Think of a Number

I have found myself to be on a mystery novel kick of late and took the bait for Think of a Num3r after seeing it in my the store recommendations. I had high hopes for the book after reading the synopsis, especially with all of the glowing reviews from other writers I enjoy, but ultimately I was left unsatisfied. Loaded with elliptical prose and an excess of introspection for the protagonist (retired NYPD detective Gurney), the general impression was of an author trying too hard. There were certainly some interesting parts to the plot, but they were swamped by very dense and at times meaningless narrative.

I give him a 4 for concept/plot and 1.5 for delivery (rounded up to 3...) Perhaps Verdon's writing style will resonate more with other readers, but for me this will be my first and last book of his that I will buy.

I should have known what kind of book this was as I started the preview. Terrible, way too hyperbolic. As you read the preview you can get an idea of how this writer goes on and on about varying points. If he were a painter, the color would be too surrealistic. I am sorry I could not re-coup my money before it was too late.

My understanding is that this is a first novel. So, first and foremost, bravo for that. It's hard to get published. This novel does have several virtues, not the least of which is an hilariously convoluted plan by our fiendishly brilliant psycho killer villain. Plus, a clever use of the author's professional experience.

Unfortunately, it has some first-novel flaws. It's overlong. It's repetitive. Why is every encounter between our selfish, glum, always-tired hero and his unhappy earth mother wife virtually the same? We get it; you don't have to give us 14 scenes that illustrate the same point that we understood by Scene 2. (By the way: Get divorced, already, and put us out of your misery.) And there are characters - or I should say, caricactures --constantly and annoyingly defined by one trait only, from which they never deviate because our author doesn't seem to want to show us their humanity.

But those are minor flaws, compared to the gaping hole at the center of this plot. I won't give any spoilers, but it seems to me that any mystery fan could spot it as quickly as I did, because I'm no Sherlock either. I simply asked myself why some basic investigative protocol was being completely ignored by both the police and by our hero. I also asked myself why our hero, who is presented to us as being the greatest detective ever in New York because he is so rigorously logical - even to the point of using Holme's dictum about eliminating the impossible -- ignores something so glaringly obvious.

Then I got to the climax, and my question was answered: Because the story would have ended about 400 pages earlier.

I tried to read this book back when it was released but could not find the interest to want to read the book, so I put it down and walked away from it. It was only because I am attempting to go through my to be read pile of books that have been sitting there a long time that I picked up this book again. I started from the beginning again as it was so long ago. The prologue was good. It had my attention. The next couple of chapters were ok but because they are short in length I was able to get through them pretty quickly. It was apparent quickly that I was not wrong in putting down this book the first time. There was what I thought to be a lot of useless chatter. I flipped ahead skipping chapters just to see when the story picked up. It was not after about 2 to 3 more times of doing this that I finally found the story to pick up but I did not continue reading the book. Not impressed.

Think of a Number-- I found this novel suspenseful and intriguing. The intimidating and even frightening mystery of how could a "stranger" know you so well that he/she could even read your very thoughts, say by guessing the very number that popped into your mind when prompted. That is just the beginning of the enigmas that present themselves early on. All the characters seemed very real and complex with their back stories, foibles, and even some strident personalities. The main character Dave Gurney is flawed but endearing. He wants to make his marriage work, but he cannot give up his passion of detective work even though retired. Annoyed and lonely, his wife sees her husband's consuming interest in detective work as a diversion that he hides behind rather than face some of his buried emotional issues, which he avoids. Beautifully written and engaging novel! I loved it!

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW
2 STAR REVIEW

My Review
Like many Audible members with just one credit per month to spend, I choose my books carefully. This book not only has a plethora of 5 star reader reviews but has also received fulsome praise from some big name authors, here are some excerpts:
"Rarely have I read a debut novel that has gripped me as this one has from the first page to the last" .... Nelson De Mille
"John Verdon's Think of a Number is 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" .... John Lescroart.
"Verdon's protagonist Dave Gurney is one for the ages, and readers everywhere will surely clamour to see this man again" .... David Baldacci.
(See full comments on the Audible page)
Yet another temptation to choose this book was the fact that it is the first in a series, and I'm always on the lookout for a good mystery series. For all that, it soon became clear that this book was not meant for me, I didn't much care for the story. It started off well enough and I was certainly grabbed by the "think of a number" conundrum, but as I listened my interest waned, and here's why: The characters, none of them seemed to be fully developed, I neither got to know or found a connection with anyone sufficient enough to either like or dislike them. Madeleine, Dave Gurneys' wife for example, who was to contribute much to the solving of the case, remained in the shadowy background having just a few sentences here and there. We were given hints of her story but I would have liked to have known more about her.
Dave, throughout the story is touted by his past colleagues as having been a top notch detective, a genius at his work, which is why I couldn't understand why it took him so very long to solve the mysteries, (because even I could) indeed, there was a huge clue early on, which had it not been missed, would have led straight to the perpetrator. It was from this point on that the story lost all credulity for me. In fact it was his wife who provided him with the wherewithal to solve these mysteries. Madeleine is, in my opinion the genius in that marraige. Parts of this story are greatly detailed, including as it does a complete psychological lecture and a few meetings which, as in real life, (therefore quite realistic) did drag on a bit thereby slowing the flow. I really wanted less talk and more action.This is a book with wonderful reviews and critical acclaim, and it's not easy for a reviewer to write of ones dissatisfaction with such a lauded work. Nevertheless, I do believe that this book is a good example of that which pleases many people doesn't please all.
Narrator
Narrated by George Newburn who has a pleasant voice but does use a similar pitch and tone for all, this made character differentiation a little hard. I found the narration somewhat inconsistent in that for most of the time he sounded a tad disinterested, he did though, show a bit of enthusiasm at times.
This is my own copy of Think of a Number purchased from Audible US
I am grateful to audible for their returns policy

I don't consider myself to be a nitpicky critic when it comes to books; I either like them, love them or hate them and then try to figure out why. I must have liked this book because I read it in a day and a half. As opposed to other reviewers on here, I did not guess the mystery itself until just a few pages before Dave Gurney, so that in itself kept me turning the pages. I had some major problems with the characters themselves, however, which just got worse as the book went on. It's funny, because while reading this book I kept catching myself doing something I've never done before. I kept wondering, "How does the author want me to feel about...this character...and that character?" It's hard to explain but I somehow felt that, between Dave and Madeleine, he wanted me to like one over the other but I kept wavering as to which way I was supposed to feel. Truly, by the end of the book I wished both of them would get back to marriage counseling pronto, because they both have some major personal issues to deal with. Dave seems to think he is the smartest person in the room while at the same time wanting them all to think that he is humble. He doesn't have much nice to say about anyone, especially his fellow team-mates on the task force. Not one. You would think that he could have found one officer that he could relate to, but no, they were all bumbling idiots in his perception. He couldn't trust anyone else to do the work; he had to run himself ragged driving all over the countryside to solve the murder himself. This, and his vaguely inappropriate relationship with his art instructor, is what has his wife so worked up. So, since I clearly have this poor regard for Dave Gurney, you would think that I would be sympathetic to his wife right? No. I think that she was supposed to come across as lonely and long-suffering but all I saw was a passive aggressive woman who thinks she is better than her husband and uses every means available to make sure that he knows it.

Having said all of that, I still think the book was a good first effort and am going to continue reading the series in the hopes that the author had some kind of purpose in distracting us from the mystery itself with this muddled marriage. The author hinted at some sort of epiphany of Dave's towards the end of the book and I hope that he carries on with this in the following books. Perhaps if Dave calms himself down then Madeleine will lighten up. We shall see.

Dave Gurney is a quasi (officially? Well sort of, but not really, as we come to find out…) retired detective who, with his wife Madeleine, moved to the Catskills in upstate New York in the hopes of living out his life surrounded by quiet nature and picturesque day hikes. Sounds pretty good, right? Well, as it turns out, just because you retire doesn’t mean your priorities, interests, or lifetime obsessions change. Such is the case with our protagonist, Dave, and his seeming inability to leave a mystery unsolved, even when it obviously interferes with his life and marriage, which leads to a lot of passive aggressive and not so subtle awkward exchanges between him and Madeleine.

The story really gets going when an old acquaintance from college contacts Dave to help him get to the bottom of a seemingly unsolvable and somewhat threatening mystery letter. It’s a taunting letter that ends with a challenge, “Think of any number…picture it…now see how well I know your secrets.” We come to find out that the letter writer has predicted the random number selection exactly. For Dave, the letter is an oddity that begins as a distracting puzzle but quickly leads to his involvement in a massive serial murder investigation.

Of course, Dave is a “super-detective” who never lets a case go unsolved, and his unmatched deductive skills lead to breakthroughs that leave local police in awe (and sometimes annoyed). As a result, he gets brought into the case as an “investigative consultant”. As Gurney tries to keep up with and catch his seemingly unbeatable opponent, his tragedy-filled past won’t stop haunting him, his marriage grows increasingly tense, and finally, he begins to second guess whether he can catch the killer.

Summing it up: 3.5/5 stars. This is Verdon’s first book, and overall I really enjoyed it. It’s a pretty good start from a relatively new mystery/crime writer. Although I liked this book – which is actually the first in the Dave Gurney series (yay! I love series mysteries…) – there were parts of the narrative, plot, and character development that were just a little annoying. The pace of the story felt right, and I found myself looking forward to reading a few chapters every night. The mystery was intriguing and the resolution creative and somewhat unexpected, which is always fun. However, I sometimes felt like the narrative and plot got a little too bogged down in what sometimes seemed like random or “tossed in” background information – dramas from Gurney’s past that actually didn’t seem to have much bearing (or, a tenuous bearing at best) on the overall story of the serial murder case. It could have been Verdon’s attempt at providing details to build out Gurney’s character – perhaps to provide our protagonist with added depth and complexity that he otherwise didn’t really seem to have?

That was my other challenge – I didn’t always like Gurney as a protagonist and sometimes he felt too “flat”. Once I got a sense for his MO, nothing he did really surprised me, which was unfortunate because I like to feel surprised by my main characters. Don’t get me wrong, I love a flawed character, but he was almost too perfectly flawed and never drifted from his character “type”. Frequently, he just seemed too ready to act in ways that he knew would upset his wife, thus leading to the same set of awkward and passive aggressive interactions occurring between them over and over again. For a “genius” detective, I found myself occasionally feeling irritated when he made obviously bad decisions (really, he's a genius???). Also, on more than one occasion it seemed like his wife Madeleine was actually the one leading him in the right direction with the case – providing solutions to clues that I’m not sure he would have otherwise arrived at on his own. So, is he really the genius detective everyone makes him out to be?

However, I have to say that even given those issues, it was a good crime mystery with some interesting "police procedural" tossed into the mix. It’s an enjoyable first novel from an author who I expect will continue to produce quality material. I will definitely be checking out Shut Your Eyes Tight (the next installation in the Dave Gurney series).

I am going to make this a brief but hopefully helpful review. Actually, I am not even going to say if the book is good or bad, considering how subjective that is. I am simply going to make a couple of points and then let you draw your own conclusions:

1) While I consider myself an intelligent person, when it comes to these mystery books I must admit that I'm very "slow", usually I don't figure out who the killer is until it is thrown right at my face. Lame, I know. The reason I am saying this is that while reading this book I managed to pick up on the mystery way before the "brilliant" Detective Gurney. Considering my usual ineptitude to solve mysteries, this is saying a lot.

2) The main character, Detective David Gurney, is made out to be a brilliant cop, almost a genius of superior intellect. However, throughout the book he is outsmarted by his wife several times, and he makes those mistakes that have you slap your forehead in disbelief. I have to say, I automatically disqualify any book that has its hero make those forehead-slapping mistakes that make me roll my eyes. Really, to me that is a deal breaker. If anyone had told me I would find that in this book, it would have been enough to prevent me from buying it. So if you are like me and don't like having your intelligence underestimated, I suggest you look elsewhere. If you are able to overlook that, you may find this book quite passable.

Well, this was not as short as I planned, but I hope it helps!

I ordered this book on the basis of the largely positive reviews and I’m very glad I did. Although, as others have mentioned, it gets off to rather a slow start it quickly accelerates once the hero, retired NYPD detective, Dave Gurney, takes the ‘bait’ in the form of a phone call from an old college friend.

Gurney and his wife Madeleine have moved into the country following his retirement, into what many would regard as a rural idyll. However, to his wife’s obvious chagrin, in his mind, Gurney, hasn’t retired: he is an inveterate problem solver; a quality, no doubt, that led to him being something of a superstar homicide detective with a host of high profile arrests of notorious serial killers on his CV. This, of course, is the reason his one-time ’buddy’ contacts him out of the blue to ask for his help in solving his problem, the form of which arrived through his letter box in the form of a vaguely threatening poem. After receiving a couple more, each of which represent a subtle increase on the ‘threatening’ scale the friend, a kind of spiritual guru, quite understandably, is becoming increasingly distressed.

On the whole, this is an excellent ‘police’ procedural but there are a few slight irritations. For example, we have the stock characters of ‘intransigent, dogmatic, by-the-book, control freak police chief’ and ‘high-flying, whiz-kid district attorney’ looking to boost his career with a high profile arrest and conviction to name but two and we are constantly made aware of almost all of the attractive women with whom he comes into contact and why they are so! Nevertheless, the puzzles set by the villain together with the confidently crafted narrative make for a very entertaining novel: may it be the first of many!

is the best description for this read.
Unnecessary chatter that rambled on.
Dave Gurney, a retired detective, is an interesting character going through a mid life crisis.
Just when he thought he was out, they pulled him back in.
It started with a long lost friend receiving a strange letter, ESP, and poems. What?
Why didn't Dave go interview the man with the P.O. box? If Dave was a genius detective why did his wife solve many of the clues?
The ending was unsatisfying after such a long journey.
Not bad for a first novel but i hope the next one is an improvement.

This debut novel featuring former homicide detective Dave Gurney is a nice introduction to what seems to be a new series.

The premise: someone is sending taunting letters to random men. The letters purport to know of secret misdeeds from their pasts -- and the sender seems to be able to read their minds as he asks them to "think of a number" -- which he identifies.

Murder follows. Is this really the work of a true serial killer? What are the motives for the unusual rituals that the killer uses, patterns that repeat in subsequent cases. How are the murders related?

Dave Gurney is known for his logic and puzzle solving skills. Though he had retired, he is called back to help the local police investigate the crimes. His wife, Madeline, is not happy about his return as he has the unfortunate problem with becoming completely absorbed in his work.

The mystery is solved, and though predictable if the reader is paying close attention, the conclusion is satisfying.

So why 3 stars? The story was good enough but I just couldn't get past the superficiality. The characters are not fully developed and though the author hints of situations and issues from the past, nothing is explained and they seem aloof and I didn't connect with them nor empathize with them. I did not care at all for Madeline nor her role in basically giving this 'famed detective' many of the answers to confounding clues in the book. I wondered who was actually solving the case! That was a real irritant to me while reading.

I am interested enough in Dave Gurney to contemplate reading the second book in the series, Shut Your Eyes Tight (Dave Gurney, No. 2): A Novel, but won't rush right out to obtain it.

This was one of those novels that I wanted to like more than I did. A "smart" well-written mystery with an intriguing plot. Sounds like a winner, right? Well, obviously a lot of other readers DID like this one, and liked it a lot. But I found the tone of the novel much too dark and foreboding. Not enough lightness or humor, and too much of a creepy vibe for my tastes. Plus, I didn't feel any real connection with characters. A clever story, but maybe too much so?

On the plus side, Verdon has a confident, smooth writing style. Parts of this novel seem OVER written to me, as if he's trying too hard, but he's certainly not dumbing down his prose like many contemporary "thriller" writers are doing nowadays. Also, the premise of this mystery is indeed one that will hook many readers. Unfortunately, I got to the point where I just didn't care what happened. I just wanted all of these annoying characters to go away!

This is the first book in the Dave Gurney Series. This audiobook is narrated by Scott Brick. Scott also did the second book in this series Shut Your Eyes Tight. 

John Verdon is a once in a lifetime author. He has no law enforcement background but writes like a retired cop, much like his main character Dave Gurney. Dave is A retired NYPD Detective and is asked to look at a case.

This is the first time we meet Dave and his wife and son. His (what I call) Anti-Partner Jack Hargrove and his need to solve puzzles. Dave puts his whole heart into this case and even risks his own life to answer questions and close the case tight.

This is a book of substance but keeps you listening through the very end. This book does not have slow areas as each chapter you learn along with Dave what is happening. This is a great book and series. I am sold and a big fan.

I bought this book for my own pleasure and review purposes.

If you like following leads with your detective character, you will enjoy going along as he solves the puzzle of these murders. The killer has a scam going where he taunts people about knowing their secrets. Dave Gurney is a retired police office who has retired with his wife to the countryside and keeps himself busy doing portraits of killers. An old college friend looks him up and needs help. He wants him to figure out who is contacting him. He doesn't want to have police involved. Gurney becomes interested - another puzzle - and to his wife's disappointment, goes off on another detecting job. Soon it becomes a hunt for a serial killer. This is a very good story and Gurney and his wife are interesting people. I will read the next one.

