Think of a Numb3r by John Verdon

A man receives an unsigned note in the mail.  Inside is a letter that tells him to "think of a number - any number between 1 and 1,000".  He can't help himself and chooses 658.  The note goes on to say "see how well I know your secrets....open the little envelope".  Inside is:

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.

Are you scared yet???  Just wait, you will be.  This is only the beginning of the new thriller, Think of a Numb3r, written by debut author, John Verdon.  The man who receives this taunt is the old college friend of retired New York Police Detective Dave Gurney.  He brings it and his terror to his old friend and explains that he can't understand this puzzle, but he is beginning to feel threatened.  Can Gurney, a decorated cop, help him decide what his next move should be?  Dave Gurney and his wife, Madeleine, have moved to a small, remote, upstate New York village in order to get away from the bustle of the city and reconnect with nature, with each other, and deal with some dark memories.  However, there is a murderer out there that is playing a game of numbers, a game designed to inspire fear in the hearts and minds of all the individuals that receive the note, "think of a number...."

I was glued to the pages of this book for the time it took me to go from page 1 to page 418.  John Verdon, a first time author, and former advertising executive, has written a real heart-pounding thriller.  Did you ever see the movie War Games?  There was a disembodied voice that kept taunting the main character, "Shall we play a game??".  I kept hearing that voice in my head as the action escalated.

I found the characters of David Gurney and his wife, Madeleine, quite interesting.  They are both highly intelligent people.  Dave is one of those cops that loses himself in his work and in trying to understand the logic of some unbelievable pieces of evidence.  Madeleine was just as intriguing to me.  The reader does not get to know her as well, but that is something that I hope will change in the future should this author write a sequel.  Madeleine loves her husband, but she has been neglected and pushed aside while he gained acclaim as a famous New York detective.  She hopes that their move away from the job, the crimes and the city will make a change in their relationship.  However, Dave just can't keep from getting involved, and Madeleine reluctantly offers him insights that her keen mind notices and so becomes part of his world. 

The author was creative in his clues and storyline.  The twists and turns were unending, yet there was still time to include references to everything from Greek mythology to the Wizard of Oz to Stephen King's book, The Shining.  He does a great job of describing the setting of upstate New York and other areas of New England and the reader can vividly see and almost experience the seasons as the characters do.  I was surprised many times throughout the book and. though I had an inkling of who the murderer was, I wasn't able to completely predict every nuance of the climax.

The author has promised that there will be at least a couple of more books in this series.  I'll be waiting and anxious to read them when they are published.  Check out the author's website here.  And, seriously, play the game that is on the website and come back and tell me whether you figured out how it works.  I'm a numbers person, so I had it pretty quickly, but it is a little disconcerting at first. 

I was sent this book by the lovely ladies at TLC Book Tours and Crown Publishing for review.

Check out the other tour stops here.