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Wolf Lake

A Novel

Part of Dave Gurney

Author John Verdon
Ebook (EPUB)
Catapult | Counterpoint
On sale Jul 01, 2016 | 375 Pages | 9781619028074
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The fifth thriller in this bestselling series offers a “complex, engrossing mystery” that “will challenge what you believe . . . about the banality of evil” (Tod Goldberg, author of Gangsterland).

Retired homicide detective Dave Gurney visits a spooky Adirondack inn to investigate 4 terrifying but seemingly unrelated deaths . . .

Could a nightmare be used as a murder weapon? That’s the provocative question confronting retired homicide detective Dave Gurney. Four people scattered across the country, and with little in common, report having 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—by none other than the weapon they dreamt of.

Troubled by odd holes in the police’s official approach to the case, Gurney begins his own investigation—an action that puts him and his beloved wife, Madeline, in the crosshairs of an icy murderer, the local police, and the darkest corner of the federal government. As a ruthless blizzard traps him in a spooky Adirondack inn called Wolf Lake Lodge, Gurney must throw himself into a deadly battle of wits with the most frightening opponent he has ever faced.

Wolf Lake is another page–turning thriller by a writer hailed by the New York Times as “masterly”—and reunites readers with Dave Gurney, a detective cut from the same cloth as Sherlock Holmes.
Praise for Wolf Lake

"Fans of classic fair play who appreciate well–developed characterizations in their whodunits will relish Verdon's richly atmospheric fifth mystery featuring retired NYPD homicide detective Dave Gurney (after 2014's Peter Pan Must Die. . .) Verdon couples the continued nuanced exploration of Dave and Madeleine's relationship with one of his most sophisticated solutions yet." —Publishers Weekly (starred and boxed review)

"At the center of the natural and emotional turbulence, Gurney remains steady, methodical, and scientific as he pulls together the case's disparate strands . . . [T]he notion of shared nightmares holds the reader start to finish." —Kirkus Reviews

"Wolf Lake is a perfect thriller, one that revels in the darkest of places, in worlds both real and imagined. There are monsters in this book, certainly, but they live and breathe and look like us, which makes them all the more frightening. A complex, engrossing mystery, Wolf Lake will challenge what you believe to be true about the banality of evil and the lengths men will go to for the things they most want to hide." —Tod Goldberg, author of Gangsterland, finalist for the Hammett Prize

Praise for Peter Pan Must Die

Winner of the 2015 Nero Award and a nominee for a Shamus Award
PW's Ten Best Mysteries of 2014

"The denouement in Peter Pan Must Die is one of the most unusual in crime fiction, and yet it's perfectly logical. Verdon's cleverness shines again." —Miami Herald

"Verdon's fourth Dave Gurney thriller (after Let the Devil Sleep) weaves a sophisticated and edgy web of suspense that mystery aficionados will love to help unravel. A taut plot filled with clever intrigue and unexpected twists will tantalize readers until its dramatic and startling conclusion." —Library Journal (starred review)

"Stellar . . . The plot is full of Verdon's usual challenges (e.g., it was apparently impossible for the murder to have been carried out), but the cleverness is surpassed by the probing analysis of what makes Gurney tick." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Verdon hit the ground running with his debut novel and he hasn't lost a step through three more fine thrillers. Verdon's novels, now read in twenty languages, feature serpentine plots, heightening suspense, skillfully developed characters, and a rich sense of place . . . Peter Pan may well be the creepiest fictional psychopath of the year. Mix in bent cops, gangsters, politics, big money, lies, and hints of incest, and you have a wonderfully compelling page–turner." —Booklist (starred review)
JOHN VERDON is the author of the Dave Gurney series of thrillers, international bestsellers published in more than two dozen languages: Think of a Number, Shut Your Eyes Tight, Let the Devil Sleep, Peter Pan Must Die, Wolf Lake, and White River Burning. Before becoming a crime fiction writer, Verdon had two previous careers: as an advertising creative director and a custom furniture maker. He currently lives with his wife, Naomi, in upstate New York.
John Verdon View titles by John Verdon

About

The fifth thriller in this bestselling series offers a “complex, engrossing mystery” that “will challenge what you believe . . . about the banality of evil” (Tod Goldberg, author of Gangsterland).

