Review : Think of a Number
Think of a Number by John Verson
Pages : 497
Genre : Mystery
Series : Dave Gurney, Book 1
My Rating : 
What it’s about :
Think of any number… picture it… now see how well I know your secrets.
These simple letters seem to have the power to see their reader’s mind, and predict the exact number they’ll think of. And then, the murders being.
As a former cop who personally knew the first victim, Dave Gurney is immediately drawn into the investigation, one of the most puzzling of his career.
My Thoughts :
The book promises you one of the most inventive and entertaining novel of the genre. It was quite hyped when it came out, and I couldn’t go to the bookstore without facing full shelves of the hardcover copy. I love mysteries so I was quite anxious to read this one, hoping maybe this would be a series I could get on board before there are 18 books already published.
I did like the book. At 497 pages it’s not a quick read, but I did finish it in a short weekend. I was fully entertained, I will admit, and I was curious to discover who the murderer was. As a character, I didn’t exactly liked Gurney, but the mystery itself was enough to keep me reading. Even though the writing was sometimes heavy in clichés and a little unpolished, the great pacing and the pages full of action kept me interested.
So, it wasn’t a perfect read, but these are all little faults that can be easily forgiven when balanced with other strong points. However, one aspect really bothered me, and an important one : the ending. And this is going to be just a tad spoilery, so you might want to stop reading here but : how come they never suspected the murderer? When he was right under their nose and I kept thinking “why are they not interviewing him more”? It doesn’t make a surprising ending for me : it’s either stupid characters or lazy writing. One way or the other, for me, it made Think of a Number just an ordinary mystery, when it had all the ingredients to be a captivating read.
While it was a bit disappointing, I believe those who enjoy mysteries filled with actions and puzzling investigations could enjoy this one. As for myself, I’ll probably give the next book a chance.
Series Reading Order :
- Think of a Number
- Shut your eyes tight
This is one of those books I’ve been meaning to read. Glad you seemed to enjoy it.
I am not sure I would enjoy this one, as suspense/thrillers are not usually my preferred genre, but some of the things you say about it are interesting. I think I will be waiting until I hear how the second book is received before I make my decision. Thanks for the very insightful and thoughtful review today!
A mystery needs to pull off a great ending to be really satisfying. Too bad this didn’t blow you away – hopefully the next one will be better.