Thursday, July 19, 2012

Let the Devil Sleep-John Verdun

Let the Devil Sleep


John Verdun

Crown, Jul 24 2012, $25.00

ISBN: 9780307717924



Retired homicide detective Dave “NYPD Supercop” Gurney recovers physically from wounds he suffered on his last case; mentally he heals much slower (see Shut Your Eyes Tight). However, when freelance reporter Connie Clarke, who crowned him Supercop, asks a favor he agrees to help her journalism student daughter Kim Corazon with a TV series that evolved from her thesis on the impact of degrees of connection beyond the murder victims and their immediate loved ones; her focus was the unsolved serial killings of the Good Shepherd over a decade ago.



The psychopathic sniper killed several Mercedes sedan drivers in upstate New York; he left behind a memento of toy animals and notes raging at the avarice. Though he promised only one day, Dave meets the still grieving family members and becomes hooked with their plight caused by a lack of closure. Dave talks with the Fed and State cops who worked the cold case. Some warn him to Let The Devil Sleep as they fear he will awaken the dormant deadly demon.



The third Dave Gurney mystery (see Think of a Number) is an exhilarating fast-paced serial killer investigation. Loaded with action, Gurney works the cold case while also handling other inquires. Though somewhat typical of the sub-genre, the greed of the TV station heads, the reactions of the surviving families and especially the psychological insight into the three prime law enforcement officials from the original failed investigation bring a unique freshness to this exciting whodunit.



Harriet Klausner

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