"'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord." -- Hebrews 10:30 (NKJV)

Think of a Numb3r combines the best of Golden Age puzzles with the visceral rawness of a fifties story about a deranged killer. If you are a fan of those types of mysteries, this is a great book to read.

Today's mysteries tend to add to the mix a fascinating detective, whose life we come to inhabit rather closely. Here's where some readers will have a valid complaint: While retired homicide detective Dave Gurney is a great puzzle solver, he's far from the most engaging detective to read about. He's filled with anxieties and regrets that you may not share. If you don't, you'll feel a little too much psychological distance from the book that will affect your ability to enjoy the story, independent of the puzzle.

I found the ending to be a bit of a disappointment in that this piece of the puzzle should have been obvious to Gurney et al much sooner. That's the only reason I graded the book down at all. If this part doesn't bother you when you get to it, you'll probably think this is a little better book than I did.

For a first mystery novel, I thought that Mr. Verdon did a very creditable job. For much of the book, especially in the beginning, I felt was if I were in the hands of a master. I intend to stick with this series after so much of a promising beginning, even though I didn't like the second book, Shut Your Eyes Tight, as much as this one.

I was particularly pleased to see that the puzzle's solution is based on two tried-and-true cons of the sort that the police run into from time to time. To me, that made the story seem much more authentic, something I like in puzzle-oriented mysteries.

If you like a good brain-teaser, then you could do worse than opt for "Think of a Number", a murder mystery from début author, John Verdon. The crime is a real puzzler which, while it does bend somewhat towards the bizarre, for which only forensic science can provide the answer, the story owes much more to classic murder mysteries that can be solved with brain power, such as those from the pen of Agatha Christie and others of that ilk, than it does to episodes of CSI.

What lets the book down is the author's inability to really pace or structure the story; to me, there felt to be too many episodes where tension was built to no real purpose and then simply allowed to fizzle, as well as too much prominence given to sub-stories (or excursions into only partially relevant back-story) at inopportune moments. The result is a book that feels to plod every now and then, before suddenly lurching off into unnecessary territory. The lapses are nevertheless minor and do not detract overall from what is very cleverly constructed tale. If the author can develop a tighter rein on his story elements, his success should be assured. For now, this constitutes a pretty good start.

I read the description of the story and when I read the part about the number prediction, I immediately thought of a way it could be done. Turns out I was right, but the supposedly super smart retired detective didn't even come up with the solution until well into the book. I never figure out mystery books until it's spelled out for me, but this time I figured it out (at least part of it) before even reading the first word of the book.

There were plenty of other pieces of the "puzzle" that I figured out far earlier than the smart characters. Also characters rarely understood the point someone was trying to make when they figured out how something was done and were trying to explain it to others. They would basically say something equivalent to "huh?" and need every detail spelled out for them even though the initial explanation was rather simple. It left me frustrated that these smarties were clueless.

The story overall was decent and I could see people liking it, but for me it was brought down a few notches by the frustrating things I pointed out above.

My favorite type of story is one that deals with a character who is a fish out of water, so to speak. Think of Babe Levy in William Goldman's MARATHON MAN, for example. Right behind that would be the crab-in-a-barrel story: the crustacean that is smarter than his buds figures out how to crawl up the side of the barrel to go up and over, only to be dragged back down into the world it knows.

THINK OF A NUMBER by John Verdon is closer to the latter type of story, with Dave Gurney starring as the crab. Gurney, newly retired from his position as the NYPD's top homicide investigator, has moved out of the city with his wife Madeleine and into a farmhouse near the village of Walnut Crossing. He is one of those crabs, in other words, who has actually made it out of the barrel. Unconsciously or otherwise, however, Gurney wants to be dragged back in. He spends his days as a Photoshop artiste, manipulating mug shots of serial murderers into works of art that have acquired a paying audience thanks to the subject matter, his eye for the unusual, and his own notoriety, acquired through his resolution of high-profile cases.

It's a telephone call from a gone and almost forgotten acquaintance that ultimately brings Gurney back into the hunt. Mark Mellery is the acquaintance, a scholar of the hale-fellow-well-met sciences who is 250 pounds of manure in a 100-pound bag. Mellery has done quite well for himself with a New Age-type retreat and counseling center that has enabled him to become a member in good standing of the rich and famous. His world has been rocked to its core, though, with his receipt of a series of mysterious letters written in verse indicating that the sender 1) knows him very well, and 2) wishes him ill will. Mellery is particularly unsettled when a letter asks him to think of a number; a second one enclosed with the first correctly notes the number Mellery had in mind. Gurney is intrigued but initially reluctant to get involved, suggesting instead that Mellery contact the police. Mellery refuses, and Gurney, his wife's misgivings notwithstanding, gets tugged back into the barrel. More letters follow, including another that demonstrates the sender's ability to read Mellery's mind.

Everything changes, however, when Mellery is brutally murdered. Gurney is brought in as a special investigator, in part because of his initial involvement with Mellery and also because the few clues left at the scene of the crime are contradictory and confusing. Gurney is at loose ends. Nothing makes sense. And even when other murders are discovered, and Gurney is able to determine what is going on, he is no closer to discovering the "who" or the "why" of the killings.

A first-class mystery? You bet, although students of the genre will no doubt deduce one or more of the puzzles before the book's halfway point. But this is also the story of the unraveling of Gurney's marriage --- slowly, quietly, inexorably --- a process of which he is aware but either is unable or unwilling to stand athwart and yell halt. His retirement domesticity does not sit well with him, the result being that he neglects his house and family so that both are crumbling around him. There are times when one wants to reach into the pages and shake Gurney --- a likable enough guy, all things considered --- to remind him to do this or that. The resolution of one problem leads indirectly to that of another, though that does not necessarily mean all will be well. As we approach the end of the novel, Gurney has a sense of what is truly important to him. By then, unfortunately, it may be too late.

If there is a problem with THINK OF A NUMBER, it's that it seems to contain almost too many great ideas, as if Verdon wanted to explore a vast number of issues and characters and had only one book within which to do so. Those who survive the ending will embrace a second round, and Verdon just may get that chance, given the novel's popular reception. If there is any justice in the world, he will.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

This is a serial killer mystery with a very clever "gimmick" that the killer uses to pick victims. I've never seen this used in any other murder mystery. Hint: Professional magicians will catch on fast - think "multiple out".
I subtracted one star for two reasons. First, enough already with the psychobabble, especially at the end of the book. Leave the navel gazing for the "Eat Pray Love" set. Second, Verdon is obviously unaware of modern postal procedures. He has the hero (SPOILER ALERT!) send a letter to the killer. He then worries that the town name in the postmark will allow the killer to back track to said town. Sorry, but these days the only way you can get a local postmark showing the town name on a letter is to take the letter personally to the post office and specifically request that the stamp(s) be cancelled with the town postmark. All other letters are sent unpostmarked to regional USPS Sectional Center Facilities (SCF) where the stamps are cancelled with a postmark that reveals nothing about the town the letter came from. These postmarks merely indicate the range of ZIP codes that the specific SCF processes. Still, as other reviewers have commented, this was a really stupid move if, as the author believes, letters still bore local postmarks.
This is the first of several books featuring Dave Gurney. I have a prediction - in the 3rd (last?) one, he'll track down the person that killed his son.
I was sufficiently impressed with Verdon's first try that I'm going to get the Kindle edition of his second. As soon as my Kindle recharges, that is.

In John Verdon's "Think of a Number," forty-seven year old Dave Gurney is a recently retired NYPD homicide detective. Gurney, who had "a peerless record of successes in his profession," lives with his wife, Madeline, in a scenic farmhouse in upstate New York's Catskill Mountains. One of his activities is creating works of art out of criminal mug shots, a rather grisly pastime. Much to Madeline's displeasure, Dave misses his job, especially the chance to utilize his "linear, logical mind" to crack difficult cases. Dave and Madeline have been grating on one another's nerves of late. She wishes that her husband would stop "thinking his way relentlessly through problems" and move on to a new phase in his life in which murder and mayhem play no part.

Unfortunately, the opposite occurs when Mark Mellery, an old classmate from Fordham whom Dave has not seen for twenty-five years, contacts him. Mark, who is the director of a pricey spiritual retreat, has received series of disturbing handwritten notes. These communications have left him frightened and badly shaken, and he turns to Dave for advice. Gurney is intrigued, and what starts out as a favor evolves into something much more complex and menacing. Soon, a series of murders occur that appear to have no clear motive, little helpful forensic evidence, with a number of anomalies that defy understanding. How does the killer pick his victims? Is he targeting them as an act of revenge? Gurney, who is renowned for his ability to solve seemingly inexplicable mysteries, is hired by an ambitious DA named Sheridan Kline to assist the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Gurney becomes so caught up in the thrill of the chase that he neglects his foundering marriage and places himself and his wife in danger.

This is a clever and absorbing tale of cruelty and deception. The villain is a ruthless and manipulative psychopath who obsessively engages in macabre game-playing and is much smarter than most cops. Verdon withholds just enough information about the perpetrator to make us wonder who he is and what he is after. Readers are in for a cerebral workout involving cryptic poems, staged crime scenes, intimidating telephone calls, and clues that are more baffling than elucidating. Although Gurney eventually figures out parts of the puzzle, he may be a bit too slow on the uptake to prevent further carnage.

"Think of a Number" is a smoothly written and suspenseful psychological thriller that is laced with caustic humor and a host of red herrings. The darkness of the narrative is relieved when Verdon vividly describes the beautiful vistas near Dave and Madeline's home. Equally effective is the character study of a troubled ex-cop who is "tortured by his mistakes" and has difficulty letting go of the past. As Madeline says, "Choices sometimes have consequences we don't anticipate." Ironically, in some ways, Dave has a great deal in common with the person he is tracking. Although the conclusion is a bit too pat to be completely satisfying, "Think of a Number" is an impressive and compelling debut novel.

How would you react if you see a letter in your mail saying "I know how you think. Think of the number." You would then open the enclosed envelope and see the number that you just imagined - and the poem written in a threatening language?
Yes, it sounds scary. I was immediately immersed in the book with such an interesting premise. As promised on the book's cover, pages turn themselves, so I finished the book in a day - and would be definitely looking for a second book by this author.
However, the fact that I liked the book has less to do with the plot twists and "thriller" part of the story, but more with the characters and the language of the book. It is definitely very well written, and the characters, especially the protagonist, Dave Gurney are as real as your next door neighbor. The plot twists, on the contrary, are not that surprising. Normally, most "who's done it" books keep me on the edge of my seat till the very last page, but this time the clues were given so much in advance that I was able to guess what's happening not only before Dave Gurney, but also before his smart wife (By the way, Dave was supposed to be The Mind of NYPD... It struck me that almost always his wife's intuition worked better than Dave's logic. Please don't make it happen in the next book!)
Still, the interactions between the characters more than made up for the somewhat predictable plot twists. It would be interesting to see whether the second book will go to the next level.

I love a good mystery. I grew up on Agatha Christie and Elizabeth Peters. When I watch "whodunit" TV shows with my husband, we place bets on who did it and why, and usually we've figured it out within the first 15 minutes of the show. Lately that's how I have felt while reading mystery books. However, while reading "Think of a Numb3r", I found my theories repeatedly disproved. This, and the puzzling nature of the "think of a number" puzzle, kept me very involved in this book. There was one puzzle in the book that I figured out right away, however, and then had to wait until quite late in the book to be vindicated. It made the middle third of the book quite frustrating for me, as I felt that Gurney should have figured it out much sooner.

Other reviewers have brought up some of the book's very real weaknesses: dialogue, the forgettable cliche characters, the strange preponderance of unresolved backstory (this is the first book in a series, I believe, so the author is leaving room for future development, I am sure...) and the fact that Gurney's wife only appears when she is a plot point. As this is the author's first novel, I will allow that future books may be stronger, and the strength of the mystery puzzle is such that I will definitely look for future books.

I received a review copy of this book from Crown Publishing's Read It Forward program.

Regrettably, I purchased this book before I read reviews. Couldn't agree more with virtually each I read afterward with 1 and 2 ratings. (I often check reviews of disappointing books as a reality check against myself). The book has the basis of a decent mystery but the repetitions were so numerous, the characters so empty and unrealistic and the dialogue so flat that I began skimming pages, then skipping paragraphs. The very predictable ending was so detailed and absurd that I skipped the majority of it just to finish the book.

Other reviewers noted the excessive number of repetitions. How many times does a reader need to read that the main character was this idol-like now retired detective? (Yet, he magically works full-time at his former "trade" in this story while little he did or said endorsed any positive descriptions.) A big deal was how a murderer could know a number his first victim would randomly select. (Why not call some Las Vegas hotel and ask a magician? It's an old trick.) "Our hero" was like a lost soul driving back and forth through the NY area countryside on repetitious whims while behaving as if he ran the case. The extent of repetitiveness was even at the lowest level of detail. I lost count of the number of referrals to the French doors in his home for example. It was bizarre and had no relevance.

Not noted by others was that the main character's descriptions of most of the women he was associated with had with some sexual element -- be it a hospital nurse, an art gallery owner, an administrative assistant or a police sergeant attending a meeting. These references, while not overly graphic, truly detracted from the writing. Give it a rest!

Would I consider another book by this author? No.

Well-written in almost every way: plot, pace, and prose....but I found it just okay for a number of reasons. First, I'm really tired of genius-level bad guys. Second, the protagonist was straight-up unappealling. Third: no diversity, unless one counts a couple of brief stereotypical interludes as diversity. Lastly, I made the mistake of also borrowing the audio book available via Overdrive, and it was very poorly narrated. Again, the book is well-written; I can recommend it to fans of the genre but just really did not enjoy it myself.

John Verdon's debut novel, Think Of A Number, is a delightful surprise for mystery readers. This catch-me-if-you-can plot makes readers guess until the very last pages. Forget about figuring out who-done-it. You'll wind up stumped. Verdon's main character, Dave Gurney, is a retired NYPD homicide detective leaving a police career spattered with successful, media-intensive successes in his wake. Gurney's illustrious career resulted in the capture of one serial killer after another, each monster falling prey to Gurney's analytical mind

Turning in his badge, Gurney plans on starting a new chapter in his life. Similar to the author, Gurney and his spouse move upstate New York: an idyllic rural setting, a new beginning, presumably free of crime and violence. However, Gurney finds it hard to let go of his past, ancient issues still haunting him. A call for help from an old acquaintance sends Gurney--almost with a sigh of relief--down a path that challenges Gurney at every turn. A serial killer emerges to toy with each new target, asking ... Think Of A Number ... before killing again.

Readers will find this novel hard to put down. Verdon manages to wrap each chapter with tension-filled twists, each scene offering a deepening story that delves into the detective's life as deeply as the killer cuts into his victims. This author's grasp of language and story promises many more great stories to come.

This book begins with the main character, a retired homicide detective named Gurney, being contacted by an old college friend who received a mysterious letter asking him to think of a number less than 1000 and then to open the smaller envelope inside. He picks 658, and weirdly, the number in the small envelope is 658. The letter contains vague threats to reveal his deep dark secrets of the past. Great hook to start with.

I was all over the place in deciding where to rate this. The critics who call it trite are correct. The fans who say it is a page turner full of twists are right. In the end, I went with the fact that I raced through it to see what was coming next. That meant it was entertaining enough to hold my interest throughout, despite its flaws, and the point of the book is to entertain. Those flaws are enough to keep it from the 5-star category, but it has more positives than negatives and merits a strong 4.

On the plus side, the author has outstanding descriptive talent. Whatever he describes or characterizes comes to life: facial expressions, weather conditions, the decor of a room. You feel like you're right there. He has a large and sophisticated vocabulary which he uses almost surreptitiously, without brandishing it like a weapon. Since he was an ad executive, that is perhaps to be expected. He writes dialogue better than most first-time writers, too. The pace is fast and there are plenty of twists. It was also well-edited, with no typos or grammar errors in a long book that I noticed. That's rare. They even used née and né correctly. Call it a guilty pleasure, but I enjoyed it the whole way despite the problems.

The negatives are many. The characters are all totally hackneyed. The retired detective who neglected his family while becoming the best serial killer hunter in NYPD history. Every boss is a total condescending jerk. Virtually every male in the book is hostile, every remark accompanied by a smirk, a wicked grin, sarcasm, belligerence. Every woman involved in solving the murders is calm and intelligent, and, of course, attractive. The D.A. is a smarmy politician. The serial killer is maniacally brilliant. You get the picture. The plot steals from every thriller ever written: Sherlock Holmes, Psycho, etc.

Another problem is the lack of character development. Gurney is the only one developed at all, and he is such a cliché that you knew how that family life situation was going to resolve itself long before the end. All the others remain cardboard cutouts throughout.

