Think of a Number

A Novel

By: John Verdon

Narrated by: George Newbern

Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

The first book in the Dave Gurney series, Think of a Number is a heart-pounding game of cat and mouse that grows relentlessly darker and more frightening as its pace accelerates

Threatening letters arrive in the mail over a period of weeks, ending with a simple declaration: “Think of any number . . . picture it . . . now see how well I know your secrets.” Those who comply find that the letter writer has predicted their random choice exactly. But when oddities that begin as a diverting puzzle quickly ignite into a massive serial murder investigation, police are confronted with a baffling killer, one who is fond of rhymes filled with threats and warnings, whose attention to detail is unprecedented, and who has an uncanny knack for disappearing into thin air.

Brought in as an investigative consultant, Dave Gurney, a recently retired NYPD homicide investigator, soon accomplishes deductive breakthroughs that leave local police in awe. Yet, even as he matches wits with his seemingly clairvoyant opponent, Gurney’s tragedy-marred past rises up to haunt him, his marriage approaches a dangerous precipice, and he wonders if he’s met an adversary who can’t be stopped.

A work that defies easy labels—at once a propulsive masterpiece of suspense and an absorbing immersion in the lives of characters so real we seem to hear their heartbeats—Think of a Number is a novel you’ll not soon forget.

©2005 John Verdon (P)2010 Random House

Critic reviews

“With its edge-of-the-chair suspense, memorable characters that jump off the pages, and elegant and deft writing, John Verdon's THINK OF A NUMBER is a stunning debut.” (Faye Kellerman, New York Times bestseller author of STONE KISS and THE FORGOTTEN)

“THINK OF A NUMBER is truly unputdownable. Rarely have I read a debut novel that has gripped me as this one has from the first page to the last. This book doesn’t just entertain – it engages you and draws you immediately into the lives of the characters, who are as real as real can be. John Verdon has written a flawless novel about flawed people and he’s written it beautifully. I hope we see a lot more of John Verdon and his smart protagonist, Dave Gurney, in years to come.” (Nelson DeMille, New York Times bestseller author of THE LION’S GAME, THE GENERAL’S DAUGHTER and GOLD COAST)

“Verdon's premise is clever and his police work convincing, which right there might be enough; but the real joy of this book is its characters. Each one, no matter how minor, is unique and beautifully observed. THINK OF A NUMBER had me from the opening pages and carried me right along.” (S.J. Rozan, Edgar-winning author of THE SHANGHAI MOON)

A bit tedious, horrible narration

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I nearly quit it several times. The endless digressions undermined the peculiar plot by distracting the reader from the 'chase' for the killer. We are to be impressed by the detectives uncanny ability to solve intricate problems, not to discover what he had for breakfast.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The telepathic nonsense was implausibly explained.

What didn’t you like about George Newbern’s performance?

His nasal, adolescent voice was utterly ill suited for this story

Could you see Think of a Number being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No

Any additional comments?

I'll try one more. It better be an improvement.

Wonderful mystery!

Would you listen to Think of a Number again? Why?

Yes, but since this is a very complex murder mystery, it wouldn't be as much fun. Once you know the secrets, it's likely to lose some of it's pull.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I really liked the main character's wife. She was very clever. He was the one who had been a police detective but she had a natural instinct and saw things that others missed. I hope she is in future books because she is the perfect sounding board for the main character.

Have you listened to any of George Newbern’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was the first book performed by George Newbern that I had listened to but I enjoyed him very much. If I find more books that he is narrating, I will count that as a huge draw.He is easy to listen to and makes the characters stand out without over-shadowing the story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There is a personal event in the past of one of the main characters that is very moving. I don't want to give anything away but I will say that it gives you some insight into the character's personality.

Any additional comments?

I'm looking forward to listening to more books in this series.

Satisfying

Any additional comments?

The premise is fascinating, the characters are fairly well drawn, the plot moves along quickly. Best of all, the story has an ending. The puzzle has a reasonable solution and the emotional conflict is somewhat resolved. It's all good. If only the editors would remove the umpteenth recap, the book could be a third shorter and nearly perfect.

Enjoyed the Plot

I can usually figure out who done it at least midway through a book, but not with this one. It was unusual in the plot and well thought out and presented.

The writing wasn't particularly artistic or inspiring, but it was solid and presented a clever and unique storyline.

I wouldn't listen to this book twice, but it was well worth the credit to listen to it once!

awesome

loved it. very well written. looking for more similar. in loved it. I loved it

complex enough to keep me thinking

Dave Gurney, retired homicide superstar, is drawn back into the game in this clever police procedural mystery. The suspect is smart and clever, targeting men who have a history of alcohol abuse in a most unusual way. He tells them to think of a number, then he guesses it. The suspense builds to a satisfying conclusion. Could've done without the long self help lecture from the first victim, but loved the unexpected humor. I just downloaded book 2!

Whose smarter - cop or killer?

