Let the Devil Sleep (Dave Gurney, No. 3): A Novel (A Dave Gurney Novel)

Every once in a while you discover a new author that you haven't read before and you can't wait for his next book to come around. John Verdon is such an author that I was thrilled to discover. After his first book I eagerly awaited the second.. and the third... and he consistently does not disappoint. His storyline is racy, interesting, puzzling. You can't wait for the next chapter to reveal more, but don't want the story to end at the same time. His main character, Dave Gurney, is so sympathetic and believable, but also maddening that at times you want to kick his behind. The story is original and keeps you guessing until the end. I can't wait for his next book and highly recommend anyone who loves psychological thrillers to hurry and read all three John Verdon books.

This is my first time reading John Verdon. Let The Devil Sleep, book number 3 in the Dave Gurney series, was a good read, and is good as a stand alone novel. I got the novel from Book Bub for $1.99 or $2.99? A real bargain. I enjoyed the book and it was well written, with great characters, and a plot that kept me interested. I hate the current rating system and think novels should be rated by whole and decimal numbers such as 3.75 or 4.25, mainly because I have read only a handful of books in my life that would get a 5 rating, but many that fall between 4 and 5. The rating of 4 on this novel worked out for me, but had the ending been a little better I could have easily have given the novel a 4.25 or even a 4.50. I realize, having written one novel myself, how difficult it is to come up with a plausible and exciting climax. I will leave it at that so as not to spoil the ending, and add that most of the climax was exciting and plausible.

This is the third book by John Verdon that I have read. I love the character Dave Gurney a retired police detective. It seems someone is shooting people in their very expensive Mercedes. The killer put out a manifesto calling himself "the good shepherd". A young woman Kim Corazon is being stalked by her ex boyfriend and also trying to put on a tv show which involves interviewing the relatives of the people shot by the good shepherd. I absolutely loved this book and it moves at a fantastic pace with a fantastic ending. Highly recommended reading, in fact buy all three John Verdon's books.

Six wealthy people in black Mercedes have .50 caliber bullet holes in their heads. A young, enthusiastic, and naive journalist is interviewing "The Orphans of Murder". Detective Dave Gurney, now on his third case, hears a whisper: LET THE DEVIL SLEEP. In a fast-paced, descriptive, and riveting third novel, John Verdon proves that the murder-mystery genre is far from dead! He provides just enough description, and just enough insight into his characters' motivations, to keep readers hooked without giving too much away. Verdon's mysteries are more cerebral than those of other authors, and even I couldn't pinpoint the identity of the killer before Gurney did. The only aspect of this book that I consider to be a flaw is this: What happens to the two main characters, who aren't Dave and his wife Madeleine, at the very end?

John Verdon's third David Gurney novel, Let the Devil Sleep, strikes me as an improvement over his first two in the series. The plot is still complex without becoming grotesquely complicated, and his skill at placing red herrings that nudge the reader into unwarranted suspicions about some of his characters is better here than before. He writes mysteries for thoughtful readers, which means that he has cast his lot with Agatha Christie, P.D. James and John Le Carre. He continues to write good dialog and interesting scenes in which several participants trade insights and ideas. His lead characters are well dimensioned, but secondary characters can be thin and superficial. A sour and cynical investigator who has appeared in Verdon's other novels is again in this one, and he is not becoming dramatically more interesting with age. Perhaps the biggest character failure in this novel is a disgraced and possibly deranged retired investigator who will thankfully not be returning in future works. The novel deals with modern consequences of a series of decade-old murders as a reportorial team for a reality TV series begins work on a series that looks into the impacts of the old crimes on the lives of survivors. As the interviews progress, new deaths begin to occur amid suspicious acts and occurrences that make it appear as though someone -- the original bad guy or possibly a new player with an interest in the old acts -- is trying to derail the series. This aspect of the story line gives the author ample opportunity to display his contempt for the shallow and manipulative nature of what passes for news in modern reality television programming. Verdon is getting better at his game. I was prepared to turn in other directions if this novel had shown no improvement over the first two, but it is good enough that I will probably be back for Gurney no. four if Verdon decides to write it.

Le détective à la retraite, Dave Gurney, nous entraine une fois de plus dans une enquête bien ficelée. Pourquoi tous ces meurtres qui n'ont pour lien apparent que le fait que toutes les victimes roulaient dans de grosses Mercedes? Ici, rien que du plaisir. Cela change de certains auteurs français, qui ne peuvent s'empêcher de systématiquement ramener l'intrigue aux groupuscules ou organisations qui nous rappellent "les heures les plus sombres de notre histoire". Vivement le prochain John Verdon.

Loved it, as all of Verdon's books I have read. I can't wait to start the next one. Thank you.

Except that John Verdon increases his 'weather reporting' too much,The book was good.Unlike his previous books I couldn't rightly guess who the killer is.Not because it was hidden brilliantly,but because there were a lot of characters introduced in a short amount of time.All in all it was a thrilling read.

Mr Verdon is an exceptional writer. He brings his characters to life in 3d. His mysteries are intricate and thought provoking . Really fun to read and not solvable by the reader. I would recommend this to my book club.

This is the 3rd book in the Dave Gurney series and they just get better and better. John Verdon is an absolutely superb writer who is producing the most intelligent and classy crime books in the field. These books are literate and psychologically astute as well as being riveting crime thrillers. The family relationships and professional relationships of the central character are spot on and Gurney's insights move the stories seamlessly and inexorably to the most satisfying conclusions. I rate John Verdon as best and classiest writer of police procedurals working today. Superb