I saw all the blurbs of high praise on the back cover and flyleaf and had an uneasy feeling. They were all from fellow authors. Not one from a critic. Those [expletive deleted] will trade effusion like boys trade baseballs cards. Okay, so I mentioned plot twists, which are praised no end by those authors. In my view good mysteries fall into two categories. First are those that have you fooled the whole time and when the big reveal comes at the end, you exclaim to yourself "Wow! I didn't see that coming. That is so clever." The other is the type that feeds you clues along the way at just the right pace so you solve it just before the detective does in the story. The self-congratulatory pride you feel is a major part of the fun, much like a clever crossword or acrostic puzzle. Like those, the key for the latter type is the Goldilocks rule: not too hard and not too easy. The mystery has to be just right. Here, it wasn't.

This is going to sound like bragging, but I don't mean it that way. I mean to point out a major weakness in the story. I figured out all the so-called mysteries and twists almost immediately. How did the sender of that letter know or guess the number 658? Not hard. Then later he predicts the number 19. I got that too. Who was the killer? As soon as the killer was introduced, I knew we had our man. The footprints in the snow that end nowhere? Yup, that one, too. Maybe I've just read too many mysteries, or my FBI background helped, but really, I think it's just that the mysteries aren't all that clever. Still, maybe it was just because I wanted to get to the end to be proven right in my conclusions, but I found myself pulled inexorably to the denouement and enjoying the ride.

2.5 stars at best. I so wanted to have found a new author. But Mr.Verdon is not my newest find. Read reviews of this ebook and the #2 Dave Gurney. I am very happy to say that, thanks to the store, I borrowed this ebook from my local library.

I don’t know if I would classify “Think of a Number” as a thriller but I did find it rather interesting. Normally I like the type of thriller that has a lot of action but the mystery that surrounds the killings in this book really drew me in after a while. The characters are interesting and the plot very unique and engaging. The book itself is well written and I think I’ll be moving on in the series.

This story starts off with a very strange premise, a stalker who can predict the answers to his questions. It takes many pages and several murders before Retired homicide detective Dave Gurney finally solves the mystery and it nearly costs him his life. In this book much of the action takes place in Gurney's mind, puzzling not only over the aspects of the case but also his relationship with his wife, the memory of a dead son and a female collaborator. Many of the case's aspects are really strange, (footsteps in the snow that lead nowhere for example) but explainable. There are the usually tedious political relationships of the D.A. and the police chief and the various agencies working the case, worrying the minutia of the statements like a pack of dogs with a trash can. All the facts are certainly in place and it takes time to unravel but I felt like I was fighting the ever present snow through the entire book.

Imagine you receive a piece of mail in your mailbox that tells you to "Think of a number" between 1 and 1000, then tells you to look in the sealed envelope inside the envelope. You think 658 and voila! That is the number in the enclosed envelope. The letter then says to mail a check for $289.87 to X. Arybdis at a post office box in Connecticut because that was how much he spent to find you.

AND THEN it starts getting creepy.

Retired "most decorated" detective in the NYPD, Dave Gurney, is presented with this scenario from a former college friend, Mark Mellory, who has gaps in his memory from years of drinking alcohol and thinks that the writer may be someone from his past that he has obviously harmed in some way. The writer says he knows Mark would choose the number because he knows him and knows his secrets. The next envelope has a poem including the lines:
What you took you will give
When you get what you gave...

Mark Mellery is a new age guru who operates an INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL RENEWAL in his home and who has written books telling about his life and alcoholism, the philosophies for life he developed. It is possible that the letter writer just made a lucky guess, that he is planning to blackmail him, and/or wants revenge. It is harder to gauge his motives as the letter writer never cashed the check. Mellery freely admits that he may have deeply damaged this person during his drinking years.

Dave Gurney is going to investigate even though his wife Madeline reminds him that he is retired. They have moved to the country in upstate New York. She is clearly not charmed by the idea of his investigating the new case. But she isn't happy with the other work he has taken up in his retirement either -- creating art out of photographs of serial killers. Even so, throughout the book, she is an insightful thinker who makes a number of the jumps in logic that are necessary for understanding this mystery. It's amazing how dense Dave is in his personal relationships.

There is a depth to character in this novel, which enriches it immeasurably. While it is difficult to like the character Dave Gurney, who seems to be oblivious to his family and who seems to take on a mystery to escape personal and emotional needs of his family, other characters are both likable and unlikable. Many of the characters are complex and rich, more human than not with their strengths and weaknesses. They are competitive, sometimes angry, passive aggressive, suspicious, and sometimes just downright mean.

This mystery follows one crime after another, which sets up increasing complex mysteries within mysteries, one puzzle within another. It is an excellent story and an impressive first novel. This writer is a gifted storyteller and this is an amazing first novel.

Let me quickly say that this is a good book and I do recommend it. The narrative is reasonably paced so there is almost always enough to keep your interest up. The characters, both major and minor, are consistent and well drawn. All in all, a well written piece.

I'm an occasional mystery reader but by no means am I an expert. From that standpoint at least, this was a nicely mysterious story. I was able to figure a few things out just a step or two ahead of the story, but mostly I had to be given considerable help. There was some tendency for the main character to deduce things from information that the reader was not necessarily privy to. At least that was the impression I got. However, I must admit upon reflection, I can't recollect a single instance. Like I said, I'm only an occasional mystery reader. To my mind, the mystery tale was a good one.

David Gurney is the main character. He is conflicted. He is a gifted investigator, lives in an idyllic country home, has a loving and beautiful wife and all these things are sources of conflicted feelings of guilt, doubt and troublesome thought. His past associations and experiences are unsettled in his own mind leaving him emotionally adrift as he pursues a cunning adversary. His inner tribulations are explored in detail and the exploration is both interesting and intelligent. The tale of a man at war with himself was exceedingly well penned.

There remains a nagging doubt which makes me rate this book at three and half to four stars rather than five. Somehow the two tales are not quite joined. All the facts come together logically enough. There are no actions of Gurney the man that are truly inconsistent with actions of Gurney the detective. Yet in a deeper sense, they don't come all the way together. It is as if the two tales were told by two different people, one story laid on top of the other. They do nestle together very nicely though and the issue would not be an issue except for the fact that they come so close to perfection. Just a tiny bit of over-spray on the repainted fender. I have no earthly idea how an author could achieve a seamless juxtaposition of such intimately connected narratives of such diverse aspect, but I do believe John Verdon can do it and I'll be checking out his next book to see if he does.

It starts well enough: threatening poems, 'psychic' stalker, terrorized victim, gruesome death.

But implausibilities pile up. Starting with, for example, the evocative phrase 'Think of a number'. It should have led the master detective to investigate mind-reading tricks even before the first murder. But then he would have solved the crime quickly and it would have been a short book.

Which it definitely is not. Dozens of pages are wasted in unbearably dull conference room scenes, dozens more in tedious marital drama, and dozens more in the master detective's self-involved ruminations while driving around.

There is very little actual police work. Obvious questions are never asked. Lines of inquiry which would have found the killer are avoided. There is little action.

The climax is preposterous.

Think Of A Number introduces John Gurney, a recently retired NY homicide detective with a talent for hunting down serial killers. The book opens with our hero in upstate New York, residing in a picturesque house, planted in a picturesque setting. Dave's found himself a new time consuming and rather bizarre artistic hobby, which is a good thing, because his marriage is one spousal argument away from flat-lining. Out of the blue Dave is contacted by a college buddy, who is now a life coach/spiritual guru, and who has a perplexing and potentially dangerous problem. So predictably even though he is "out of the game", hasn't heard from his "buddy" in years and much to the consternation of Mrs. Gurney, Dave begins investigating. This "set-up" taking approximately 100 pages to unfold, when 20 or less would have sufficed - this "bloat" in the narrative a problem throughout the book.

The case/puzzle Dave is tasked to solve is fairly ingenious. (So as not to "spoil" the reading, the mystery involves both a trick with numbers and omniscient anonymous letters/ poems sent to the victims.) And since Gurney is a serial killer hunter extraordinaire - murders soon become regular events. Our hero teams up with a politically/publicity driven DA, a grizzled, jaded, profane - and at times very funny - homicide cop he's worked with before, and an empty suit of a lieutenant - all character "types" we've met before - but still engaging enough. (There's also a young Bronx cop, a highly intelligent researcher, and a forensic psychologist, "specializing" in serial killers - the author covering all bases here.)

The good news is that when Dave is on the job, and the hunt, the pages almost turn themselves. Unfortunately when the story-line wanders or "explains" itself - and it does often - the narrative comes to a screeching halt. For instance Dave spends a lot of time inside his head, becomes preoccupied and thus can be "distant" - which the reader is "told" repeatedly. Dave is also "logical" - so much so that he's been told he could have been a professor of logic. The reader doesn't glean this character trait from his actions but is also "told" this - ironically just several paragraphs after Dave labels the above mentioned lieutenant as "officious".

The most baffling sub-plot is the Gurney marriage. The fascinating aspect is that the author captures the tension and passive aggressiveness between Mr. and Mrs. Gurney fairly well - starting with the dread Dave feels each time he opens his own front door, anticipating another marital jiu-jitsu session. Unfortunately this soap opera is out of place, or at the very least monopolizes much too much time and space in this book. (A troubled domestic front is one thing, but expecting - even hoping for - Dr. Phil to appear and save the day is another.)

This book is labeled as a thriller and/or novel of suspense - it's not nor do I think it was intended to be. Think Of A Number is a police procedural with an intriguing mystery and is a decent debut - just much too long. I will pick up the next Dave Gurney adventure, i.e. my interest has been piqued, with the hope that the second installment will be more "focused".

NO SPOILERS HERE!!!

The premise of this book was really appealing to me: a baffling letter convinces a man that its writer knows him intimately, and its proof is simple but inexplicable: the writer taunts him to think of a number -- any number from one to a thousand - and then look inside the accompanying small envelope. Impossibly, the number inside the envelope is the very same one he had picked.

How this is accomplished, and what connection this has to a growing number of horrendous murders, drives retired detective Dave Gurney to pursue a killer whose brutality is only matched by his complete loathing for the police on his trail.

I will provide a disclaimer: I had heard of a scheme much like this one in real life, and I wondered if Verdon could still tell the story in an original manner and keep me interested. Well, he does this in spades. I found it extremely difficult to put the book down.

This compelling puzzle concerning the letter is only one of a dozen Gurney must solve in order to track down a serial killer who is as clever as he is lethal. And it is to author John Verdon's credit that not only does he rarely telegraph his moves, but he also does an excellent job of creating an intriguing tale that propels us through its fully fleshed central characters.

Of course, a thriller is only as good as its antagonist, and this one is fascinating: a serial killer who is rarely seen, one whose identity is concealed until the end. As the fabric of his deranged mentality is culled at key points throughout the story - like the pieces of a particularly psychotic puzzle - it becomes more and more evident to all that only Dave Gurney seems to be able to accumulate clues and read their pattern. It is through his discerning eyes that the villain's true nature takes shape before us.

Dave Gurney is indeed an interesting creation: he's a detective who retired at the top of his game. He was drawn in to the case because the recipient of the aforementioned letter was someone he had briefly known in college and had come to him for help. But it's the mystery itself that he finds so stimulating, and once he is hooked it is not in his nature to let go. He becomes, if you will, much like the only person in the room who can see those Magic Eye puzzles that most people find so frustrating. It is his very single-mindedness, as well as his ability to step back and see the puzzle for what it is, that enables him to do what others cannot. Unfortunately, this compulsion is one his wife cannot understand.

It was this one conflict I felt bordered upon the irritating. Her part in this novel is to play the wife left behind, the woman whose wish it was to regain the husband who had always put their relationship a step or two behind his job. She had hoped that his retirement would lead to a more fulfilling partnership full of gardening and hikes, of social activities and family events. It was only toward the end of the novel that the author seemed to determine how to use her to a greater purpose, and I am interested to see what the next novel -- "Shut Your Eyes Tight," due July 12 -- makes of her. She is underused and misused here, and I firmly believe that giving her a greater presence will help the next novel -- as long as that presence is not simply to grouse.

Nonetheless, this is a well constructed thriller that succeeds on so many levels. I fully recommend it to you.

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!!!

Former NYPD Detective Dave Gurney is legendary for capturing notorious serial killers. Mark Mellery, a college buddy Gurney hasn't seen in 25 years, begs for his help in finding the stranger responsible for tormenting him with cryptic, threatening letters - letters reminding him of his past life as an alcoholic. The stranger appears to be psychic, having the uncanny ability to read Mark's thoughts. When Mark's throat is repeatedly slashed with a broken liquor bottle, DA Sheridan Kline hires Gurney to solve Mark's murder. At the crime scene, boot prints in the fresh snow lead away from the corpse and abruptly disappear a half-mile into the woods. Soon, other victims are found dead with similar MOs. Gurney finds himself faced with the most bizarre, most puzzling serial killer of his career.

While reading John Verdon's clever debut, "Think of a Number," I kept thinking about the optical illusions performed by David Copperfield and those written by Agatha Christie. "They Do It with Mirrors" is one of Christie's finest novels in regards to a murderer using an optical deception to provide himself with an alibi. Copperfield employed numerous deceptions, especially in the guise of scantily clad women, to distract the audience from what he was actually doing, such as dashing down an aisle with a black sheet over his head before jumping onto a motorcycle hidden beneath a box. The music ceases, the beautiful girl stops dancing, there are bright lights and loud explosions and Copperfield appears astride a motorcycle in the center of the auditorium. The villain in "Think of a Number" is a master of deception.

It is late November and the weather is cold and blustery. Dave Gurney lives with his wife Madeleine in the beautiful, snowy Catskills of upstate New York. Their small homestead is near the bucolic town of Walnut Crossing. His investigation takes him to other quaint towns such as Peony, New York, Sotherton, Massachusetts and Wycherly, Connecticut. He must also visit a poor section of the Bronx. Instead of celebrating the holiday season that comes with the snow, Gurney is obsessed with solving the murders of alcoholics who are from various socioeconomic backgrounds. He neglects his second wife Madeleine and his son Kyle from his first marriage.

Both Gurney and the serial killer are brilliant men who are haunted by violent pasts that have corrupted their behavior. Gurney escapes his past by becoming obsessed with solving homicides; unfortunately, he neglects his family, causing further pain and suffering. I found it difficult to respect a man who won't return his son's telephone messages. The serial killer's obsession for revenge leads him to plan an act of terrorism that is designed to kill many.

"Think of a Number" is best classified as psychological suspense. The villain is playing vicious cat-and-mouse games with his victims, the police and Dave Gurney. The novel contains a lot of puzzles and cryptic poems designed to instill fear and desperation. "Think of a Number" lacks the thugs and gangsters of detective noir and lacks a cast of suspects found in a classic whodunit. However, there is a tremendous amount of police procedural that the reader may find extremely interesting.

Overall, John Verdon`s "Think of a Number" was an enjoyable read. I found the crime scenes very intriguing. The poems were a joy to read and reread. Verdon is an excellent, creative poet. The method by which the villain chose his victims was spooky. I like to read in bed and there were several nights which I found it difficult to lay "Think of a Number" aside. I never expected the killer's true identity. Verdon definitely deceived me. I hope to read a sequel which involves Gurney and his wife Madeleine working as a team to solve another bizarre mystery. Madeleine, I must say, is wittier than her husband.

If you enjoy reading puzzling, Agatha Christie-like mysteries that occur during the cold winter months, then I recommend Jim Kelly`s "Death Wore White." If you enjoy Christmas slasher mysteries, then I recommend James Thompson's "Snow Angels." Good detective noir include the recently published: Thomas Kaufman`s "Drink the Tea," Russel D. McLean`s "The Good Son" and Brad Parks' "Faces of the Gone."

Joseph B. Hoyos

Well, John Verdon's debut novel had my number, that's for sure. I'm a big fan of suspense and thrillers and Think of a Numb3r had me right from the start...

Dave Gurney is a retired NYPD Homicide Investigator. He's moved to the country with his wife Madeleine to enjoy the quiet life. (Mind you, his new hobby is exhibiting serial killer photographs...) Mark Mellery, an acquaintance from college sends Gurney a somewhat desperate note asking for his 'professional' help. Mark has received a series of cryptic notes - the first asking him to pick a number between 1 and 1000. When he mentally does, he then opens a second envelope to find that exact number. How could anyone know what number he would have picked? The notes have escalated in tone and Mellery is now quite frightened. Who wouldn't be....

"What you took you will give
when you get what you gave.
I know what you think,
when you blink,
where you've been,
where you'll be.
You and I have a date,
Mr. 658."

Against his better judgement (and that of Madeleine) he is drawn into the investigation.

What an utterly imaginative and creepy crime Verdon has come up with! It begins with the notes, but the crime scenes themselves are out of the ordinary as well. I love not being able to figure out the whodunit and the howdunit. Verdon kept me enthralled from start to finish. Very, very clever!

The relationship between Dave and Madeleine is also a big part of the book. Gurney is good at the detective stuff, but is having trouble with his own relationships. I'm still making up my mind about Gurney. I think he's a work in progress. I found the enigmatic Madeleine to be fascinating and I think there are depths to plumb there.I definitely hope that this becomes a regular series as I think there is much left to explore, know and develop with Dave Gurney.

Some of the supporting characters, notably the police captain and the district attorney, were a bit over the top, but provided a good foil for Gurney.

