We can say that John verdon He is not exactly a precocious writer, or at least he could not dedicate himself to writing with the profusion of other authors who have already discovered their vocation from an early age. But the good thing about this job is that it is not guided by age guidelines, nor by supposedly acquired abilities. Whoever wants to write, who needs it at a given moment and gives himself up to it decisively will embark on his own adventure of "being a writer."
Of course, success and recognition is another story. In the end you have to tell something that some readers like. In the case of John Verdon achieved that final recognition of those on the other side, hungry for stories.
And, to achieve success, there is a necessary formula, which does not always ensure great books but is imperative in any case: read a lot, and do so with a vocation to learn. The classics of detective and crime novels passed through the hands of Verdon at that age when he is already mature enough to enjoy reading while unraveling "tricks" of the writer.
This is how this unique author was forged. And in his mature literary career, I will highlight the top of his work.
Top 3 recommended novels by John Verdon
Don't trust peter pan
Although all Vernon novels are associated with the character of David Gurney, their readings can be completely independent, something to be thankful for for not creating dependencies and being able to assess the books independently. Always with that idea of ​​which research approach is best outlined.
Summary: “Four months have passed since David Gurney solved the Good Shepherd case and the consequences have been dire: lives were lost and careers were affected. One of those who has suffered the most has been Jack Hardwick, who violated the regulations by helping Gurney. Hardwick's superiors thought that by firing him they would fix all his problems.
In reality, they were looking for a staunch enemy. Now, Hardwick sets out to prove the ineptitude of his former employers by presenting evidence to review some high-profile convictions. It begins with the Spalter case, a wealthy businessman and promoter murdered at his mother's funeral. His unfaithful wife Kay was sentenced to life in prison but Hardwick is sure the woman was made her bed by a corrupt detective and wants Gurney to help him prove it.
Soon enough, Gurney finds himself facing an unscrupulous prosecutor, a completely corrupt detective, a strangely kind mob boss, and a famous Greek criminal, Petros Panikos, Peter Pan, a petite man who hides an insatiable appetite for murder. All for someone who, after all, may be really guilty ...
Don't open your eyes
More from David Gurney. Stubborn as he is in finding a murderer, he exposes himself to him, making it easier for his family environment to be in danger.
Summary: “David Gurney felt almost invincible… until he ran into the most intelligent assassin he had ever had to deal with. Dave Gurney the protagonist of John Verdon's first novel, I know what you're thinking, returns to face the toughest case of his career, a battle with a relentless adversary who is not only a cold and intelligent assassin, but has no qualms about directly attacking Gurney's weak point: his wife.
A year has passed since the former NYPD detective managed to catch the killer of the numbers and, although it is his intention to retire permanently with his wife Madeleine, a new case is presented unexpectedly. A bride is brutally murdered during the wedding banquet, with hundreds of guests in the garden, and that is a challenge that is impossible to resist.
All the clues point to a mysterious and disturbed gardener but nothing fits: not the motive, not the situation of the murder weapon and above all, the cruel modus operandi. Leaving the obvious aside, Gurney begins to connect the dots that will reveal a complex web of sinister businesses and hidden plots run by a sadist ... »
I will control your dreams
Verdon's latest novel enters fully into the esoteric, the unknown. Approaching that unknown evil, without a criminal to look for, is a challenge for Gurney's abilities and for us readers accustomed to more… material cases.
Summary: «How can four people have the same dream? Why would they commit suicide after dreaming it? Four people who have never seen each other and who seem to have nothing in common explain that they have had the same dream: a recurring nightmare whose most disturbing element is a bloody knife with the carved head of a wolf on the hilt. All the men are later found dead.
The police quickly discover that the victims had two significant events in common: they had all recently stayed at the same old and mysterious hotel in the Adirondack Mountains, and they had all consulted the same hypnotherapist. Gurney is quick to solve another series of impossible questions, which this time will baffle both his head and his heart. "
Other recommended books by John Verdon
The favor
The alleged blindness of justice is sometimes a disservice. Because it may be about not seeing an indication with enough perspective. And from there Dave Gurney must act as a guide to guide the blindfolded lady towards new evidence that manages, even by touch, to discover a new truth capable of overturning the strongest sentence.
For the first time, Dave Gurney is investigating a murder that has already been solved and tried in court, apparently flawlessly. Pushed to the limit and accused of murder, Gurney must face his greatest adversary to solve a mystery that is ending his world.
Ziko Slade, a global tennis superstar, is serving twenty years in prison for the grisly murder of petty criminal Lenny Lerman. The facts of the case, and Slade's checkered past, seem indisputable. What begins as a cursory review of the case by Dave Gurney as a special favor to a friend of his wife's soon turns into something much more complicated. When Gurney's involvement threatens to expose a nest of vipers of corruption, he finds himself framed for murder and hunted by tabloid media, a ruthless district attorney, and a ruthless killer.
As he avoids the law and tries to solve the case to save his reputation, Gurney grapples with the thought that his relentless need for police work is costing him more than the brilliant detective ever suspected.