Retired homicide detective Dave Gurney visits a spooky Adirondack inn to investigate 4 terrifying but seemingly unrelated deaths . . .

Could a nightmare be used as a murder weapon? That’s the provocative question confronting retired homicide detective Dave Gurney. Four people scattered across the country, and with little in common, report having 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—by none other than the weapon they dreamt of.

Troubled by odd holes in the police’s official approach to the case, Gurney begins his own investigation—an action that puts him and his beloved wife, Madeline, in the crosshairs of an icy murderer, the local police, and the darkest corner of the federal government. As a ruthless blizzard traps him in a spooky Adirondack inn called Wolf Lake Lodge, Gurney must throw himself into a deadly battle of wits with the most frightening opponent he has ever faced.

Wolf Lake is another page–turning thriller by a writer hailed by the New York Times as “masterly”—and reunites readers with Dave Gurney, a detective cut from the same cloth as Sherlock Holmes.

Reviews

Praise for Wolf Lake

"Fans of classic fair play who appreciate well–developed characterizations in their whodunits will relish Verdon's richly atmospheric fifth mystery featuring retired NYPD homicide detective Dave Gurney (after 2014's Peter Pan Must Die. . .) Verdon couples the continued nuanced exploration of Dave and Madeleine's relationship with one of his most sophisticated solutions yet." —Publishers Weekly (starred and boxed review)

"At the center of the natural and emotional turbulence, Gurney remains steady, methodical, and scientific as he pulls together the case's disparate strands . . . [T]he notion of shared nightmares holds the reader start to finish." —Kirkus Reviews

"Wolf Lake is a perfect thriller, one that revels in the darkest of places, in worlds both real and imagined. There are monsters in this book, certainly, but they live and breathe and look like us, which makes them all the more frightening. A complex, engrossing mystery, Wolf Lake will challenge what you believe to be true about the banality of evil and the lengths men will go to for the things they most want to hide." —Tod Goldberg, author of Gangsterland, finalist for the Hammett Prize

Praise for Peter Pan Must Die

Winner of the 2015 Nero Award and a nominee for a Shamus Award
PW's Ten Best Mysteries of 2014

"The denouement in Peter Pan Must Die is one of the most unusual in crime fiction, and yet it's perfectly logical. Verdon's cleverness shines again." —Miami Herald

"Verdon's fourth Dave Gurney thriller (after Let the Devil Sleep) weaves a sophisticated and edgy web of suspense that mystery aficionados will love to help unravel. A taut plot filled with clever intrigue and unexpected twists will tantalize readers until its dramatic and startling conclusion." —Library Journal (starred review)

"Stellar . . . The plot is full of Verdon's usual challenges (e.g., it was apparently impossible for the murder to have been carried out), but the cleverness is surpassed by the probing analysis of what makes Gurney tick." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Verdon hit the ground running with his debut novel and he hasn't lost a step through three more fine thrillers. Verdon's novels, now read in twenty languages, feature serpentine plots, heightening suspense, skillfully developed characters, and a rich sense of place . . . Peter Pan may well be the creepiest fictional psychopath of the year. Mix in bent cops, gangsters, politics, big money, lies, and hints of incest, and you have a wonderfully compelling page–turner." —Booklist (starred review)

Author

JOHN VERDON is the author of the Dave Gurney series of thrillers, international bestsellers published in more than two dozen languages: Think of a Number, Shut Your Eyes Tight, Let the Devil Sleep, Peter Pan Must Die, Wolf Lake, and White River Burning. Before becoming a crime fiction writer, Verdon had two previous careers: as an advertising creative director and a custom furniture maker. He currently lives with his wife, Naomi, in upstate New York.
John Verdon View titles by John Verdon

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