A wonderfully creepy read that will have you guessing to the end!

Romance debut for John Verdon who dug out in Spain with over 250,000 copies sold, released in Italy, published by Piemme (as litterally 'The Riddler') "Thinkof a Number". Undoubtedly, the plot is intriguing and arouses curiosity: a serial killer who seems to know the life and the secrets of his victims, so as to be able to read in their mind a random number between 1 and 1000. All good ingredients for a great book as an original plot and characters well described and characterized. However it lacks the pace in some circumstances, especially when the author dwells a bit too much on the environmental descriptions. Also, being a story where current events go hand in hand with the personal history of the characters , Verdon could have gone deeper into this aspect, thus adding curiosity and tension. Instead, sometimes the reader has the feeling of brush up against some issues but do not really touch them.
Promoted but not with flying colors.

Wish to comment this review? Come visit my blog!

Renowned homicide detective Dave Gurney, at age forty-seven, has recently retired to an old farmhouse in the Catskills of New York with his wife Madeline. He is hoping for a fresh start: enjoying life and his wife and not over analyzing everything - the very trait that enabled him to solve unsolvable crimes. Maybe he should have known that one cannot outrun a reputation, as well as one's entire past and personality quite so easily.

A person he only vaguely knew in college, Mark Mellery, now the operator of a spiritual healing center for the rich, contacts him for assistance with a series of cryptic, threatening poems that Mark has been sent that accurately include the specific number that he was asked to randomly pick by the mysterious sender. A returned, uncashed check that was supposedly a payment to learn the sender's identity freaks out Mark enough to contact Gurney. Gurney is hesitant to get involved, but the strange, contrived, and brutal murder of Mark compels him to participate as a special assistant to an ambitious district attorney.

The story is interesting from various standpoints. Gurney is clearly dealing with a clever psychopath. The crime scenes are constructed to induce the utmost confusion. Unfortunately, the incidence of murders seems to be increasing and only Gurney and a forensic psychologist, among the mostly clueless and egotistical investigators, are aware of the difficulties and possibilities of apprehending this serial killer.

In addition, the difficulties between Gurney and his wife seem to be reaching the breaking point. His wife, a spontaneous person and lover of nature, cannot understand Gurney's seeming obsessions. But Gurney cannot simply turn off his propensity for isolation, thinking, problem-solving, etc. Furthermore, he knows that his estranged relationship with his father years before is contributing to his inabilities to connect with others. But these characters do seem capable of arriving at an understanding.

The book is a very good first novel. The characters are appealing with recognizable problems; and the plot is somewhat unusual, though not implausible. The book does get a bit bogged down in places, but generally moves well. The author also well captures the weather and scenery of the Catskills.

NYPD homicide investigator David Gurney retired to a beautiful and remote town in upstate New York with his wife Madeleine. While Madeleine loves the change of pace and scenery, Gurney is finds it difficult to adjust. He's spent the last twenty years putting homicide cases first, a fact that hasn't been lost on his wife. Madeleine has clear ideas of how they can enjoy their new life together and her frustration and annoyance is quick to rise to the fore. When she encourages him to take art classes, she hadn't expected him to come up with computer enhanced portraits of murderers -- or for the portraits to become such a hit in their local gallery.

As Gurney is settling into retirement, he receives a cry for help from an old college acquaintance. A successful writer and wellness guru is targeted with letters that claim to know what he's thinking: "See how well I know your secrets -- just think of a number." And the letter writer somehow guessed the exact number.

But the taunting moves from letters to violence and along with a ravaged body are puzzling clues. David Gurney agrees to aid the investigation.

In David Gurney, John Verdon gives us a complex and sympathetic new detective -- I hope that it is the start of a new series. Verdon skillfully creates a top notch thriller. He builds on the puzzles and clues from the crime scenes to present a coherent and satisfying story. I also appreciated and enjoyed Verdon's description of Gurney's home life. It was easy to picture Madeleine, her attempts to have Gurney plant tulips, clear the snow, and settle into their new life -- and her resentment at the way that Gurney returns the chase. Think of a Number: A Novel is a nuanced, complicated, and thoroughly entertaining read.

ISBN-10: 0307588920 - Hardcover
Publisher: Crown (July 6, 2010), 432 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

Central character and ace serial killer hunter Dave Gurney has me excited for the second entry in this series. If you, like me, are a fan of generous amounts of introspection on the part of a principled, flawed and somewhat obsessive hero (in which case you are probably a fan of Wallander, if not Scandinavian crime fiction in general), then it is well within the realm of possibility that you will find John Verdon's Gurney debut to be encouraging and promising. Four stars as, while I truly enjoyed it, there was a little room to grow.

Think of a Number by John Verdon came with some very impressive blurbs. I'll just give you the most memorable one, from John Lescroart: "one of the best thrillers I've read in a lifetime of thriller reading." What an endorsement!

Was Think of a Number the best thriller I've read this year? As far as police procedurals go, yes. But thriller? No. Read my review of The Whisperers by John Connolly.

Oddly enough, I was drawn more to the emotional scenes rather than the fast-paced, plot-driven ones. Verdon is adept at writing about the complexity and fraught nature of relationships. In particular, the scenes between Gurney and his wife, Madeleine, were beautifully done, exploring their marriage and hidden, unresolved heartbreak.

"They had moments like this from time to time, moments of easy affection and quiet closeness, that reminded him of the early years of their marriage, the years before the accident. "The Accident"---that dense, generic label with which he wrapped the event in his memory to keep its razor-wire details from slicing his heart. The accident--the death--that eclipsed the sun turning their marriage into a shifting mixture of habit, duty, edgy companionship, and rare moments of hope---rare moments when something bright and clear as a diamond would shoot back and forth between them, reminding him of what once was and might again be possible."

Some characters seemed like caricatures, such as a slick politician and ridiculously obtuse chief of police. Verdon does give Gurney flaws but he still seemed too much like the perfect hero as compared to the other cops who are mostly depicted as bumbling, clueless idiots.

While I did not figure out how the "think of a number" trick worked, I did figure out the killer as soon as he/she appeared in the narrative. However, that did not detract from the pleasure of seeing how Gurney figures out the many puzzling and seemingly indecipherable clues laid before him.

This is a debut novel of a masterful storyteller. John Verdon has imagined a fiendish antagonist who is able to make his victims believe he can read their minds. Each of the "marked" victims receives a letter in the mail presnting an intriguing puzzle. Detective Dave Gurney has recently retired from the NYPD homicide squad when he is asked by a friend to help solve a puzzling series of clues that begins with "think of a number" and continues with a series of amateurish poems, and ends with the death of the recipient... but that's just the first victim.

Long before the retired detective figures out the meaning of all the poetry, another man has received a similar letter ending with "think of a number." It isn't much longer before the police have asked Dave Gurney to be their investigative consultant based on his familiarity with the first case. Red herrings and real clues are mixed together in a devilish manner, leading the reader to wonder: Can Investigative Consultant Dave Gurney figure out the clues and give police the information needed to stop the killer?

There's nothing like a good murder mystery, and not much about Think of a Number resembles the average mystery plot. John Verdon has skipped the all-too-frequent drunken detective and a raft of other trite plot devices used by many mystery writers to bring us a refreshingly dramatic story. The characters are well-developed, the story well-crafted. Think of a Number is a page-turning, non-stop action novel that grips the reader on page one and continues to hold him or her hostage until the thrilling conclusion.

Recommended to mystery lovers. This review is based on an advance reader edition printed from the author's uncorrected manuscript supplied to me by the publisher. This review has been simultaneously published on Dragon Views, LibraryThing and the store.com

Think Of A Number introduces John Gurney, a recently retired NY homicide detective with a talent for hunting down serial killers. The book opens with our hero in upstate New York, residing in a picturesque house, planted in a picturesque setting. Dave's found himself a new time consuming and rather bizarre artistic hobby, which is a good thing, because his marriage is one spousal argument away from flat-lining. Out of the blue Dave is contacted by a college buddy, who is now a life coach/spiritual guru, and who has a perplexing and potentially dangerous problem. So predictably even though he is "out of the game", hasn't heard from his "buddy" in years and much to the consternation of Mrs. Gurney, Dave begins investigating. This "set-up" taking approximately 100 pages to unfold, when 20 or less would have sufficed - this "bloat" in the narrative a problem throughout the book.

The case/puzzle Dave is tasked to solve is fairly ingenious. (So as not to "spoil" the reading, the mystery involves both a trick with numbers and omniscient anonymous letters/ poems sent to the victims.) And since Gurney is a serial killer hunter extraordinaire - murders soon become regular events. Our hero teams up with a politically/publicity driven DA, a grizzled, jaded, profane - and at times very funny - homicide cop he's worked with before, and an empty suit of a lieutenant - all character "types" we've met before - but still engaging enough. (There's also a young Bronx cop, a highly intelligent researcher, and a forensic psychologist, "specializing" in serial killers - the author covering all bases here.)

The good news is that when Dave is on the job, and the hunt, the pages almost turn themselves. Unfortunately when the story-line wanders or "explains" itself - and it does often - the narrative comes to a screeching halt. For instance Dave spends a lot of time inside his head, becomes preoccupied and thus can be "distant" - which the reader is "told" repeatedly. Dave is also "logical" - so much so that he's been told he could have been a professor of logic. The reader doesn't glean this character trait from his actions but is also "told" this - ironically just several paragraphs after Dave labels the above mentioned lieutenant as "officious".

The most baffling sub-plot is the Gurney marriage. The fascinating aspect is that the author captures the tension and passive aggressiveness between Mr. and Mrs. Gurney fairly well - starting with the dread Dave feels each time he opens his own front door, anticipating another marital jiu-jitsu session. Unfortunately this soap opera is out of place, or at the very least monopolizes much too much time and space in this book. (A troubled domestic front is one thing, but expecting - even hoping for - Dr. Phil to appear and save the day is another.)

This book is labeled as a thriller and/or novel of suspense - it's not nor do I think it was intended to be. Think Of A Number is a police procedural with an intriguing mystery and is a decent debut - just much too long. I will pick up the next Dave Gurney adventure, i.e. my interest has been piqued, with the hope that the second installment will be more "focused".

David Gurney is a retired NYPD cop who has come to upstate New York to live with his wife Madeleine. Both are still grieving the death of their three-year-old son Danny, who was killed by a hit and run driver who was probably drunk. Gurney was there when the accident happened and knows the killer was driving a red BMW, but despite being the most decorated homicide detective in the NYPD, he never caught the boy's killer.

In some ways, this book resembles the Scandinavian procedurals by Jo Nesbo featuring alcoholic detective Harry Hole and his complicated love life. The story is low-key despite the lurid details of the crimes and there's a civilized sensibility that provides an overlay of social drama to the genre elements.

The well-drawn characters provide the novel's strongest elements. Gurney is a little on the generic side, with his deep-seated pain over the loss of his little boy, but some of the supporting and peripheral characters really stand out. Det. Randy Clamm, for instance, is a smart kid who hasn't been working as a cop long enough to have lost his sense of justice. We like him as much as Gurney does. We also REALLY like the competent Sgt. Wigg, who manages to deal with Rodriguez in a way that makes him look like the blow-hard buffoon that he is without ever really challenging him. (Rodriguez has a real hate on for drug addicts, a hatred born out of his grief for his daughter, who fried her brain on club drugs and who has been in a mental institution since she tried to kill her mother.)

D.A. Kline interests us too because he's clearly smart and ambitious but he also has his quirks. It's interesting to see the sparks fly when he gets the various investigators in a room and listens to them interact.

Gurney's relationship with Madeleine has a passive/aggressive reality to it that feels believable and sad. When she responds to his attempts to involve her in his investigation, we hope that it's a good sign, and that their marriage can survive to be repaired. But then there'll be a scene like the one where Madeleine leaves the house without telling Gurney where she's going--pissed off that he hasn't remembered her destination, even though she's told him twice before.

We get the clues as the detectives get them and the puzzle is tough. We find ourselves pulled through the book by curiosity. We want to know what the victims have in common. We want to know who the killer is. We want to know a lot of things and we challenge the writer to make our wait worth our while.

It is irritating that an important clue isn't solved earlier (a simple Google search would do it--but the procedural elements of the story are not as important as the characters.

Someone sends you a letter and tells you to think of a number. You do so and then you are directed to open the next envelope. You open it and inside is that exact number. Are you hooked if you are reader of this secret letter? You bet and incidentally so is the reader of the novel with this set up!

Retired detective and artist David Gurney is drawn into this case since a friend he went to school with as a kid received it and needs his help. The problem is that the friend was an alcoholic years ago. He had many blackouts and fears that the writer of the letter is someone he hurt who is looking for revenge for past wrongs. However, he doesn't have the slightest idea who it could be.

Another odd facet is that the letter writer seems to also hate all policemen and seems to harbor ill intent towards them en masse as well.

Gurney gets drawn further and further into the case but his wife seriously disapproves as she thought his police career was over. There is also quite an egocentric caste of characters in the law enforcement community Gurney must also handle. There is a DA who wants to be governor, a police captain who can only perceive the most obvious of clues and a semi competent cop who annoys everyone as a matter of habit.

This excellent book is equalled or maybe even surpassed by Verdon's second book. I can hardly wait for book number three.

Visit my blog with link given on my profile page here or use this phonetically given URL (livingasseniors dot blogspot dot com). Friday's entry will always be weekend entertainment recs from my 5 star the store reviews in film, tv, books and music. These are very heavy on buried treasures and hidden gems. My blogspot is published on Monday, Wednesday & Friday.

This is a book that I liked. The setting was upstate NY, wherein a therapist who operates a retreat is violently killed in a seemingly impossible manner. The clues are contradictory and seem to mock the local police. The chief investigator, a retired NYC detective acting as a consultant can almost match wits with the killer. The book is cerebral in style, the characters are somewhat intriguing, the scenes where the various investigators get together to brainstorm are well done. The pace is kind of leisurely, only ratcheting up towards the end. The lead review on the store by Baldacci said the writing was haunting. I would say that is a great overstatement. All in all I liked it, the multiple puzzles kept me intrigued

I enjoyed John Verdon's debut thriller "Think of a Number" in quite a few ways. The main character (retired detective Dave Gurney) is an interesting protagonist, and the mystery here becomes quite intriguing once the book gets going. There are a few flaws but overall I think further books in the series will be even better.

Having retired early, brilliant detective Dave Gurney is drawn back into violence through some letters a past schoolmate is receiving. Rattled by odd poems and the ability of a threatening letter writer to seemingly read his mind, Gurney's friend won't got to the cops and comes to Gurney instead. Gurney suspects several tricks are involved in the letter-writer's ability to predict things, but before he can investigate too fully violence happens...and soon Gurney realizes he's dealing with a serial killer, one who has killed before and will kill again.

When the book stays on Gurney, it works. Gurney is not actually a likable character which I think makes him "real", and many of the supporting characters are cut from the same mold. Gurney's obsession with serial killers, crime, and the odd paintings he does makes him less than sympathetic, and his refusal to have a relationship with his oldest son is puzzling, but IMO this makes Dave "real"....he's not a perfect character, much as Michael Connelly's main character Harry Bosch would probably annoy the hell out of you in real life. The mystery itself is puzzling and held my interest throughout the novel, and there were several interesting tricks Verdon pulls here (some I discovered, some I didnt). Negatives would be the loooong setup (at least 100 pages) until something interesting actually happens, the grating relationship between Dave and his wife (because of a long ago tragedy in their marriage) that drags the book to a tedious halt whenever they are together, and the fact that Verdon introduces several characters for use in future books of the series (so there are several dangling plot threads meant to continue I suspect).

While not a great mystery I was interested enough in Verdon's writing and Dave Gurney's character to come back again for further novels in the series.

This book took me longer to read than most books. The reason? I kept trying to figure out the clues. I am obviously not very good at that. Dave Gurney is a retired detectivce. He has retired and is now spending time with his wife. Unfortunately after suggesting he take an art class with her, his wife is not happy with the path that class has taken. First of all her husband is creating art out of the mug shots of serial killers he put away. Second of all she can tell that the instructor has the hots for her husband. There is obvious problems and tension over unresolved issues in their marriage.

Enter old college classmate turned spiritual guru, Mellery. He has been receiving a series of letters written in poetic form. They asked him to pick a number and then without knowing who the person was or anything else the writer of the letter picked the number. Each letter alludes to Mellery's past and something he should remember connected to the date. But how does the letter writer do this. Meller calls on Gurney to help him figure this out. He refuses to take Gurney's advice to contact the police and ends of dead. When all else fails, Gurney is called upon to assist in the case, putting himself and his wife in danger.

This was everything I could want in a thriller. This one kept throwing clues at me but there were enough twists and turns in it that I had not figured it out until very near the end. Awesome read and one I will definitely recommend.

What would you do if you answered the phone and someone asked you to pick a number. You pick that number, and then that someone tells you to go look in your mailbox. There is a piece of paper in there with the exact same number you just picked. How is that possible?

