On Harrow Hill

From time to time—usually in the wee hours of the morning—he would relive the night of carnage at the Russell mansion and question once again the wisdom of his original plan, his fateful decision to reveal it to Morgan, and the way he chose to handle the fallout. On these occasions he would try to embrace Madeleine’s perspective. His recollection of her comments brought him a degree of peace.

In her capacity as acting mayor, Hilda Russell called Gurney one bright morning in July and offered him the position of Larchfield Chief of Police. He politely declined. He thanked her again for all that she’d told him about Larchfield’s prominent citizens the day they met at the parsonage, and especially for her mention of the long, dark relationship that existed between the Russells and the Peales—without which he might never have gotten to the heart of the case.

Both Lorinda Russell and Chandler Aspern had died intestate. Their substantial assets, including their Harrow Hill properties, were destined to be tied up in legal knots for years to come.

On the gray day of Gurney’s last drive through Larchfield, the vast, uninhabited expanse of Harrow Hill was looming over the dead-still water of the lake in a way that gave him an eerie chill.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Dave Gurney series continues to benefit from the care, energy, and insight of extraordinary people.

First, my thanks to the publishing professionals at Counterpoint, all so good at what they do—especially my superb editor, Dan Smetanka, whose unerring sense of tone and pace I rely on without reservation.

My thanks also to my wonderfully supportive agents, Molly Friedrich, Lucy Carson, and Hannah Brattesani. I can’t imagine having smarter, nicer, more effective champions in my corner.

My special thanks to the loyal readers of the Dave Gurney series, whose enthusiasm for its central characters and twisty plots are such a big part of my motivation in creating these stories.

And my thanks to my wife for all the encouragement she gives me, for her remarkable patience with my long periods of silent immersion in devising the bizarre crimes for Gurney to unravel, and, most of all, for giving me a wonderful life.

©Naomi Fisch

JOHN VERDON is the author of the Dave Gurney series of thrillers, international bestsellers published in more than two dozen languages: Think of a Number, Shut Your Eyes Tight, Let the Devil Sleep, Peter Pan Must Die, Wolf Lake, and White River Burning. Before becoming a crime fiction writer, Verdon had two previous careers: as an advertising creative director and a custom furniture maker. He currently lives with his wife, Naomi, in upstate New York. Find out more at johnverdon.net.