This one of those books that will make you get out of your car...it's hard to write a mystery novel that stands out in terms of clever combinations of the criminal and the detective mind. I found the development of the story very entertaining and captivating.

it starts with a letter that Mark Mellery to think of a number between 1 and 1000...then when he opens the second envelope in the letter, the number he thought of is written on it. From there the killer seemingly leaves a mountain of clues but the police can't seem to make any headway on what all the clues mean. On receipt of the letter and additional poems, Mellery contacts his acquaintance from school, the recently retired detective Dave Gurney. Mellery eventually is murdered and Gurney can't help but take up the challenge of a killer who is clearly taunting the police. The killer continues to use the mail, number tricks and poems to strike fear in the victims before they are murdered...Gurney and the police are always several steps behind until Gurney's deductive skills and plain perserverance provide him the break he needs.

The killer is very clever and is well matched with Gurney...it is life and death when they finally meet.

I read a fair amount of these murder mysteries and found this to be one of the most entertaining I've ever read.

Brilliant! One of the best murder mysteries ever.

I had never heard of Mr. Verdon before, but I am thrilled to have just finished this book, knowing that there are four more in the series so far. George Newbern does an excellent job here as well. The protagonist, Dave Gurney, is a former NYPD homicide cop, now retired but working free-lance and still absolutely consumed by it, to his wife's profound dismay. He is a wounded hero, as many of these guys are, and you see him repeatedly searching for the answer to his own trauma. His wife, Madelyn, BTW, knows the entire cycle, but Dave just cannot hear her when she tries to tell him what he is doing with his life. His quarry in this book is a serial murderer. These are books which I frequently avoid, but you can tell immediately that this is one hell of a writer, who grabs you with his style, his wit and the fascinating plot, so that you are quickly hooked. He is very serious, quite a contrast to, for example, the gentle and sweet Walt Longmire, and he gets so wrapped up in his cases that he can think of nothing else. We meet the bad guy about halfway through the book. He is very weird, a psychotic or a psychopath or whatever, a hideously damaged individual who is trying desperately to recover from his own childhood trauma. If this sounds depressing, I didn't find it so, although I admit that I have a high tolerance for this sort of thing, provided that it is done with style, wit and a great plot. The plot is much too complicated for me to give you any idea of it, but reading the blurb and listening to the sample will give you a very minor taste of what's in store. There are dozens of law enforcers involved. The setting is upstate New York, plus other locations around New England. The time of year is winter, and it is beautifully described by Mr. Verdon. I have never been nostalgic about snow, having grown up in the MidWest and living in Ann Arbor before I moved to the SF Bay Area. Several of the scenes describe beauty of such breathtaking scope that the weather almost becomes a character in the book, much as NYC often is the primary focus of many writers who live there, like Lawrence Block. Happily, Mr. Verdon can't be compared to any other author in this genre, and I am thrilled to have discovered him. (Obviously, many many other readers have discovered him well before I did.) You are in for a terrific time here. There is a little bit too much gore in places, and a bit too much law enforcement minutiae, but the book is so over-powering that those are nits that don't deserve to be picked. Read up!

Not as Clever as the Author Believes

I really, really wanted to like this book. I tried. I finished it despite know, halfway through, that it would not get better for me. That's unfortunate as it's not terrible, the narrator is passable, the characters aren't unlikable. But there is no spark to it. And if nothing else, a story about an inventive killer should be mystical, it should envelop the reader in a shroud of wonder and excitement. None of that is here. If any book I've ever read felt like it was written by a committee, this was it.

To begin, the main character receives a call from an old college friend. This man has received a message that seems to have read his mind. Later (and I mean much later, the opening of this book dragged on forever) there is a brutal murder committed in a way that makes no sense (snowy footprints disappear in the middle of a field) and the killer seems to be playing a long game against the cops. It all sounds very clever. There are two issues.

The first is that there is very little action. Most of the book is people sitting down and examining and discussing and discussing again. It takes hours for something new to happen. The main character doesn't even seem to be very engaged in the murders or the investigation. He has troubles at home and by the end of the book there hasn't even been any resolution to those troubles.

Then there's the issue with the mystery. It's not very mysterious. I figured out how the killer did everything about hour six. The book is 13 and a half hours long. So that was over 7 hours of waiting for the characters to catch up to me. It was an aggravating way to read a book. Without action, this book of constant examination on matters I'd already deduced seemed just stupid.

I wanted to like it, as I love detective stories. And I don't need a mystery to be unendingly clever. It can be very simple (like the wonderful Harry Hole books by Jo Nesbo). But this book rests entirely on the brilliance of a killer who - actually - isn't that brilliant. It's not bad. But you can do better.

Quite good

I liked the character, the story and the reader. Thoroughly enjoyed the book. So much so that I already downloaded John Verdon's second novel. Yes, some of the clues come together in rather unbelievable ways -- but most actually seem feasible. What's best is that you are given the puzzle pieces at the same time as the detectives, so you can figure out the puzzle right along with them. The reader is not a character himself (like, for example, I am guessing Scott Brick will be in the second novel) -- he never detracts or distracts. Good job.