Think of a Number is an extraordinary edge-of-your-seat thriller that will have your mind reeling with the possible and the impossible. David Gurney is a retired NYPD homicide detective. Pretty famous from some homicides he solved, but is now in the country with his wife; retired. He picks up a hobby at a local art class, making art from photographs of murderers. The teacher is pretty hot herself, but again, Dave's married.

Then he gets a call from a college classmate he hasn't seen in twenty five years. Mark Mellery needs Dave's help. He is getting these letters and poems that make no sense to him. But what he cannot get past is the fact that person unknown picked his number. How?

Dave can't stand unsolved puzzles, but he's retired, right? So, he suggest Mark get the police involved. But then Mark ends up dead, and before you can say retired, Dave is working as a consultant with the NYPD to solve Mark's murder. But as more dead bodies and more clues pile up, Dave has to work quickly to solve the puzzle, but can he?

I loved this book! It's full of mystery, murder, puzzles and wonderful and vivid characters. The pages almost turned themselves, I was so into the story. Mr. Vernon is a master storyteller and I sincerely hope he has another book with Detective Dave in it, I really enjoyed his character and how his mind works.

Review courtesy of Sizzling Hot Books

Think of a Number is an enthralling page turner, that will have you on the edge of your seat. I have always loved a good suspense novel and Think of a Number was perfect. It is definitely one for the keeper shelf.

Dave Gurney a retired police detective who has captured a number of big serial killers, is settling into the country life with his wife, until a college friend contacts him with some spine-chilling notes. The first note begins with, "Do you believe in Fate?". This question draws Dave into a scary and fatal game.

One thing I loved about Think of a Number is when he sends his intended victim a message asking him to think of a number, any number at all. Once they think of the number they are instructed to open a sealed envelope; this envelope contains the very number they thought of written in ink. As if this is not frightening enough, the killer subsequently calls his intended victim and asks him to whisper another number into the phone. After he does so, he is instructed to go to his mailbox. There he retrieves a sealed envelope with the very number he just whispered typed onto a page that was in the envelope.

Overall I found Think of a Number to be addict fast paced novel, filled with real life characters. Think of a Number is as deep as it is exciting. However I thought the conclusion was somewhat of a disappointment.

Dear John,
I am forced to leave you now….because you only wrote four Dave Gurney detective novels. While I am still in a state of grief selfishly wanting more, I must accept that the characters you have created are indeed fictional though they quickly became so very real to me. The facets of their personalities too often left me with a sense of déjà vu as if I had known them for a long time. Though I began to accept them into my realm of acquaintances due to your powerful ability to breathe life into their narratives….the last page stares at me as if I were attending a funeral of a friend. Was this writing venture of yours a midlife crisis or a test of your own potential at a long contemplated alternate career; were you resolving the question left by a road not taken? Now I am left debating whether, on a scale of 1 to 10, should I rank you at 9.5 or 11.5? I am but a dull and boring cost accountant, but I think you were (are) on the verge of greatness….and once you realized your gift, you were relieved of the personal angst to continue writing. What’s next, an attempt at Cass C sports car racing, making a million day trading, or another Dave Gurney adventure? Please reward your readers with another book in the series….and, I beg you not to pursue a venture into politics….your promises would be all too believable…!!!

Fabulous thriller. Not so much a who-done-it, but a how did they do it. Kept me guessing, can't wait till the next one in the series. I loved that retired detective Dave Gurney had huge flaws, that he uses those flaws to help solve the case of a serial murderer makes him more likable as a character. Also liked that Dave and Madeline's relationship was very realistic.

Think Of A Number is a fine mystery by a new author. A recently retired NYPD detective, Dave Gurney, is contacted by a friend from his college days. The man has gotten some rather odd notes in the mail. One of them asks him to think of a number between 1 and 1,000. The letter writer claims to know the friend better than anyone, and suggests that he open an enclosed envelope, in which is a piece of paper with the correct number written on it. How could the writer have known? And what are these vague threats all about? As Dave tries to help his friend, he is drawn into the world of a very sick serial killer.

In general, I don't care much for the serial killer mysteries. This one, however, is first rate. I couldn't imagine how the killer could guess the numbers in his letters. But, while the mystery was intriguing, what really caught me up in this book was the underlying theme of knowing oneself, confronting one's own history. There is a great talk by one of the characters about blame and anger, and about the necessity of asking oneself the question, "Where was I in all of this?" And, in a sense, this is the theme of a great deal of this book, as Dave Gurney comes to grips with his own personal history, too.

I really loved this book and hope the author writes many more.

Reason for Reading: I love thrillers and this new author's book sounded very interesting. However, I never managed to get around to it and now I have the second book in the series waiting here to be read so thought I ought to get caught up with this one first.

A thoroughly splendid thriller of the serial killer type. Verdon doesn't just bring us your typical serial killer, though, he's got a special, intelligent one, who sets up elaborate crime scenes, leaves messages taunting the police and before killing his victims he scares them with a series of threatening poems. This is one guy who thinks he's too smart to be caught, and he almost is.

I loved the murders! They were bloody but not exactly gruesome and the case was a cerebral one also that was fun to watch unfold. I found the book quick-paced and it was a page-turner for me. I really enjoyed the main character, a fairly down-to-earth guy but devoted, perhaps obsessed with the job. He has a dark moment in his past weighing him down and his marriage. I appreciate that he isn't one of the usual former alcoholics or divorced. The fact that he is already married also means there isn't the typical partner love affair to go with either. A really good book with an intriguing main character. I'm looking forward to the next book, the next case, and how Dave and his wife work on their marriage.

As one of the testimonials on the back of the book says, it's "truly unputdownable." I don't often find a book that's a true page-turner, the kind where you don't want to stop, but you have to because after all, life has to go on. But even when you're not reading it, you're thinking about it, wondering what, how, why?

The story gets off to a quick start with an impossible situation, a menacing note from an anonymous sender who challenged the recipient to think of a number between one and a thousand. The recipient picked a number. Now, imagine if you were the one picking a number - any number at random - and you then opened an accompanying note in a separate envelope that correctly identified the number you thought of. That's exactly what happened. Never mind for the moment who sent the notes or why. The first question is, how in the world did the sender know the number?

The situation is impossible. And the novel takes off from there, to try to figure out the who, why and how. The plot continues to thicken, with twists and turns arriving exactly when they should, taking the story in unanticipated directions.

Oh, and there is an explanation for the correctly-guessed number. But you'll have to read the book to find out.

This is an impressive debut novel. Fast-moving. Easy to read. Imaginative. And a quick read, if only because it was so difficult to put down. I can't wait to read Verdon's subsequent novels.

for a debut entry into one of the trickiest genres, i think verdon created one of the most impressive and intelligently-conceived offerings i've read in a long time. true, while it it was perhaps a bit long on psychological rumination and a bit short on gritty crime scene processing and classic detective work, still...the killer was a unique one, as was the style with which he plotted and carried out his crimes. with a bit more experience, this writer shows promise of becoming one of the greats in this field. if he writes this intelligently and provocatively in his virgin expedition into the realm of suspense, i can only anxiously await future offerings. kudos on a superlative effort, mr. verdon!

A very good book. I like the point of view jumping to the killer just enough to see a glimpse of his insanity. There were a couple of major obvious clues that Gurney missed that I found a bit distracting. But, overall it was clever,intense and gripping.

Think of a Number is John Verdon's first mystery thriller. I was immediately hooked by the premise, in which someone gets a letter in the mail, is asked to think of a number, and finds that exact number in a second sealed envelope. The letter writer implies that he or she knows something about the recipient's past, something shameful that they've done. One such recipient contacts retired police detective Dave Gurney for help in finding out who sent the letter and what they want. Mark Mellery is an old classmate of Dave's and hopes he can help him. When Mark turns up dead, Dave is hired as a consultant by the local police department and tries to track down the killer.

I really enjoyed this book. The writing is excellent and the characters are well-developed. The plot is intriguing and the mystery at its core kept me guessing all the way to the end. Dave is torn between the retirement lifestyle sought by his wife and his desire to do something useful other than garden and walk around the lake. I recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries and thrillers.

I have also read his second book, Shut Your Eyes Tight, which I liked very much, and I look forward to reading the other two in this series: Let the Devil Sleep, and Peter Pan Must Die.

I have to start by saying I read short a story in Ellery Queen or Alfred Hitchcock magazine in the 70's that used a somewhat similar premise and so I knew, at least in part, what was coming. None the less the core story holds your interest and picks up some stream as it moves along. The main character's home life is depressing and we get a lot of it. That part is repetitive and dull. Unlike some I liked the cast of police characters in the book and think they bring some much needed color to the story. It is not a page turner but it is a nice average read.

I found this to be one of the most satisfying thriller/mystery books I have read in a while. If you like puzzles, you will love this book. It details a murder in upstate New York and subsequent murders that are wrapped in an enigma. Dave Gurney, a celebrated but retired NYPD homicide detective, is contacted by Mark Mellery, an old college acquaintance, to help unwrap the mystery of some letters he has received. What would you do if you received a letter that asked you to think of a number and correctly predicts the number you chose? Then you receive more letters and phone calls that purport to reveal the less savory aspects of your private life. Mark asks Dave to put his investigative skills to work to thwart the letter ploy, but Mark suddenly shows up brutally murdered. Dave is swept up in the official investigation, lending his expertise to try and solve the mysterious and incongruous clues purposefully left by the killer. The book is well thought out. The mystery is intriguing. The clues are like breadcrumbs dropped skillfully by the killer to lead Dave, the police, and the reader to a bloody denouement.

"Think of a Numb3r" is the sort of book that leaves you looking over your shoulder and reminding yourself that even if you are paranoid, it doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.

Dave Gurney has just retired from his job as one of the top homicide detectives with the NYPD when an old classmate of his - Mark Mellery - calls him up one day asking him to come over. Mellery has received an odd letter, including a taunting addendum stating "see how well I know your secrets? - just think of a number!" Once Mellery thought of a number and looked into the sealed envelop included with the letter, he was shocked to find that the letter-writer had indeed written down the number Mellery had thought of. As time goes by, the letters keep coming - and more people come forward as having received them. And then people start dying ...

Providing a wonderful, twisted puzzle, "Think of a Numb3r" is certainly one-of-a-kind and I believe anyone who enjoys a good mystery/thriller will find themselves as engrossed with this book as I did.

I can hardly find a flaw in this book. Brilliantly plotted, extremely well written, with an irresistible premise, palpable and building suspense and a terrifying yet mesmerizing finale -- this may be the best thriller I've ever read. On a par with Laura Lippman's What the Dead Know, one of my other favorite crime novels. I always look for false notes and convenient yet contrived elements in fiction that strain reality, and this has none. The serial killer in this book is eerily scary and so believable. John Verdon is such a great storyteller I find it hard to believe he is way down there on the list of popularity on the store sales. Light years ahead of best selling crime authors like James Patterson and David Baldacci. If you are a fan of thrillers and murder mysteries, do yourself a favor and discover John Verdon's books. You'll be glad you did.

This is the debut novel in the Dave Gurney series. It was a surprise to me how much I liked this thriller.
The suspense was original and exciting. I could hardly stand to put the book down at the end of the day.
Dave is a sort of depressed, contemplative character who is a retired dectective. I found myself intrigued by Dave's strained relationship to his wife, Madeline, as well.
In this story, Dave is approached by a college acquaintance who has been receiving threatening letters in the mail. Later, the local and state law enforcement hire Dave to work as a consultant in this complex case after several murders as committed leaving police baffled by the strange crime scene.
I like that the author did not start the book and right away have a crime committed. In fact, it is not until more than a 100 pages into the story, that a murder occurs. I really enjoyed the suspenseful build up. It kept me turning pages!
The second novel in this series has been added to my to read list.

Certainly one of the best books ever written.

John Verdon does an amazingly good job here - especially for a debut.

The whole "impossible scenario" makes you lose sleep thinking how the hell the killer did this. The plot is so well constructed that every single piece of the puzzle makes sense. This is difficult for a thriller, as most fans of the genre should know... A lot of times we just pretend to believe or not to see something so the story would make sense - but this is not the case here.

The characters are also perfectly drawn - real people with real problems.
At first you get the impression some of them are just too cold, too hard - but Verdon explains their reasons.

Of course there are some minor problems, like the repetition of some descriptions or mannerisms of the characters, and some easy conclusions David did not get so easily, despite being a great detective. But all in all they are forgivable - especially having in mind this is a debut.

I highly recommend this book.

Think of a Number is one of the better detective mysteries that I've read. I liked everything about this book. The characters are believable and interesting. The story starts out relatively slowly and starts to pick up a good pace early. The case is interesting enough to keep one reading from beginning to end non-stop. There is no filler (as seems to be the case with many novels lately).

The story is about a brilliant detective (Dave Gurney) who is retired and whose wife prefers that he remain retired. But an entreaty from a old college acquaintance involves him eventually in another murder mystery. He must go up against a criminal who appears every bit as brilliant (but deranged) as himself. Hands-down the best psychological murder mystery in many a year. The author's ability to nail characters both major and minor with economical, offhand observations is uncanny - his prose has an elegant simplicity few can match. The suspense grows incrementally with each conversation, each event, each unexpected disclosure.

Well constructed especially considering this is Verdon's first novel. I was pleasantly surprised on how well the different puzzle pieces of the novel fit together. It wasn't perfect - character development could have definitely used some work - but I liked the concept, the protaganist and his wife, while not sparkling together, definitely seemed to fit together as long-wed partners.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read a well-written serial killer mystery with lots of twists and turns. I will be keeping an eye out for Verdon's next offering.

Former detective Dave Gurney is a man trying desperately to be in harmony with himself. Recently retired from the NYPD as their top man in homicide, he and his wife, Madeleine, have retired to an idyllic little town in upstate New York.

Try as he might, however, he just can't completely detach himself from his deep-seated desire to solve puzzles and figure out what makes killers tick. And so it is a double-edged sword that lands in his lap when an old classmate, Mark Mellery, seeks him out for help with some mysterious, threatening letters he's been receiving.

The letters are all in the form of poems that set forth a puzzle, the first of which also included a "game" - think of any number between 1 and 1000 and then open the small envelope included. Mellery was understandably freaked out when after picking 658, he thought at random, he opened the envelope to find written on the paper inside it... 658.

As the letters are thinly veiled threats against Mellery's life, Gurney tries to convince him to take them to the police. Mellery refuses and makes Gurney promise that he will not either. When Mellery is brutally murdered in his home a few days later, however, Gurney has no choice but to take all the information he has to local law enforcement. When more people are killed, including a police officer, Gurney is reluctantly invited to join the investigation as a consultant.

While Think of a Number certainly has a compelling serial killer plot, it is at heart a character driven story. Gurney is a rigid, overly-logical man who, despite being aware of his shortcomings, is compelled to go again down the same path that has already once brought his marriage to the verge of breaking. Proud of his ability to find answers where others can't, Gurney sees the killer as being "as logical as he is pathological" and he simply cannot resist trying to best the killer by solving his puzzles... no matter the potential personal cost.

With his somewhat sterile approach to virtually everything Gurney is a character it can take a little to warm up to. Much of the story involves his inner reflections on the motivation for his seemingly self-destructive behavior, and as such the storyline may move a bit slow in places for some. However, the puzzles author John Verdon has created for the killer, the ability to pull off some of which seems to border on the supernatural, are tremendously fun to try and figure out along with Gurney.

So, if you're up for a book that will not only entertain you but will also make you dust off your "little grey cells" and actually think, Think of a Number is definitely a book you should pick up.

Except he's retired. From a brilliant career of brilliant detecting. I seriously wonder how this guy has kept body and soul together, in terms of making a living as a cop, and not getting killed, as a cop. Because the way Verdon writes him he's basically stupid.

He doesn't get the "X. Aribdis" thing???!!! Offensively stupid. He's smug, miserable and a bore, with none of the charm and strange but compelling likeability of the detective antihero.

Good start, good puzzles, weak ending.

This is the first (Of Many) detective thrillers that was the opposite of un-putdownable. I had to make an effort to pick it up each time.

If you're gonna sell me a brilliant detective, don't make him an idiot.

What would you do if you received a letter that alluded to some past misdeeds you had done and then asked you to think of a number, for example "953" and then the letter instructs you to open a small envelope which is enclosed in the letter. And behold, the note in the small envelope states that the number you thought of is "953"!

The letter then instructs you to mail a check to a Post Office Box in a small town. And later you receive another letter, more ominous than the first. You confide this discovery with a retired NYPD homicide detective with whom you went to college.

And you turn up dead! Murdered under strange and mysterious circumstances.

The other similar murders happen.

This is a great first novel. almost as if the author has been plotting mysteries for years.

Take my word for it, go buy this book and read it. But before you start reading, think of a number.

As a prolific reader, I jumped at the chance to read this book after reading the glowing reviews from some of my most favorite authors. Unfortunately, I found it hard to get into; I had a hard time connecting to the "hero" of the book; and, I found the constant introspection and angst between the hero and his wife to be somewhat offputting.

