John Verdon
| John Verdon | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 1, 1942 United States of America |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Genre | Thriller, Adventure, Mystery, Detective |
| Notable works |
Think of a Number Shut your Eyes Tight Let the Devil Sleep Peter Pan must Die |
| Spouse | Naomi |
| Website | |
|
www | |
John Verdon is a novelist. In 2010 Crown/Random House published his first mystery thriller, Think of a Number—the debut novel in the Dave Gurney detective series.
Biography
John Verdon's initial career was in the advertising industry in New York City, where he worked on the creative sides of several large agencies. After his retirement from advertising, he and his wife decided to leave the city and move to a rural area in the western foothills of the Catskill Mountains.[1]
In his first pursuit after leaving the city he designed and built Shaker-style furniture—a career he pursued for the next ten years. He also became a fan of classic detective stories, in all their varieties from Conan Doyle to Ross Macdonald to Reginald Hill.
His wife, Naomi, inspired him to write his own mystery novel. Two years later he completed Think of a Number. Its subsequent success in the marketplace, as well as with critics, persuaded him to write a second novel, Shut Your Eyes Tight, featuring the same central characters. That was the beginning of a series of crime thrillers—also including Let the Devil Sleep and Peter Pan Must Die—featuring retired NYPD homicide detective, Dave Gurney. The books in the series have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have appeared on numerous bestseller lists.[2]
Bibliography
- Think of a Number (2010)
- Shut Your Eyes Tight (2011)
- Let the Devil Sleep (2012)
- Peter Pan Must Die (2014)
Criticism
“If one read this novel with no knowledge of the writer’s background, one would guess that he is a retired policeman or prosecutor. It is quite hard to believe that Verdon has no personal knowledge of the bleak and challenging world that he writes about so expertly in this work."[3] New York Journal of Books
“Verdon is masterly at keeping Gurney a step ahead of the reader.”[4] New York Times
References
- ↑ , "John Verdon." - Author. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2014. <http://johnverdon.net/pages/author.php>.
- ↑ , "John Verdon." Bookreporter.com |. The Book Report, n.d. Web. 4 June 2014. <http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/john-verdon>.
- ↑ , Arellano, Joseph. "Think of a Number." a book review:. New York journal of books, n.d. Web. 4 June 2014. <http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/think-number>.
- ↑ , Siegel, Ed. "In the Catskills, Unable to Give Up Crime." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 July 2010. Web. 04 June 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/16/books/16book.html?action=click&module=Search®ion=searchResults&mabReward=relbias%3Ar&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry817%23%2Fjohn%2Bverdon%2Breview%2F>.