Cuatro personas que no se han visto nunca, que viven en distintas partes del país y que no parecen tener nada en común explican que han tenido el mismo sueño: una pesadilla recurrente cuyo elemento más inquietante es un cuchillo ensangrentado con la cabeza tallada de un lobo en la empuñadura.
Todos los hombres son hallados muertos posteriormente: las muñecas cortadas por un puñaL, en aparentes casos de suicidio. La policía enseguida descubre que las víctimas tenían dos hechos significativos en común: todos habían pernoctado recientemente en un mismo hotel viejo y misterioso de las montañas de Adirondack y todos habían consultado al mismo hipnoterapeuta.
Gurney se apresura a resolver otra serie de interrogantes imposibles, que en esta ocasión desorientarán tanto a su cabeza como a su corazón.
Una trama sorprendente y compleja, que nos hará plantearnos por qué consentimos ser vigilados, pese a que todos tememos por nuestra intimidad e intentamos protegerla.
Involucrado en la resolución de su crimen más desconcertante hasta la fecha, Dave Gurney no sólo se enfrentará a un ingenioso asesino que parece controlar los sueños de sus víctimas, sino también a una despiadada unidad de la CIA con un programa tan oscuro como peligroso.

This was an unusual mystery for Dave and friends. There were some suicides, and all of the victims had been treated by a noted hypnotherapist, who was coming more and more under scrutiny as a possible cause of these deaths. At first, Dave thought this was an unlikely way to kill someone, but he began wondering after he learned more. It was strange that some of these people would do this, as they didn't seem to be suicidal at all. It's pretty hard to solve a mystery such as this, where there is no physical evidence, but pretty hard is a walk in the park for Dave Gurney - or perhaps in this case, a walk around the lake - Wolf Lake, an isolated resort with lots of shining snow. The Shining. Hmmm... and there was a crazy guy involved at the lodge.

I enjoyed this story, perhaps more than some of the previous ones, probably because it was so different with a lot to think about, like can a hypnotist force someone to do something they would not normally want to do? Supposedly not, but who knows? ( )

Four young men in different parts of the country have been found with their wrists slit, apparent suicides. Each, before they died, recounted having a terrible nightmare—the same terrible nightmare. Now, a noted Harvard researcher and hypnotherapist, living in an Adirondack resort named Wolf Lake Lodge, is being accused of hypnotizing the men to kill themselves. All are believed to have come to him for smoking cessation therapy in weeks prior to their deaths. The hypnotherapist refuses to lawyer-up so his concerned sister contacts David Gurney, former and notable NYC detective, to conduct his own investigation. Gurney and his wife were headed further north on holiday but decide to divert for a few days to the Wolf Lake Lodge.

Gurney is an extremely capable detective, with excellent mental faculties and ample connections and resources from his working days in NYC. The case deepens and complicates, and the suspense builds. And here I’m going to admit that I read very few American crime novels these days, mostly because of their propensity for a lot of gun-waving and too much dependance on thriller elements (fear and suspense). This novel does fall into the thriller category but I picked this up for its criminal premise, and the woodsy, frozen setting (somewhere between Lake Placid and Plattsburgh, New York); which almost serves as another character. There is something wonderfully Gothic about Wolf Lake area; Vernon has included abandoned buildings, usually frigid temperatures, haunting wolf calls, a fair bit of taxidermy, even an old guy with an axe wandering the lodge property. Vernon’s Wolf Lake had more than enough to entertain me; enough so I was willing to forgive him for the guns and the dead bodies in the thrillereske resolution-ending. ( )

Otra novela de Vernon, autor de la famosa "Sé lo que estás pensando". También de la serie del detective Dave Gurney.
Novela policaca, de suspense. La trama está muy conseguida y el relato no pierde interés. Recomendable ( )

I picked up the first book (Think of a Number) in John Verdon's Dave Gurney series back in 2010. I immediately liked the lead character and Verdon's plotting and writing. The fifth book - Wolf Lake - is newly released.

Dave Gurney is a retired NYPD Homicide Investigator who had the highest solve rate in the NYPD's history when he left the department. He's retired but puzzles intrigue him and unsolved cases still call his name. He's often called on as a consultant.

The latest case brought to his attention is a doozy. Four separate suicides with two connecting links. All four men, with no apparent connection, had the same nightmare before they died. And all four had sought the help of a prominent hypnotist before those nightmares. Could the hypnotherapist have actually influenced the men to kill themselves? The police seem to think so and have decided the man is guilty. The man's sister and old colleague Jack Hartwick think differently. Jack and his wife Madeleine stop by the remote lodge where the hypnotherapist is located on their way to their ski vacation. (That cover shot totally matches my mental image of the lodge.) And one day turns into......

Dave Gurney is a great protagonist. He's a brilliant puzzle solver, calm and cool when faced with danger and absolutely driven to find answers. I quite like him. But...I like his enigmatic wife Madeleine even more. She's just as brilliant, but thinks differently than Dave, often making observations and suggestions that he doesn't see. She radiates a zen attitude, but this lodge is part of her past and brings up some hidden painful memories. The relationship between the two is a great part of why I enjoy this series so much. I find it really well written and believable. The two play well off each other. Hartwick fills the role of gruff and tough sidekick.

Verdon's plotting is imaginative and intriguing. While I had my suspicions, I found I wasn't one hundred percent correct by the final pages. It's nice to be kept guessing.

Any of Verdon's can be read as a stand alone, but mystery lovers will enjoy starting at the beginning. ( )