AND, when we FINALLY get into the "meat" of the plot, I found the connections often ambiguous at best, and awkward at worst. When you compare this book to a thriller written by the OUTSTANDING author Eliot Pattison, there is just NO comparison. Sorry, but even rating this a 3 is a stretch, IMHO. If you really want an excellent read - Eliot Pattison is the author and "Inspector" Shan is the hero for you.

Dave Gurney is a retired homicide detective who worked with the NYPD. When a old college buddy contacts Dave, saying that he has received a letter and would like Dave's help. This letter raises so many questions and the puzzle excites Dave. The killer can get inside his victims heads. How is that possible?

When his friend ends up dead and someone else receives the same letter, Dave tries to follow the clues but this is unlike any other murder he's investigated. When the evidence ends up creating more questions than answers, Dave will not rest until he figured out this killer. The problem is, he may have to die in order to find the answers he's searching for.

I cannot believe that this is John's first book. He's truly a talented thrill writer with a unique voice. I'm adding him to my list of favorite author's because this book deserves five stars - easy.

I have now read all three of John Verdon's Dave Gurney novels and in my opinion THINK OF A NUMBER, the first of 3, was good, but not as good as the second, SHUT YOUR EYES TIGHT. The third, LET THE DEVIL SLEEP, was just plain disappointing. They all are written in am excellent manner, but in THINK OF A NUMBER, Dave should have been able to figure who was the rascal way before the ending. And his wife Madeline is just annoying. A real ball and chain, even though she may be justified. I sorry but to me she does not really add to the overall story. I read them out of order, but they are truely stand alone.

Dave was a NYC detective, who fled the city to enjoy his retirement in a quiet, bucolic setting. Well, that was what his wife, Madeline, had in mind. But an old acquaintance shows up and drags him into a very peculiar mystery, which soon turns into a baffling murder, and Dave doesn't exactly need his arm twisted to jump back into the sleuthing business.

There are two stories happening simultaneously here, and I'm not so sure that murder is the primary one. Dave and Madeline are struggling to adjust to the country, to retired life, and most importantly, to each other. There's some history between them that's very slowly revealed, and you may find yourself anxious for the next body to drop, so the focus can shift away from the murder aspect and back to the relationship. It's compelling in a repelling sort of way; if you've ever had a rough patch in your marriage, or been close to someone who has, the relationship between Dave and Madeline will make you fidget and squirm every moment they're together.

The mystery starts out very slowly also, but not in a bad way. Dave plods though things at the start with no real commitment or sense of urgency. It's a bit like visiting a mom & pop grocery store after years of shopping in supermarkets. Different, but kinda relaxing. But like a brakeless car heading down a steep hill, things slowly pick up and soon you're zipping right along. All in all, it's a very compelling book, as the mystery and private lives slowly intertwine and draw you further in. And in case that doesn't put you sufficiently off-balance, whimsical little bits of humour pop up and tickle you where you'd least expect them. Don't be surprised if you finish the last page and feel a bit dazed, like you'd just walked out of a car wreck unscathed.

The writing here is uniformly excellent: nothing drags or seems far-fetched. The villain is a bit over the top, but when you get to the end, it's all believable. Don't let the slow start throw you, relax and enjoy the pace because it sure won't last. Highly recommended!

Another great book. I read the second one first. The author brings you where he goes. He holds you in the story like it might be real. He gradually feeds you the clues and then your hooked. Your mind races ahead of the story, guessing if you can figure it out before he tells you. Read and enjoy the escape.

I chanced upon "Think of a Number" while shopping for a gift, then bought it on impulse after reading the first few pages while standing in the store. The protagonist is Dave Gurney, a retired (and storied) NYPD detective, with a new career as an artist who creates by photoshopping portraits of serial killers. Gurney is drawn into his first case after retirement when he receives an call from a college acquaintance wanting advice about a series of sinister, vaguely threatening letters from one who claims to know his most secret thoughts. From there, the story proceeds in a circular fashion, like layers of an onion, as the motives and tactics of the perpetrator gradually unfold and the body count inexorably rises. The denouement surprised me, and I left wanting more. As a matter of fact, the reason I'm on the store.com tonight is because I'm looking for more books by the same author.

John Verdon bursts onto the Mystery/Thriller scene with his debut novel Think of a Number. It is a police procedural with a slight twist - the lead detective Dave Gurney is retired from the NYPD and living up in the Catskills. The premise of the story is based on a series of murders in which the victims are first asked by written correspondence to think of a number between 1 and 1,000. To their terror, they open a second envelop with their number written on another letter. Mark Mellory is the first to receive chilling message along with subsequent threatening poems of all things. An old college friend of Gurney's, he contacts the retired detective seeking his help. The events that unfold are a masterful puzzle that readers are able to try to solve alongside Gurney as the story progresses. Much to his wife Madeleine's dismay, Gurney gets involved deeply in the case as a consultant to the District Attorney. He will work with people who welcome him to varying degrees. Some are in awe of his record in solving cases while he was an active member of the NYPD. Others are annoyed at sharing the stage with a ringer. The story is compelling, and Gurney is likely to remind some of Detective Robert Goren from Law & Order Criminal Intent. The story reaches a fevered pitch before reaching a satisfying conclusion. Like Goren, Gurney has things in his past that haunt him, and this plays out as a subplot between him and Madeleine throughout the novel. The story flows very well, and I often found myself frustrated when it was time to put the book down at the end of a reading session. Fans of the Mystery genre will definitely want to give this a try. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Overall: A

Think of a Number is one of the better detective mysteries that I've read. I liked everything about this book. The characters are believable and interesting. The story starts out relatively slowly and starts to pick up a good pace early. The case is interesting enough to keep one reading from beginning to end non-stop. There is no filler (as seems to be the case with many novels lately).

The story is about a brilliant detective (Dave Gurney) who is retired and whose wife prefers that he remain retired. But an entreaty from a old college acquaintance involves him eventually in another murder mystery. He must go up against a criminal who appears every bit as brilliant (but deranged) as himself. There is an ending (as opposed to some novels leaving it open ended), it works quite well and fits the plot/story.

The book Think of a Number is not great but it is good enough to rate 5 stars. If you are a mystery/detective novel fan who likes intriguing twists, a book with a reasonable flow to it and mostly interesting characters then you will probably like this book.
But if you expect perfect details, absolute flow, cannot comprehend the internal struggle of a brilliant but singularly focused mind, are expecting Sherlock Holmes, cannot ignore innuendo and cannot ignore obvious writing inexperience by the author, then you will not like Think of a Number.

This is the most outstanding mystery I have read in years and I read a lot of them!The characters are so real that you feel you know them. Retired NYPD homicide detective David Gurney is relaxing in his new life in rural upstate New York when he gets an e-mail from a college friend he has not been in touch with for over 20 years, Mark Mellery.
Mark has received a letter in the mail that asks him to think of a number. He thinks of a number and it is confirmed in a call from the letter writer that is the number. He then begins to receive a series of threatening letters written in red ink and in the form of poems. Mark is owner of a very upscale Mellery Center for Spiritual Renewal and does not want any publicity brought to the centers so will not go to the police as Gurney suggests. Mark and Gurney are in their late 40's. Young for Gurney to be retired but his wife does not want him to get involved. She becomes strangely hostile to Gurney doing any kind of work. Being stuck on a farm in the Berkshires seems her idea of bliss but not his.
Mark continues to get the letters until one morning he is found murdered in a very bizarre fashion in front of his house. The New York BCI gets involved in the case because it is so high profile and the murder happened in a small town with a small local police force. Gurney is asked by the DA to be a paid consultant in the case.
More letters and murders follow and David becomes more and more involved to the displeasure of his wife. She would like them to have more time together but Gurney is a highly regarded thinking detective and can't let go of the case.
The book is riveting from start to finish. I hope John Verdon writes many more mysteries with David and wife Madeline in them.

Dave Gurney, a retired police detective who had his fifteen minutes of fame when he solved a huge murder case is contacted by an old college friend, Mark who received a note that may or may not be threatening. The letter asks him to guess a number and when he does, he opens a note within the letter that reveals the same number. Although, Dave and his wife Madeline moved upstate to enjoy the peace and quiet of retirement, Dave still has it inside him the inquisitiveness and guile that made him a detective and wants to figure out how the sender did this.

Although the book was slow at times, the determination of Dave to find out how the killer planned his murders is what made me interested in reading this book. I too, wanted to figure and learn how it was possible. The novel is interesting and the tension builds to a fascinating climax.

John Verdon's debut novel, "Think of a Number," is a rare treat that contains a fascinating plot and honest characters. I found myself drawn into the puzzle just like with an Agatha Christie novel, and I wasn't disappointed.

At the heart of the plot is the first taunting letter received by recovering alcoholic and new-age guru Mark Mellery that tells him, "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." When Mark opens the smaller envelope enclosed in the letter he sees the number 658, the very number he had conjured up in his mind. Then he receives another note in the same handwriting, but this one is in rhyming verse. Mark is terrified. He knows there are periods in his past that he can't remember, people he might have hurt. So he looks up his old college classmate and former detective, David Gurney, now retired from the New York State Police after an illustrious career and living with his wife, Madeleine, in upstate New York. But even before they can meet, Mark receives another note, also in rhyming verse. Gurney agrees to look into the matter but, before Gurney can discover the sender, Mark Mellery is murdered and the detective in Gurney needs to know why.

Although the murder mystery is the meat of this story, I found the characters of David and Madeleine Gurney to be people I can believe really live and struggle to love in their farmhouse outside of Walnut Crossing, New York. Dave Gurney's view of his marriage and family ring true, and Madeleine's personality and tensions with her husband come across as real. I truly hope to meet this couple in another narrative, hopefully in a mystery as engaging as "Think of a Number."

I absolutely loved this book and would get his latest, but I prefer paperbacks, so will have to wait. There was no way I could solve this mystery and I salute those who figured it out. On the other hand I usually do not want to figure it out and rather enjoy the journey. What made this doubly interesting was the lack of communication between the retired detective and his wife. He moved to the country for her (she loves it), but he is restless and bored. She seems to have no understanding of his dilemma and I think she's on the fence about accepting what he is and what she wants him to be. He cannot resist getting back to his career roots of solving crimes. I would have preferred more dialogue, but I had no trouble keeping my focus. As I say, looking forward to his second book. That's always the key. Can the author do it again?

Think Of A Number by John Verdon

Dave Gurney is retired, or so he thinks. A highly decorated homicide investigator discovers retirement may be as fraught with danger as his former employment as he engages in a battle of wits with a serial killer.

Dave Gurney's struggle with his past and his concerns about his relationship both to his wife and his father, paint him as a very real, pathos driven character. Madeleine his wife vacillates between too good to be true and Dave's harshest critic. This is a thought provoking mystery that provides the reader with clues throughout. As the reader you are in a competition with Dave to see who figures out who the villain is first. I thought it started slow but keep with it as it certainly doesn't remain slow.

I recommend the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this who (and how) done it crime solver. The story moved along very quickly and I found the criminal's cryptic puzzle poems very intriguing. I thought the author did a great job of fully immersing the reader in all the details of crime scene investigation and criminal profiling characteristics. There was so many clever things and clues to figure out. This story has a cat and mouse game theme as well as a catch me if you can strategy. I didn't understand the awkward and seemingly distant relationship between the lead character and his wife. I guess the author was trying to show how wrapped up investigating detectives can become in their work that it effects who they are in life. I think this is a remarkably good story for a first time author and I recommend it very highly!

Think Of A Number is John Verdon's debut novel. To be honest, I'm very impressed.

The premise is simple, yet very intriguing. A prominent speaker called Mark receives an ominous letter asking him to think of a number. When he opens the second envelope with the letter, he discovers printed there the same number he thought of. With it is a vaguely threatening note, indicating how the sender knows Mark so well, and if Mark wishes to know the sender's identity he is to send a check or cash to a PO Box. Mark enlists the aid of someone he went to college with, Dave Gurney, a brilliant but retired detective, who is well known for catching serial killers. Before too long, Mark has been viciously murdered, and Dave finds himself brought on as a special investigator to the case. Even more perplexing than the letters is the crime scene which makes no sense and leaves no clues as to the killer's identity. The retired detective discovers that he's up against a brilliant, meticulous killer who seems to make no mistakes, as the bodies begin to pile up and the list of suspects goes nowhere.

The book is full of puzzles that are baffling and makes the reader want to keep reading to work out the solutions. Verdon keeps the chapters reasonably short and writes crisply. The characters are well developed, and the story is so perplexing and well written that it keeps the reader up late turning the pages.

I highly recommend this book.

This is an intelligent, well-thought-out story. The complexity of the villain's pathology was a bit over-the-top but it was still a very compelling read. I liked Dave Gurney from the outset and shared his confusion over the events that unfolded. Well done, Mr. Verdon. I will search out other books you have written.

Considering that I wasn't totally blown away by the premise of this story I was surprised at how much I wound up enjoying it. A man gets a letter telling him to first think of a number, then look inside a separate envelope, and voila, there's the number he thought of. I could think of a couple of ways to do that, especially considering the man's past. Considering his past I wasn't expecting to care a whole lot about what happened to him either, but his character was developed just enough to make that possible. He's freaked out by the letter and calls his old college acquaintance, a well-respected, retired NYPD detective with his own issues, intriguing him enough to get him involved.

With the exception of a few cliché police and political figures, the characters presented for the most part had an authentic feel. As for the story, the set-up parts somewhat dragged, then gave way to some unexpected twists that made me sit back up with renewed interest. And while I did realize who the killer was just about as soon as his character was introduced, I was happy to find that the ways I thought of to "think of a number" were not the solution to how it was done.

I wouldn't exactly say this was a sit-up-all-night-and-read-until-you're-done book, but it was engrossing enough to make you want to get to the conclusion. I could see how this story could become the base of a series, and would be interested in folowing it if it did.

THINK OF A NUMBER reminds me a great deal of the "locked room" mysteries I used to read as an adolescent. Which is to say, the real issue in this book is HOW the murderer is able to pull off his crimes. What makes this novel successful is that author Verdon is able to construct an intriguing series of puzzles, all of which the reader can solve for himself if he follows the right clues. Books like this don't get written much anymore, and it's nice to see a throwback to the Agatha Christie/Ellery Queen style of storytelling.

That being said, THINK OF A NUMBER is far from perfect. This novel is ultimately slow-paced, and contains very little true suspense until the final climax. The writing is decent for a debut, but author John Verdon writes in a relatively dry, verbose style that I sometimes found off-putting. And worst of all, this novel's hero -- retired NYPD police detective Dave Gurney -- lacks personality. This is undeniably Verdon's intention, as the hero is supposed to be an introverted man who has problems relating to other people, including his own wife and adult son. But in THINK OF A NUMBER, he often comes across as something of a bore. This novel would have been stronger if it had a more likable, assertive protagonist.

Overall, though, THINK OF A NUMBER is an entertaining effort, largely due to its inventive, puzzle-filled plotline. If you like a good old-fashioned mystery story, this is probably worth a try.

Dave Gurney was a police detective who captured a few big name serial killers, but he's now retired, working on art projects and trying to settle into country life with his wife...until a college friend contacts him with an odd situation and some creepy notes.

"Do you believe in Fate?" is how the first note starts. This question draws Dave Gurney into the web of the man who is playing a very peculiar and fatal game, a web he might not escape from in time.

This book is an exciting read, which pulls you in from the first word, and digs its claws in deep. I've found this to be one of the most original mysteries I've read in a long time. Gurney is a complex character and the way his mind works is fascinating as he unravels the tangled threads that have knotted around him. I highly recommend this book!

It is so hard to believe that this is the author's first novel - it is an amazing book! He writes with a skill that awes me. This psychological thriller grabs you right away, and won't let you go until the very end. And if you can figure out the killer until the author tells you who it is, you're far better at figuring out the countless clues than I was!! I loved how, as a reader, I felt that I was working hand-in-hand with the main character Dave Gurney, to solve this mystery, before the killer strikes again. And how Dave kept saying, "we must be looking at this wrong" and told us why. I will definitely read more of this author!! In fact, I already have his 2nd and 3rd books at hand ready to begin. Congratulations John Verdon - you have an amazing talent!!

"Think of a Numb3r" is written in a style very similar to the older detective novels of Agatha Christie, but with modern plot and language. As one reviewer noted already, there are numerous times throughout the book when specific plot points are brought back to the reader's attention as if to keep the reader up to speed in case they forget. If you just read a little bit at a time this is something you won't even notice, but if you are one of those readers who tears through a book you're going to get a little annoyed at the repetition ("I know what the letter says! I just read it 3 chapters ago!").

That being said, the plot to this novel is strong for the most part. It's definitely going to hook you at the beginning as we have a stalker (soon to be killer) who is sends a prediction notice to a man and the prediction of the number he chooses (hence the title) is dead-on. I spent several chapters early on trying to figure out how this could possibly be done, and in the end the resolution of everything is satisfying. The book really seems to brim with potential and I would definitely look for the next book by this author, but there seems to be something missing through it all. It's as if the tension only makes it to about 6 or 7 when you really want it to ratchet up to 10. Consider this a learning experience for Verdon, and it's good enough to definitely give him another chance.

