind - Verdon has crafted a page-turner with vivid even if off-the-shelf characters. There's a technique he uses to show off his protagonist's skills. In group interactions he likes to set up a moron (always a bloke) and a sharply perceptive and well educated woman to compare and contrast with his hero. In fact he'll try to squash in several types of moron if he can. No wonder he was the most celebrated detective in NYPD history with all those other idiots about - in fact it's amazing any crimes get solved now he's retired - oh! They don't - he has to come back and do it for them...

There are zillions of other books out there about psychos and genius detectives but most of them are far less worthy of your time than this one. show less

I'll get the official stuff out of the way first: I received my copy of Peter Pan Must Die through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. No other compensation was received, and no one tried to influence my opinion of the book. Of course, they didn't need to do that because I thought it was a terrific read!

This is the third "Dave Gurney" novel I've read, after Nos. 1 and 2 - somehow, I missed out on No. 3, but I'm going to remedy that situation right away. I've loved each book, but I think show more this is my favorite of the three I've read. In each installment in the series, you see a little more of what makes Gurney tick. I love that. I just find him a very fascinating and appealing character. And in this one, his wife Madeleine comes a little further out of the shadows and seems more like a real person: In the other books, I thought she came across as a self-centered nag; but here she seems very human and real and understandable. Oh, and the story of the crime and pursuit of the criminal is riveting, too! Verdon is a real expert at keeping you on the edge of your seat. This one gets four stars, and comes very close to four-and-a-half. Definitely one I'll recommend. show less

The plot plays out in the latest in the latest Dave Gurney thriller at Wolf Lake Lodge, in the remote Adirondacks. It is certainly not without a tantalizing history. Shortly after it became an inn in the early 1900s, wolves devoured its founder on the property. The entire setting screams gothic horror starting with the raving gray man carrying an axe and raving about a hawk that knows evil. The inn itself reinforces this concept with it’s creepy vestige standing in the shadow of two show more mountains with names that continue the theme…Devil’s Fang and Cemetery Ridge. We then have vague cell phone service…wolves howling, and an attic that holds a terrifying tableau…all adding to the festering scene. Add in that the crimes that Dave Gurney is there to investigate…while not letting the client know that he’s investigating…all take on a horrible, unbelievable life of their own. Four men…all from different parts of the country have allegedly committed suicide after being hypnotized by the same man…Richard Hammond…and have experienced the same nightmare involving the wolves. The story now takes on the resemblance of The Shinning on steroids. Madeline…Gurney’s wife that has accompanied him is greeted in the bathroom of the inn by the vision of a former lover of hers dead in the bathtub. Our hero, Dave Gurney keeps a steady hand and a cool head and begins the task of sorting out this giant mess that the local police have somehow managed to botch and answer the glaring question of the century…can a nightmare be used as a murder weapon? I loved the book. The entire idea was intriguing and held my interest from page 1. Lots of clever twists, plenty of good… though sometimes unusual characters, and a creepy, isolated old inn with a sordid past….what more could you ask for? show less