---
product_id: 4091778
title: "Think of a Number: A Novel"
brand: "john verdon"
price: "VT9048"
currency: VUV
in_stock: false
reviews_count: 7
url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/4091778-think-of-a-number-a-novel
store_origin: VU
region: Vanuatu
---

# Think of a Number: A Novel

**Brand:** john verdon
**Price:** VT9048
**Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Think of a Number: A Novel by john verdon
- **How much does it cost?** VT9048 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Currently out of stock
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/4091778-think-of-a-number-a-novel)

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- john verdon enthusiasts

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- Trusted john verdon brand quality
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## Description

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## Images

![Think of a Number: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51pZtLqX2EL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Multi-layered thriller debut
  

*by L***A on Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2010*

Gurney is one of those ultimate tough-guy cops who, when retired, tries to lead a quiet life. He has moved to the quiet countryside from the big city to please his wife. He took an art class with her and is developing a growing reputation recreating mug shots of serial killers that reflect what he sees in their faces. It's a little too close to the life he once led, his wife notes.Madeline has a point. The minute a college classmate contacts him after decades of silence with a poisoned pen puzzle, Gurney's intrigued. Too bad his easily picqued interest may cost either or both he and his wife their lives before the end of John Verdon's debut thriller.From the letter writer knowing what number the intended victim, a successful spiritual lifestyle guru, will choose to the Gurneys figuring out the signatory refers to the hard place in the original spot of being between a rock and a hard place, Verdon shows just how easy it is for his protagonist to slip back into his analytical way of looking at life. Solving the puzzle is what makes this cop tick. And this villian knows how to be clever and tricky.When murder occurs, with clues that lead virtually nowhere, Gurney's even more intrigued. So perhaps it's just as well that a politically ambitious district attorney hires him to help with the investigation.This is where Think of a Number jumps into high gear. Although Verdon's story has been smooth in setting up everything, the pace has been that of a more controlled procedural whodunit rather than the usual high-octane, all-action thriller that is more prevalent these days. Verdon, however, is terrific at giving both kinds of reader substantial entertainment. The chase to find a cold-blooded, calculating killer with an enormous grudge fires on all cylinders.But Verdon also has ideas for readers who like multi-layered fiction that is about characters as much as action. The two sides of a personality is one theme that Gurney wrestles with. The lifestyle guru, for example, talks about the difference between the person everyone thinks they are and the person everyone else sees. Gurney's art reflects the two sides of the quiet neighbors who turn out to be the Gacys and Dahmers of the world. These ideas play into the revelations about the killer.This idea plays right into something else Gurney is told, that life is meant to be lived with others, that life's meaning is to be close to others. Gurney's father was the opposite of a sociable, family man, and perhaps that left Gurney detached enough to make him the great cop he was. And boy, does the reader know what a great cop Gurney was. His ability to crack the hard cases is referred to multiple times. Although it's irritating to keep reading that Gurney was the best of the best, Verdon does a good job of bringing a retired cop into an active murder investigation. Verdon also is very good at describing police procedure and a detective's life, both on the job and retired.At the story's conclusion, Verdon does a great job of bringing together the ideas about Gurney's character and outlook on life with how the case plays out. He does this in such a way that Gurney would be a character worth checking in on again.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    It's OK - Could be so much better
  

*by H***S on Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2015*

THREE AND A HALF STARS (that's "OK PLUS") - maybe an overly generous rating for a book that started with promise, but got tangled-up along the way.  Too  much repetition.  Too much "stuff" that was extraneous to the mystery - like - a whole chapter devoted to the detective watching his wife sitting on a rock? YES, that happens.No spoilers here - but the BIG pick-a-number mind-reading tricks?  Baffling?  NO! - way too easy to explain.  How many times does a magician say:  "Pick a card, any card." and he knows (in advance) what that card is.  Same stuff going on here.  The FIRST thing I would have done, were I Gurney, would be to take a trip to the nearest magic shop and find out about several variations of "the magician's force."All of those professional police meetings to share info? No - mostly just for howling insults at each other, esp. Gurney.  All I got out of that was a lot of cops seemed to hate each other and like yelling wise-cracks.  I didn't see any productive info exchanges.Plot loose ends? Many - too many to write about. One example - WHY did the bad-guy start his bad-guy doings at this particular juncture of time?  No rhyme or reason .... the launch-cause happened decades ago .... so I ask:  Why for?I agree with so much of what other reviewers say - lots of weaknesses here.  And David Baldacci applauds the  book; he says the author "juggled every storytelling ball, character, atmosphere, prose, pace and plot" -- and I agree! There sure was a lot of juggling going on, and every "storytelling ball" seemed to crash into the next  one.I usually do NOT need to be surprised to learn "whodunit" -- it's ok with me if I am aware before the detective unknots the plot.  But this was so blatantly obvious that I had to wonder about the super-skills of that superlative "Sherlock Holmes" of a retired detective from the big city (constant sarcasm aimed at Gurney - It got old about one quarter of the way through the book.Some of the "logic" defied logic.  HOW MANY thousands of beautifully hand-written poetry pieces? Thousands!  Really? That a lot of poetry goin' on. And that number's an accepted path to investigate?Since this was a debut effort, I might consider reading another to see if the writer tightened up his work a bit.  But I don't want to read another chapter, titled "Madeleine" dedicated to the beauty of his wife sitting on a rock. It's a shame - I think there could be an interesting series hidden under all  that insult-slinging.THREE and a HALF STARS for a decent core mystery that just lost its way.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Like a modern Hercule Poirot
  

*by S***L on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 6, 2018*

I wasn't expecting to like this, but boy, did I! It started a little slow I admit, but the puzzle about the number guessing intrigued me too much to stop. Every character is well rounded and unique. The main character, Dave, is a tormented soul, and I felt for his wife, the wonderful Madeleine. I find they'd make a terrific duo if she ever wanted to join him officially!Some reviewers said the writing was sub-par, which really shocked and angered me. It seems that a lot of people are into the cliché, formulaic, perfect characters,and a movie script writing style (more action and dialogues than narration/emotion) these days. It's sad, but explains this decade's best sellers, most of which are face-palm bad. 50 shades of Grey anyone? Then Twilight maybe? Feel free to take your pick.If you're after proper story-telling, with a fresh and new plot rather than a remake, open and read this book.

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*Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu*
*Store origin: VU*
*Last updated: 2026-02-09*