The writer is quite a wordsmith, creating adept visuals and scenarios throughout the book. I found myself thinking of the storyline even when I wasn’t reading and trying out my own solutions to the crimes. Excellent read, for those with a good command of vocabulary and patience to let the plot unwind.

I truly enjoyed "Think of a Number", the first book in a series featuring Dave Gurney, retired detective extraordinaire. The characters were well drawn, the dialog nuanced and well written, the puzzles puzzling, and the denouement thrilling. I'm eager to begin reading "Shut Your Eyes Tight", the next book in what is sure to be a standout series.

There's too much in this thriller that smacks of detective thriller formula:
The retired cop who comes back to solve one more big case
The tension between the DA and the cop
The criminal who's clearly toying with the cop.

It takes retired cop Dave Gurney a little too long to catch on to what's going on. The supporting investigators are all a little too slow to add to his investigation. And when he walks right in to the criminal's trap, well, it's all just a little to much like thriller paint by numbers.

I've got to admit I finished reading this about 3 weeks ago and when I picked it back up to write this review, my first reaction was not having even remembered reading it. It was that forgettable. Once I glanced at the ending I had an "oh, THAT book" reaction.

It's not bad. It will keep you turning pages. It's a good distraction. If you set your expectations right it won't disappoint you.

Great murder mystery, cleverly written. Enjoyed this as much as an Agatha christie novel. The only thing I did not particularly enjoy was the background story of the detective, which I kind of found boring. Definetely worth reading.

"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."

Any fan of literary thrillers, especially those featuring unexpected twists and seemingly impossible crimes, is sure to love this impressive debut novel by John Verdon. The first in a new series, Think Of A Number introduces readers to retired NYPD Detective Dave Gurney, a complicated hero whose ability to retreat into logic insulates him from the predictable horrors of his profession and, all too frequently, from those who care about him.

Before Dave Gurney retired, he had a reputation for being the homicide cop who caught the toughest, most twisted serial killers. Now, he's settling into the bucolic lifestyle his wife has always craved in a beautiful little town in the Catskills. At least, he's trying to settle in. The truth is, Dave's not so sure he can turn off those aspects of his personality that made him a successful cop and the fact that he can't (or won't) is starting to wear on his marriage. As his wife Madeleine has kindly pointed out to Dave - more than once, in fact - he has a tendency to live within himself, spending his time with his thoughts, analyzing everything and ignoring the wonders of the world around him. It's that very tendency, of course, as well as his ability to think through the clues in a murder investigation in a logical, orderly fashion, that made him so successful with the NYPD. Now Madeleine seems to expect Dave to change and he's not sure how to deal with that.

Just as Dave is contemplating his relationship with his wife and the what he can, and cannot, do to appease Madeleine, a puzzle falls into his lap that seems tailor-made for a 'natural born onion-peeler.' When Mark Mellery, a counselor of 'spiritual renewal,', finds himself with a vexing problem, he seeks help from Dave, whom he knew 25 years ago in college. Mellery has been receiving vaguely threatening notes that seem to allude to a misdeed in Mellery's past - a past characterized by heavy drinking, much of which Mellery simply cannot remember. The anonymous author appears to know more about Mellery than the man knows himself. If the notes can be believed, the author knows him so well, in fact, that he can read Mellery's mind. More than that, he can predict what random number Mellery will think of before he has even been asked to do so.

Despite questioning Mellery's motives for seeking him out after all these years, Dave is intrigued by the problem. He cannot figure out how the author knew in advance what number Mellery would think of, but there's a lot more to it than that. As the notes, and later phone calls, become increasingly hostile, Dave fears for Mellery's well-being. Inevitably, given that this is a mystery/thriller, Mellery is murdered. While Dave is saddened by the death of his one-time friend, he's also stumped by the large accumulation of evidence that leads, quite literally, nowhere. Asked to consult on the case by an ambitious prosecutor, Dave soon finds himself in the midst of one of the most perplexing cases of his (not quite over) career.

Very few authors can combine a sharp-paced crime thriller with a reflective, introspective story of a man on the brink of major life changes, but Mr. Verdon does so in Think Of A Number, and he does so quite successfully. This novel is at once a literary, thoughtful reflection on a man trapped by a past tragedy he cannot seem to escape and then also a clever, intricately plotted murder mystery that will leave most readers guessing until the very end. While the first quarter of the book is slower paced, it carries its own weight with lush, beautiful descriptions of the Gurneys Catskills home and interesting revelations about the detective's complicated relationship with his wife and his struggles with his own introspective nature. Once the murder occurs, the plot visibly accelerates and the twists and turns come at close to breakneck speed.

What I enjoyed most about the novel, aside from the very high quality of the writing, was the interesting puzzle Verdon created for Mellery's murder. With the exception of one or two details, I did not figure out any of the various clues before the author chose to reveal their meaning - and that's unusual for a mystery. I also found Dave to be a refreshing change of pace. Lately it seems that all the protagonists in mystery/thrillers are so flawed that they are virtually unlikable. Gurney clearly has problems, but he is at heart a decent and honest man. I am certainly looking forward to reading more mysteries featuring this fascinating hero.

I was lucky enough to win my copy of Think Of A Number through Goodreads first reads program.

So many mystery books have the same hero book after book. I usually read the most current book decide I like it and than start at book one. It is rare for me to start at the original book (too much waiting for the next installment) which is what I did with Think of a Number. The book was great and an average read to me it did not compare with my favorite authors Michael Connley or Greg Illes but it was still an enjoyable book and worthy of a follow up. However I can not see myself waiting for future installments unless Mr. Verdon can crank them out at a rapid pace. The plot was solid and had me guessing but I would have enjoyed to see more character development.

I liked the old-style approach to this detective story. The main characters were nicely fleshed out. I liked the relationship between Gurney and his wife. Rodriguez was too much of a flat stereotype for my taste, though. I loved the descriptions of upstate New York winter snows. Gurney's character realizes a satisfying enlightenment as the story progresses. I felt that the pacing slowed down a bit towards the middle of the novel, but picked up nicely for a thrilling conclusion.

This was my first John Verdon novel. I found the premise very entertaining and was trying, throughout the book, to determine how the villain was accomplishing his MO. This book is fun and will make you think. I read a few of the critics complaints regarding the relationship between the protagonist, David Gurney, and his wife, Madeleine. Bottom line, David was having a lot of trouble coming to grips with the death of their son years earlier. I did not feel their relationship was atypical, considering the monumental obstacle they both had to try to live with. Until you find out how the culprit pulled off "think of a number, any number," it will really freak you out. 4 stars.

I got caught up in the story quickly and the puzzles were satisfying. I thought it was a little too long, and afterwards, hardly any of it really made any sense (explaining why would involve lots of spoilers.) (What did surprise me was that there was no reference to John Dickson Carr stories by the detectives, since there were lots of elements of "the impossible crime" afoot.)

Hands-down the best psychological murder mystery in many a year. The author's ability to nail characters both major and minor with economical, offhand observations is uncanny - his prose has an elegant simplicity few can match. The suspense grows incrementally with each conversation, each event, each unexpected disclosure. Stumbling across this book was a surprise blessing for an omnivorous reader of the genre.

One would never guess that this novel by John Verdon was his first and this is very high praise for an author's debut novel. He is very smart. He establishes a premise that grabs your attention and fills you with intrigue. An ex-cop Dave Gurney is contacted by an old college semi-friend who has a huge problem and luckily for Gurney, a mystery to be solved. Thus THINK OF A NUMBER begins. Just imagine getting a note saying just this, thinking of a number and then being told what that number was. And further notes are sent to taunt and scare. Creepy. This premise would be enough to hold a novel together till the end for most authors. But John Verdon proves he is hugely adept at believable plot and deep character development. This novel has so many twists and turns your head will spin. But it all works.

This novel leaves the basic thriller genre and becomes a true psychological thriller. For me this means the novel is intelligently written and deep characterizations are what propel the intriguing plot. That is what happens here. You are not only pushed to turn page after page due to the story but also because all characters are very real. There are no one dimensional characters here placed just to move the story along. And the deeply studied relationship of our main character Dave Gurney and his wife is rich with history. They have a present, a deep troubled past and hopefully a future. The hearfelt relationship established here could be the bones to continue to another book and start a series.

The book wasn't perfect as very few are but it is very impressive and you certainly won't be wasting your time. You will be pushed to think, you will be taunted and surprised. Enter the world author John Verdon has created. He is a welcome voice to the literary world.

There are few things more satisfying than reading a good crime mystery. With John Verdon's debut novel "Think of a Number", I think we have a winner. Verdon introduces us to Dave Hurley, a retired NYPD detective with a keen eye for details and a penchant for tracking down serial killers. It's a clever story and if you're the kind of reader that enjoys doing your own sleuthing, Verdon throws enough clues your way to hold your interest. I enjoyed the fact that not only is this story a "whodunit" but also a "howdunit".

At a tad over 400 pages, the story moves at a brisk pace. Not once in did I feel the tempo of the plot lag and feel the desire to flip forward a few pages. In fact, I think Verdon does very nice job accelerating the pace as the story moves along. I actually finished this book much faster than I anticipated -- good thing my Kindle has battery life galore. At about 2/3 of the way through the book, the story starts to rise to a crescendo. I dare you to put it down at that point; only the most disciplined readers would succeed.

So many detective stories are written with the same outline, just the names, places and particular plot details change, but overall, the stories and their main detective characters remain the same. I am happy to say that this book was different, well mostly different. The plot was intriguing and what I thought I had figured out was completely wrong, a definite plus for the review of this book. I did get the feeling that I had heard it all before in the last 50 pages or so, but I can forgive that seeing that I really did enjoy the rest of the book. If you might be interested in a good detective story, I would recommend this one.

I liked this book a lot. It held me tight to the pages. The reviews previously written covered all the ground I would had no review been written. However, I did feel the ending was rushed a bit too much, a sort of let down, but not enough to ruin the experience of a very well-written, well-plotted book. Yes, there is some stock plot/character stuff, but there are few NEW plots or characters; there are new twists to old themes, and it is those most original we cherish now...this is a book that approaches that. I highly recommend this very good book. He is a new author for me, and I will read his previous work, and search out his newest.

This novel was just decent enough to read cover to cover, but after having finished it, nothing about it stands out as being particularly good. There is a definite lack of "atmosphere" in this mystery; environments are sparsely described. A lot of words are spent describing the thoughts in the main character's head. The problem is that he is a rather bland character, neither likeable nor unlikeable. There are also some inconsistencies in the character's behavior: he is logical and thorough for most of the book, but then does something shortsighted and doesn't tell the people he has endangered. I never got a strong sense of his character and his relationship with his wife was alienating and mystifying - a nuisance to the story, conflict without substance.

As for the mystery itself, it was also unsatisfying. I was able to predict parts of the solution in advance without trying. Also, the focal point of the mystery (the "thinking of a number" part) has an unsatisfying (albeit logical) explanation. But I will give it three stars since it was enough to maintain my interest.

I listened to this on CD and really enjoyed it. It got a little tense at times. I found it hard to put down. I found myself taking surface streets instead of the freeway so that I could listen longer.

My Rating: 3.5 stars (A mystery that is a cut above average!)

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

I love reading mystery thrillers during the summer. 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!

PLOT: Dave Gurney is a retired homicide investigator. Mark Mellery, an old acquaintance from college, seeks him out to help him with a problem. He's received an anonymous letter asking him to think of a number. The letter writer has also correctly guessed the number that Mellery randomly picks. The letters and phone calls grow increasingly menacing. Gurney soon finds himself once more drawn into a murder investigation.

The novel starts very slowly with loads of dull interaction between Gurney and his wife Madeleine. The mystery of the numbers was about as interesting as a kid's magic trick. For a third of the novel, these two boring topics are richly explored. I can understand development being needed, but I think it could have been accomplished in fewer pages.

A peeve of mine was that the author called the protagonist "Gurney." It places unnecessary distance between him and the reader. He's the main character. We're supposed to care for him. Can't we call him Dave?

To Gurney, all men are annoying, jealous, conniving, angry glory hounds or some variation thereof. He doesn't like any of them. Not even his son who is described as shallow and caring only about his most recent purchases. All women are described as sexy and smart. This is the case even when the first description of one particular officer was given as "asexual." These redundant descriptions make all the supporting characters flat and unrealistic.

Once the murder investigation begins in the second part of the novel, the pace really quickens and the reader finally gets to see why Gurney as been described repeatedly as an excellent detective. The second half is as stimulating as the first half is mind numbingly dull. Details of the murder give you the impression that Gurney has a worthy opponent in this killer.

3 STARS: The first part of this novel deserves only one star while the second earns four stars. Averaging the two out and rounding up, I give it three stars.

This well written psycho mystery does everything a good story should. The main character, retired homicide detective, David Gurney is pulled into the plot by an old friend that received a threatening letter that asks him to think of a number. Every step of the story, David is drawn into finding the psychotic antagonist that leaves bodies in his wake.

John Verdon also does a terrific job of character development showing the strengths and weaknesses of all the characters as that is integral to the plot. He also uses scene descriptions to enhance the story.

I am somewhat vague in this review because I do not want to give away any details of which there are many that are necessary to the story and thus ruin the guessing game we readers play while reading a good mystery.

I'm ready for Number Two.

This is the second book I've read by John Verdon in the Dave Gurney series. I did not realize when I picked the first one to read that it was actually the third one in the series. I liked it so well I decided to start with the first book and was not disappointed. Will read more by John Verdon.

What a great read this was! It's a suspenseful, thriller of a read and one of those rare reads that takes you into the true mind of the policeman (in this case retired) and what's going through his mind while working on the case. And not only during the times he's on the case, but also "off times" and how family comes into play.

I believe this is what intertwines or I should say how the author brings together the brilliant yet psychotic (what's that saying there's a fine line between brilliance and craziness) mind of the "bad guy."

The idea of you getting an envelope in the mail, you not expecting it, and it telling you to think of a number, then you think of one and the number written down is one you actually think of! Very interesting way to start off a book!

I'll end in saying we all know this is book is a work of fiction. It's not a book teaching people law enforcement procedures, or such. It's a book filled with cool ideas, an cunning elusive psychopath and a a retired cop with his own issues working on this case. All of this will take up time to and allow your mind to get away from everything for a few hours.

A great book!

This book was pretty good as far as first books go. I did find some of the chapters to be a bit tedious to read, as they did not seem relevant to the whole story; then again, the author was likely attempting to make the character have more depth, so...

All in all, I MIGHT read another one of this author's books, but it will be awhile.

I rate this novel highly because it kept me reading. This says more about the writing style and pace more than the actual story. I found the this book easy to read, with the most engaging part being between the main character and his wife. The author sets a very moody view and does it well.

The story involves a killer who uses clever lock-box style clues. Unfortunately, they aren't that clever and the reader will have them figured out before long. The main character seems to be unable to arrive at the logical conclusions until near the end of the story. Also, there is a murder which happens years before that is said to be related but never really followed up on. The end game is confusing and relied on the police conveniently missing a rather obvious item (don't want to ruin the story, but you will know when you read it). Amazingly, the police don't appear to do any background checks on persons of interest, nor do they make an artists sketch of the potential killer when they have a witness who has seen the killer. If they had done either of these two things the end game would never have been needed.

So, it is a good story for fun. Well written, but jumping the logic tracks a few times. Don't be fooled into thinking you will be reading an incredible "how it was done" mystery, but I think you will enjoy it anyway.

I tried to like this book, it seemed like a good premise when I read it but the execution left something to be desired. The book just kind of trudged along, never really getting anywhere fast; to me, it was way too long. The story was basic enough but it just wouldn't get to it, there was no suspense, no build up and before the end I was just eager for it to be over. Mysteries and thrillers are supposed to be just that, thrilling, this was nap material; I actually picked up the book on cd to see if I could get through it better but I couldn't. The narrator of the audio book seemed like he was bored with it from the beginning and I really couldn't concentrate on it. I have read some good mysteries in the last month but this was not one of them; I give it three stars because the story was decent but the storytelling was flawed.

This is not one of those generic serial killer novels that any hack could put together following the standard template; this is far more intelligent and absorbing, with much less sensationalism Verdon's debut novel will make you feel as if you know Dave Gurney, recently retired police officer, famed for apprehending two serial killers back in his days on the force. A random call from an old college friend seeking Gurney's help with a mysterious letter gets the novel rolling, and soon you'll be ensared in the Hitchcockian labyrinth of this book. I hate going into long-detailed reports of plots and characters - if you like that, read some other reviewer - but this book is rich in both.

Highly recommended.

Think of a Number evokes memories of my adolescence, reading those classic `locked room' mysteries, where not only does the reader need to contemplate who the killer is, but how the killer was able to commit the crime. There is a cleverness to this novel that I enjoyed, perhaps in part because it reminded me of those old Agatha Christie novels I loved to read when I was young. What makes this novel successful is that the author effectively creates a series of intriguing puzzles that the reader can solve.

