Wolf Lake

A Novel (Dave Gurney, Book 5)

De: John Verdon

Narrado por: Christopher Lane

Could a nightmare be used as a murder weapon? That's the provocative question confronting Gurney in the thrilling new installment in this series of international bestsellers. The former NYPD star homicide detective is called upon to solve a baffling puzzle: Four people who live in different parts of the country and who seem to have little in common, report having had the same dream - a terrifying nightmare involving a bloody dagger with a carved wolf's head on the handle. All four are subsequently found with their wrists cut - apparent suicides - and the weapon used in each case was a wolf's head dagger.

Police zero in quickly on Richard Hammond, a controversial psychologist who conducts hypnotherapy sessions at a spooky old Adirondack inn called Wolf Lake Lodge. It seems that each of the victims had gone there to meet with Hammond shortly before turning up dead.

Troubled by odd holes in the official approach to the case, Gurney begins his own investigation - an action that puts him in the crosshairs of not only an icy murderer and the local police but the darkest corner of the federal government. As ruthless as the blizzard trapping him in the sinister eeriness of Wolf Lake, Gurney's enemies set out to keep him from the truth at any cost - including an all-out assault on the sanity of his beloved wife Madeleine.

With his emotional resources strained to the breaking point, Gurney must throw himself into a deadly battle of wits with the most frightening opponent he has ever faced.

Wolf Lake is the new work by a writer hailed by the New York Times as "masterly" - and it furthers the adventures of Dave Gurney, a detective reviewers have compared to Sherlock Holmes.

©2016 John Verdon (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

My least favorite of his books…

Scott Brick is my fav narrator, so tried not to judge this new narrator, it was really hard! Story line not bad but the characters weren’t the same without Scott Brick. Sorry :)

Christopher Lane is great addition

I’ve very much enjoyed this series and this story is the best yet. But the narrator was beyond wonderful and I hope John Verdon uses him again and again.

A good entry, but with some Scooby-Doo twists

What did you love best about Wolf Lake?

The setting/atmosphere. I really like the remote, isolated location. It's sort of a new take on the "murder mystery in a mansion" story line.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Christopher Lane?

I'm not a big fan of this narrator. I also listened to his rendition of 'The Last Ship' and sometimes a narrator just bugs you for no good reason.

Any additional comments?

Overall I enjoyed Wolf Lake. It's not the strongest entry in the Dave Gurney series. First, the hypnotism-as-weapon angle, I feel, has been done before. Granted, this was a new take on it and the resolution does make it much easier to digest...but I guess I just am not a big fan of any story line involving hypnotism and trances as a major plot device. Second, some of the antagonist elements in the novel are frankly too much to buy. Without giving it away, some of the actions they take and devices they use feel a bit too "Scooby Doo"...more fantastic than realistic. I suppose I feel like half of the opposition was almost completely unnecessary to the story. The primary antagonist was all we really needed.

Another Goodie

John Verdon might be my newest favorite author. The man can weave and unravel a tangled web of suspense like none other. Wolf Lake is such a tale, suspenseful and intriguing, keeping the reader guessing. So, why not five stars? I listened to the audible version and, frankly, it requires more than casual attention to detail. If you, dear reader, are one who dissects every detail , then go for it. If, on the other hand, you have the slightest ADD syndrome, you might find yourself confused by the plot, the characters, etc. Be that as it may, the work is solid and entertaining.

My first listen to Verdon.

Pretty good story. I'll check out another in the series. Hard to beat Christopher Lane"s narration.