The Viper
A Dave Gurney Novel
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- $26.99
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- $26.99
Publisher Description
Pushed to his breaking point and accused of murder, retired NYPD detective Dave Gurney must face his greatest adversary yet to solve a mystery that is quickly tearing his world apart
Tennis bad boy Ziko Slade is serving twenty years for the grisly murder of small-time criminal Lenny Lerman. The facts of the case—and Slade’s checkered past—seem indisputable. What begins as a cursory review of the case as a favor to Dave Gurney’s wife’s friend soon spirals into something much more complicated. When Gurney’s involvement threatens to expose a viper’s nest of corruption, he finds himself framed for murder and pursued by a sensational media, a ruthless district attorney, and a coldblooded killer.
As he evades the law and attempts to solve the case to salvage his reputation, Gurney grapples with the realization that his unshakable need for police work is costing him more than the brilliant detective ever suspected. The Viper is the most shocking and riveting chapter yet in the internationally bestselling Dave Gurney series.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Verdon's stellar eighth mystery featuring retired NYPD detective Gurney (after 2021's On Harrow Hill) captivates from the first page. Gurney's obsession with solving crimes has exacted a considerable personal toll: his carelessness on a recent case led to the accidental death of his young son, and his continued work after retirement has put his marriage on the rocks. Despite her misgivings about his involvement in such inquiries, Gurney's wife, Madeleine, asks him to entertain a plea from her friend Emma Martin. Emma, a therapist, is convinced that her client, former tennis star Ziko Slade, has been wrongfully convicted of killing a would-be blackmailer, whom he allegedly knocked unconscious, decapitated with an axe, and buried on his own property. Despite the overwhelming evidence against Ziko, including witness testimony, DNA, and fingerprints, Gurney's initial probe brings him around to share Emma's doubts, and further digging threatens to put the ex-detective in grave danger. The investigation takes several gasp-worthy turns, and Verdon brings it all to an immensely satisfying conclusion. This cements Verdon's reputation as one of the best contemporary fair play mystery novelists at work.
