Peter Pan Must Die (Dave Gurney, No. 4): A Novel (A Dave Gurney Novel)
*Starred Review* Verdon hit the ground running with his debut novel (Think of a Number, 2010), and he hasn’t lost a step through three more fine thrillers. Here retired NYPD homicide detective Dave Gurney is asked to investigate what may be a cooked guilty verdict in the murder of real-estate tycoon and gubernatorial candidate Carl Spalter. He quickly finds evidence that will overturn the conviction and release Spalter’s wife from prison, but he also finds hints that the real culprit is a bizarre, almost-diabolical European assassin known as Peter Pan. Gurney concludes that the only way to stop the assassin is to become his next target. Verdon’s novels, now read in 20 languages, feature serpentine plots, heightening suspense, skillfully developed characters, and a rich sense of place. Peter Pan Must Die has all of these, but it adds realistic marital tension: Dave’s wife, Madeleine, wants Dave to stop risking his life and build a chicken coop, and Dave responds with some insightful introspection before returning to the work that truly animates him. Members of the singularly dysfunctional Spalter family are vividly rendered, and Peter Pan may well be the creepiest fictional psychopath of the year. Mix in bent cops, gangsters, politics, big money, lies, and hints of incest, and you have a wonderfully compelling page-turner. --Thomas Gaughan