Some readers though will find this novel to be slow-paced. Like a lot of classic mystery novels, the focus is on interpreting the clues and solving the puzzles and there is very little genuine suspense until the final climax. The novel's protagonist, retired detective Dave Gurney is an introverted, socially awkward character. I thought the author did a good job of creating a realistic and flawed character although some readers will likely find him a little dull.

I enjoyed this novel because, well, I like a good old fashioned mystery. It may be slower paced than some people like, but for those who like to solve puzzles, this is a clever novel.

For a first effort, Think of a Number is a pretty accomplished detective novel. John Verdon has crafted some very clever plot turns, and the story has its unusual aspects, including the uniquely complex way the strained marriage relationship between the detective and his wife unfolds as a secondary story line. (The relationship is unusual, but the "dark secret that lies between them, buried in the past" is a worn-out plot device these days.) This is very cerebral murder mystery, as Dave Gurney comes out of retirement to solve the murder of an old acquaintance, and then has to deal with an ingenious killer who taunts the police with every move. It's actually a bit TOO cerebral; I thought the plot got bogged down too often, mired in the details. There's really no sense of immediate danger from this killer until past the three-quarters point, so suspense is not a strong aspect of Verdon's writing. The identity of the killer was also fairly obvious to me pretty far in advance of where it's revealed. Despite the drawbacks, though, I wanted to see this story through to the end, and there were definitely worthwhile elements to the book. As a writer, Mr. Verdon may be worth following as he gets more experienced.

I was a little hesitant in buying this book, but now that I'm about half-way through it I'm so giddy that I can't wait to finish it before giving it four stars. It is very well written, such deep character development and just enough hard-boiled elements in it to make me chuckle every few pages. I don't know how it ends yet, nor do I care. I get my enjoyment out of the writing style, the educational value in that, and not on the plot. Can't wait to read the author's next book. If you like this, also check out Philip Kerr.

The main mystery of Think of a Number is pretty good, even though it takes a while to develop. The protagonist actually has extensive contact with the victim before he becomes a victim, trying to figure out how the murderer can guess a number days before the victim even thinks of it. When the killing starts, the pace picks up, and things get complicated.

(A side note: an educational show i watched as a child in the 80s allowed me to figure out a major component of the mystery well before the characters did, but for anyone who didn't happen to catch that episode of a show i'm not even going to name, it should be much more satisfying.)

Unfortunately, the author felt compelled, as almost all mystery novelists do, to add a troubled marriage and tragic past to our protagonist. Chapters of the Detective at home are infuriatingly plodding, and after about five pages you just want to smack them and tell them to stop being teenagers. There's lots of the wife clearly wanting to say something, and not, and the husband realizing it, and doing nothing. A few passing allusions suggest that the detective perhaps cheated on his wife once, but then he goes on and flirts shamelessly with other women, aware of his wife's annoyance but not respecting her in the slightest. There's also the tragic past event that is brought up so often, and so clumsily, that the reveal is more of a relief than anything else. Were i the editor of this book, i'd have crossed out 90% of the at-home-chapters, because they do more harm than good to the quality of the novel. And worst of all, the tragic past almost ties in to the present mystery, but the author totally fails to actually bring them together, so it's entirely superfluous except to add some caricature of depth to the main character.

In all, this was a mediocre book, and i can't really recommend it. However, i think if Mr. Verdon tries his hand at writing again he'll do much better the second time around, especially if he can find a better editor.

This was an amazing first book by a talented and skilled author. I cannot wait to devour more of his books! If you love suspense and crime novels, you have found the ideal book. Reminds me of the old James Patterson books only better!

This book has to be one of the best books I've read in a while. I found my self sucked in very early on. I spend most of the book trying to figure out who the criminal was but it wasn't until it all started unfolding did I realize I was wrong and I love that. I love not being able to figure out 'who done it'! Very good read and very well written, I would definitely recommend this book to all interested in the genre. Looking forward to see what other troubles Dave Gurney gets him self into!!

I really liked the idea of this book...it had my interest from the beginning...but not for long. The mystery was good and that kept me reading but it took long to get to the suspenseful part. Picked up at the end though and had a good ending. Didn't stop me from downloading another of his books so

I enjoyed this book and would probably read more in the series. It was a little slow for my taste, and a little too literary. I got impatient with a lot of the interplay between retired police detective Gurney and his wife. And I figured out who the bad guy was before Gurney did-- in fact, that bothered me. He didn't so much as figure it out as be hit over the head with it at the end. Still, it was an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.

I got this book both as an audiobook and an ebook and switched back and forth. I found it more enjoyable to read than to listen to, as there was something about the narration that didn't quite sound right. I never got that involved with the main character, so I doubt I would buy any more of the series, but it was good enough that if they carry it at the library I will probably give the second book a shot.

I read a lot of different genres, but particularly enjoy thrillers, mysteries and horror. I enjoyed this book very much. I think where a lot of the "bland" or "boring" criticism comes from in some of the negative reviews is because Verdon is an author that enjoys character development. But, then, so do I. The characters inhabiting this book are VERY well-drawn and by the end of the book, you feel like you really know these "people" - especially the main character. I'm not sure he could have accomplished that - while furthering the mystery - using fewer words.

Speaking of the mystery - if you are a mystery reader that doesn't like it when the story is too easy to predict - and you don't like character development - you may want to stay away. I did find this mystery easy to solve. However, to me, that's not always a turn off if the story and characters are still nicely spun. And, in my opinion, the writing is very nice. I really cared about what was going to happen to the characters by the end.

So, the only thing keeping me from 5 stars is the predictability. I do think the book would have been a tad stronger if it was harder to guess. But, if you are smart enough to figure it out, knowing what is coming doesn't take away from the story. It's still a GREAT read.

John Verdon has done a good job of creating a logical, but not infallible protagonist in David Gurney and compliments Gurney's logic with smartly intuitive wife. Many detectives in crime novels never make missteps, it is refreshing to see that Gurney is not a superhuman, just a human. The antagonist is a scarily intelligent, but wholly unhinged.

Verdon's writing is intelligent and flows well, will leaving you flipping through the pages quickly and finishing the book quickly!

I purchased this hardcover book because I thought the premise was was quite interesting. The questions and the oddities that come up during the first murder scene were quite unique and set it apart from other novels in this genre. The core mystery was very well thought out and really made me question not only "who" but "how."

I did find there were times that the novel was a bit overly descriptive which slowed down the pace and at times took away from the core mystery. I kept waiting for something to happen Gurney's wife since there was a lot of time and attention given to their "off" marriage. Unfortunatly, there was really no pay-off on that sotryline.

I look forward to John Verdon's next novel and I think he has great potential as a novelist as long as he tightens up his writing a little bit.

What do you call a debut novel that mixes murder, puzzles, marriage, friendship, career choices and great narrative together? A great start from a very promising new author and a desire for more. Others have already covered the plot and some of the characters so I'll only add that this will definitely be a novel you won't want to put down. If you're really clever you'll figure out the "how'd he do that?" part of the mystery but there's plenty more here to keep you entertained. Definitely add this one to your summer reading list.

Overall this was a pretty good book...once you've read so many crime novels they begin to look alike. This one was well written, and had the added advantage of what was actually a pretty good plot twist that was manipulated quite skillfully to the very end. Some predictable character representations, but it balanced out consider he is a first-time author.

The writing at time was hard to muddle through but, you can tell that the author chose his words very carefully. He was also very careful with his character development.

Really enjoyed this book. The writing was at a very high level, the author portrayed the New England countryside in winter really well, and it combined a thriller with a who-done-it very effectively. One of the best crime novels to come out in a while.

A good book that at times gets a little slow. The first half of the book takes a little to long to get to the meat of the story, but all in all not a bad book. Could have done with a little less detail at time because it got to feeling like filler.

I'm usually a non-reader of books in the mystery genre, but this captured my interest due to the (relatively) good writing and an interesting protagonist. As for the elements of mystery and crime solving, I can't offer much praise. Everything is set up cleverly but the resolutions are simplistic at best and, at worst, just not credible.

I was curious to see why Random House had put this book, a debut, after Stieg Larsson on their mystery list and now I know why. It's a truly unusual combination of literary, suspense thriller and mystery rolled into one: very thoughtfully plotted and written. The writing is exceptional and so is the story - I defy you to put this book down and forget it. Coincidentally, like Larsson's first Millenium book, this book opens with a slightly rough start. And I'd give the ending a 99 out of 100, but it's near perfect in my opinion. I see why Random House gave Verdon a million dollar advance for his three book deal. A book like this doesn't come along often.

I liked this and I like the character of Dave Gurney. His wife is rather annoying but I'm used to work obsessed people. The killer was creepy but also sad in a way, due to the circumstances which created his psychopathy. I will stick with this series because I get attached to characters and I like ongoing series. I'm hoping the next book is better though.

My thoughts...

I read this book quite some time ago, the plot still lingers whenever I see the book. This was definitely a pulsating thriller. As you read be very mindful of the clues that are scattered throughout the entire book. You may think you have it figured out just to find the author has added another striking twist to the story.

Well written first novel, and I enjoyed the characters of Dave and Madeleine. Can't wait to read the other books in the series and see their marriage evolve. I was totally unprepared for the revelation of the killer, which almost never happens to me in a mystery. That would be yet another reason to look forward to future novels.

Enjoyed the story, really loved the language used, pretty simple plot and I wasn't thrilled with the "perfectly flawed" lead character. Took me a while to read as well, could be me, could be the book.

I read 40-50 mysteries a year, and I loved this terrific debut novel. The story is well written and well plotted, the characters are likable and human, and it hops from page to page with no downtime at all. No frippery or major side stories to distract from the business at hand. This is the best book I've read this year.

A thoroughly explosive thriller. Follow Dave Gurney as he explores the possibilities in the mind of an emotionally charged killer. The story is a rollercoaster ride; hang on tight every curve leaves you hanging on the edge of your seat. The pieces of this puzzle are completely out of sync. Enjoy this amazing story.

What a great read, it grabbed my attention from page one and carried it through to the very end. A great job for a first time author and I look forward to his next work. I woke early in the morning, 2:30 am trying to figure out the whodudit, I ended up getting up and finishing the book. Great twists ansd turns and suprises!

I have seldom read a book so disappointing. I'm not sure why I bothered finishing it. The main character was a lead detective in NYC and for some reason, completely unaddressed, retires in his late 40's. His wife seems to run things and all he does is complain and feel guilty. Why would he retire when he loves what he does and only seems to be placating his wife--which doesn't work as she is always unhappy with him. Here is this macho leaning detective being pushed around by a woman who wants him around, in the country where he isn't happy, all the time. He spends half his life driving around from one small village to another one. Surely, if his special job to find the latest serial criminal is so important and he is so good at what he does, they could figure out a way to get him from one town to another. Some days he spends 10 hours just driving from one town to another and back again!! Meanwhile, wifey is at home fuming--as usual. There is not a single pleasant intelligent police man (or woman) in the entire book. They are all angry with large chips on their shoulders. The possibilities for the book (the plot) were great. Unfortunately, there was no follow-thru with the characters. They were awful. If Verdun could get his characters organized I might try another book. However, not beyond page 50.

I, for one loved this character and I have loved this series. A writer isn't perfect but if a writer can keep your interest to finish a book,thats a truly storyteller like this Author. Loved the story, entertaining,suspense. Looking forward to more bks from Mr, Verdon

The central story is well crafted and exciting to the end. The subtexts, thoughtful analyses of the characters and the emotional awakening of the hero, are intriguing because they ring true. It was a bit of a stretch to resolve pretty much every problem at the books end, but it was emotionally satisfying.

Stumbled across this author and really enjoyed all three of his books. Suspenseful and entertaining. Main character is interesting but really needs to divorce his wife who is simply irritating . Her presence and constant whining is why this is four vs five stars

I read this after a mystery that was not very good, but was being heavily hyped.
I thought, Here goes another disappointment. It was good from the start. Well written, great plot , relatable characters.
Though I almost never guess "Who done it?, dating back to Nancy Drew", I thought this ending..that I didn't see coming, was very clever.
It was better written, had more believable characters, and a better ending than "Gone Girl".
Refreshing. Looking forward to his next book.

As a teacher, my school year reading is largely confined to academic journals and nonfiction tied to my subject area. Come summer I seek out some brain candy. This book satisfied that search perfectly. Great story with excellent character development. Can't wait to read another book by this author.

Suspenseful, clever, and hard to put down. "Fun" is not exactly a word I should be using to describe a murder mystery, but the way everything fits together in this book held my attention all the way through. Gurney reminds me of some other hunters of serial killers I've read, but not in a bad way. He's a good addition to the field and his deductions were believable.

Well written and with a good pace the novel gets into the action right from the start.
Retired detective Guerney manages quite some deduction feats on seemingly unrelated events and the ending is quite surprising. Definitely a good summer read

I found the mystery enjoyable, but the part of the book spent on the relationship between the main character & his wife was an irritating distraction. I finally just began skipping any portion of the book involving the wife, who was one-dimensional and annoying.

This book didn't get interesting until page 165. I found it very boring. This is my 2nd novel that I have read by John Verdon and I'm still wondering just what the relationship is between Dave Gurney and his wife. Dave seems sort of defensive of her all the time. I doubt that I will be reading another John Verdon novel very soon. The title sounded so interesting.

Reading this book was a pleasurable experience. The plot, a commendable mixture of thriller and mystery elements, is exciting and suspenseful with some nice twists and subtle humor.

I especially like the characters. Not just Dave Gurney but his Madeline and some smaller characters are beautifully etched. The pace and feel of the book is more European,with the vivid atmosphere and nuanced psychological details, than a typical American novel. I am eagerly looking forward to reading the second n the series.

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!

I found this at one dollar at the supermarket, so I decided to give it a go.

What a disappointment! I guessed the setup by the first murder, even if I could not know if the killer was that guy before later.

Gurney is slow, does not at all come through as intelligent, neither does his wife (who seems to be outright dumb in her choices), and busybody in her guesses.

Verdons idea of forensics seems a little bit 1990........and these tough police inspectors and lieutenants..... my God! And then all the dumb police inspectors and lieutenants, even more my God!

Well, Verdon is in his seventies, and thinks he has clever plots, he has not.

This book was a bit slow going at the beginning but well worth it. Verdon does a wonderful job of developing his characters, especially the protagonist Gurney who is more in tune with his life of "retirement" than his wife. As details of Gurney's history are revealed, the detective investigates a brutal slaying and travels great distances--both geographically and within his mind--to try and capture the killer... highly recommended.

"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

Exhilarating yet thought provoking and impossible to put down. A well crafted story with an unnerving number of twists and turns. Verdon's writing is so detailed and picturesque, it reads like a movie playing in your head with the images unmistakable and graphic. Gurney is a tragic hero with many flaws that one can't help but pull for. A real nail biter from start to finish.

O.K. Here's what I'm going to tell you about the plot; Nothing! Not one damn thing! Because you're going to want to discover every twist and turn for yourself. Here's what I'm going to tell you about John Verdon. This is his first novel. That's interesting to know because he writes better than most suspense novelists who've been at it for years. Here's what I'mj going to tell you about this book. Buy it! Read it! If you have ANY liking for thrillers,at all, YOU MUST DO THIS! You're welcome.

a cleverly constructed mystery that includes a well disguised love story. No formulas in this
first novel by Verdon who developed a cast of characters that are propelled into each others
lives by the actions of a mad man on a mission.
Mr. Verdon please say you are already writing
your second novel and that it willl be published
soon.

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.

I don't know how this book got such a high rating. David Gurney is completely boring, bland, and without any sort of personality. His wife figures everything out while he drives around and has meetings. I had high hopes for this book and was totally let down. He's so highly decorated and famous, but yet can't figure out anything unless his wife points it out. Then, he has a lightbulb moment.

I am a frequent reader of detective stories and similar. This author is stunning in his ability to leave clues throughout the book which the reader misses, only to have the hero explain them in later chapters....a very engaging read that took me out of circulation for hours - I could not put it down.

Well and honestly written, well constructed tale combining both the suspense of a mystery who-done-it and perceptive characterizations. This is a book in the Dorothy Sayers tradition of intelligent and honest writing.

I read half of this book before I decided to stop. Typically half way through a book I either care enough about the characters to find out what happens next but I didn't get that from this book. The main character is suppose to be some great retired cop but he was boring. I disliked his wife and their relationship did not make any sense. And the rest of the characters were just like the angry three stooges. If you must try this book then just borrow it from the library.

I found this a really poorly written novel. The lead character is dull. His marriage is simply unexplainable. The task force trying to solve the crime is made up of thoroughly loathsome characters with no redeeming features.

It is extremely repetitious. I thought if I had to read the descriptions of the crimes one more time I would scream.

The scent of snow is mentioned at least eight times. I have never noticed that snow has a scent it being water after all.

Since this book had been recommended to me, I was badly disappointed.

I would rather watch Law & Order or CSI than read a book similar to Think of a Number.

I wish I could have liked it more - the plot was flat, the characters were dull, and the reveal was uneventful.

I read mysteries from time to time as it is difficult for me to find ones that I enjoy - I like the writing of of John Grisham & found the Girl in the Dragon Tattoo series thrilling, but this book paled in comparison.