Jenn's Review: Wolf Lake

Author: John Verdon
Series: Dave Gurney #4
Publication Date: July 12, 2016
Publisher: Counterpoint
Pages: 375
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Crime/Suspense
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line:"What crueler and more wicked way could you kill a man than make him kill himself?"
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab

Blurb: 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. 

Review:  John Verdon is one of my favorite suspense authors and his books stick with me long after I put them down.  Such is the case with Wolf Lake, though I read it on vacation, the return to snowy WNY seems to keep bringing Madeleine and Dave Gurney's adventure foremost in my thoughts.

For once, Maddie is encouraging Dave to investigate, which should be a red flag from the beginning that this is not going to be your typical Dave Gurney novel.  Not only is Maddie encouraging Dave to assist Harding in his wild case, but she is going to come along for the ride.

The case seems to be going off in wildly different directions and layering on Madeleine's unusual behavior, things become complicated very quickly.  I will say, for the first time, I partially solved the case before Dave did.  I'm not sure if I'm proud of that fact or a little disappointed, but I think it's a combination of both. The big reveal felt a little rushed and some of the characters weren't fully fleshed out for me but the case itself has stuck with me all week.

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