Let The Devil Sleep by John Verdon
Dave Gurney, the most decorated homicide detective in the history of the NYPD, is still trying to adjust to life in upstate New York when a young woman who is producing a documentary on serial killers asks for his input. Soon after this conversation, odd events begin occurring in Dave’s life: There is a strange problem with his tractor, a razor-sharp hunting arrow lands in his yard, and he narrowly escapes serious injury in a booby-trapped basement. As things grow more bizarre, Dave finds himself reexamining the case of “The Good Shepherd”–which, 10 years before, involved a series of roadway shootings and a “Unabomber-like” manifesto expressing rage at society. The killings ceased, and a cult of analysis grew up around the case with a consensus opinion that no one would dream of challenging–no one, that is, except Dave Gurney. Mocked even by some who’d been his allies in previous investigative outings, Dave is only heeded when the reawakened Good Shepherd proves by his actions that his agenda is more complex than previously thought.
To be perfectly upfront, this is the third book in the series but you don't have to read the previous two to get into this one. Truly. I have read the other two so I knew already that John Verdon is an excellent writer who can weave a very captivating story.
Basically we have a serial killer who essentially gets away with his murder spree ten years ago, but the spotlight is back on the crime when Kim the young reporter is on the scene. She's doing a documentary on the families of the victims of the Good Shepard and how they've coped and what life has been like for them knowing the murder has never been caught. Reporting aspirations turn into absolute fear once strange things start happening to seemingly scare both her and Dave Gurney away from doing the documentary. Then once the people who are participating in the documentary start being murdered, it ups the ante. Throw in competing police departments and a pissing contest with the FBI and more "facts" that don't make any sense, and you have a very well written crime novel. I basically couldn't fall asleep until I finished it. I pretty much thought I had the killer figured out but I was so completely wrong and I actually forgot about the character and the ending was as screwed up as every good crime novel ending should be.
The only thing I will say is that some parts were a little overwhelming with crime facts and it just solidified that no matter how much Law & Order I have seen, I would not make a very good detective because I wouldn't think of half of the stuff Dave was questioning about the original murders. And Kim's character was a little too dtizy, damsel in distress for me in some parts but her role playing at the end won her over as not a total flake for me.
I so highly recommend that you read this one AND John's other novels- you won't be disappointed at all. But what's really great is that one of you will be able to win a copy of your own!
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A winner will be drawn during my blog post on Monday, August 6. Stay tuned!
A winner will be drawn during my blog post on Monday, August 6. Stay tuned!
3 comments:
Hi. I'd like to subscribe by email but see no way to do that. Please let me know. Also, it sure would be great to win this book--he's a new author to me.
bethvollbach(at)sbcglobal(dot)net
Sounds like a good read..I like to change it up from romance to suspense!
Andrea Friedrich
cefaln@aol.com
This is definitely a departure from chick lit erotica!
Thanks for being on the tour Sara.
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