The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club

Day after day, you go to work. You might take the train or maybe the bus. You shop at the same stores. You walk down the same sidewalks. You see you the same people, day after day. Strangers once, they become nodding acquaintances, then familiar faces. Daily contact strengthens relationships. Some become friends, others you scorn. You believe you really know each other. But what has changed, really, beyond happenstance contact? Do you really know your coworker? Your neighbor? Your friend? Can you vouch for their honesty? Their morals? Do you know all their secrets? Or do you just think you do? The sweet old lady next door couldn't possibly be a killer. Or could she? Your best friend wouldn't be jealous of your good looks? Or is she? show more That good-looking young father and house-husband is just the perfect role model. Isn't he? In the town of Gordonston, a sorrowful event has occurred. Thelma Miller, wife, mother, friend to all, has died. And the neighborhood tilts a little on its axis, a bit out of control. A common mistake made by many is taking a few facts, a few assumptions, and creating a persona that may not be a good fit. In fact, you could be wrong - dead wrong. Author Duncan Whitehead does a masterful job in creating a delightful community, and then wreaks havoc on it. This suspenseful thriller is sure to delight you as it twists its way to a powerful conclusion you won't easily believe but have to accept. And it will cause you to think twice as you exchange pleasantries with the people you think you know. show less

Cross Pushing Up Daisies with James Bond and you might get something like the Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club by Duncan Whitehead. Not that there are any paranormal aspects to this novel, but the voice reminds me consistently of Pushing Daisies’ slightly detached narration and amusing implausibility. There’s a murderer hiding in the trees of a high-class park. But the reader won’t be told until the end who is going to die. Meanwhile sweet old ladies plot violence, foolish young ones make dangerous mistakes, a widower tries to pick up the pieces, and the past, both recent and old, haunts everyone in its different ways.

Well-sprinkled clues allow the reader to rush ahead and guess, confirm, deny and change their mind, all in the show more space of a few passing pages. There’s a satisfying delight in trying to work out how or why someone might die, and then in wondering how one neighborhood can be so fraught with killing. But perhaps the dogs are innocent—the dogs are certainly sweet.

At the end, for all my happy guesswork, the author still had new surprises in store. But they’re well-planned and offer their own inevitability. Plus they open doors to inevitable sequels which I’m eager to read. A fun, light-hearted romp through very civilized murder and mayhem and very dark lives, Gordonston Ladies is highly recommended.

Disclosure: I borrowed it and I voluntarily offer my honest review show less

I received this book as a part of Library Thing's Early Reviewer program.

I find it difficult to categorize "The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club" into a specific genre. A little bit mystery, a little bit 'chick lit' and a little Southern gothic all come to mind.

The novel starts off with promise as the first chapter begins with an unnamed hit man preparing to complete his mission. Mysterious and intriguing (chapter 1).

Immediately following the first chapter, the novel morphs into many chapters that outline the many multiple characters in the book. The 'dog walking club' consists of four women who gather in their local park, drinking and gossiping each day. As the story begins, three of the four are discussing the upcoming demise of show more one of the founding members.

There is not a central / title character of the book; and I found that I didn't really like any of the ones that Whitehead has written. Most are shallow and irritating. Two of the 'dog walking club' ladies begin fighting and trying to win the affections of their close friend's husband before her body is even cold. Several lost my support when they made homophobic and / or racist comments. Set in Savannah, Georgia I guess there is racism to be expected, but I don't feel like reading it. I hail from Georgia and don't really want to further the Southern stereotypes that exist.

I pursued with reading although I wasn't entranced. However, as the novel progresses towards the end there were twists and turns that I quite enjoyed. The finish included a jaw dropper that had me re-thinking my initial impressions. I found myself thinking of the novel long after I finished.

In all, I'm giving "The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club" 3.5 stars. show less

When Thelma Miller dies, everything changes in the leafy Savannah neighborhood of Gordonston. Her three closest friends and fellow members of her afternoon cocktail club (aka Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club) gather to mourn the death and lament the life of their neighbor but already the dynamics of their once close relationship have changed. Gordonston is a typical gated community, where all is amity and tranquillity, and the only thing that mars this idyllic existence is the ONE person who does not ‘scoop the poop’ after walking his dog. Thelma’s death unleashes a relentless juggernaut of revenge that crashes into these once-peaceful lives. Old sins cast long shadows and ancient histories are revealed in an intertwined web of show more deception. A killer lurks in the wings and is anyone really who they seem to be?

Hearts beat faster, passions surge, and dark secrets spill over and threaten to destroy the harmony. Age is no barrier to desire—when the chips are down, the resident widows will do anything to secure the affections of the newly widowed Elliot Miller who has political prospects. Added to this overriding theme are the various ambitions of a motley assortment of characters. From the mysterious European gentleman in South America, the young Italian count in Paris and a charitable and kind hearted nephew recently arrived from India, to the lovely Kelly (who could even be a model) and her handsome firefighter husband, to the Englishman (who seems suspicious) and his young daughter, and finally a mysterious killer with links to organized crime. Who is destined for an early-unmarked grave in the wooded park that centers the tree-lined avenues of Gordonston?

This is an absolutely hilarious cosy murder mystery with a kick. A chilling beginning develops into a full-blown saga of intrigue, deceit, and vengeance as petty rivalries escalate and various players set wheels in motion to accomplish their ambitions. With an unerring eye, author Duncan Whitehead homes in on the tiny details that make each character unique. His darkly comic style is reminiscent of Alexander McCall Smith’s writing, with a dry, tongue-in-cheek touch. Seemingly unrelated people and events are drawn into a deadly entanglement that keeps the reader glued to the pages until the dénouement that surprises. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author. Recommended.
First reviewed for Readers Favorite show less

Day after day, you go to work. You might take the train or maybe the bus. You shop at the same stores. You walk down the same sidewalks. You see you the same people, day after day. Strangers once, they become nodding acquaintances, then familiar faces. Daily contact strengthens relationships. Some become friends, others you scorn. You believe you really know each other. But what has changed, really, beyond happenstance contact? Do you really know your coworker? Your neighbor? Your friend? Can you vouch for their honesty? Their morals? Do you know all their secrets? Or do you just think you do? The sweet old lady next door couldn’t possibly be a killer. Or could she? Your best friend wouldn’t be jealous of your good looks? Or is she? show more That good-looking young father and house-husband is just the perfect role model. Isn’t he? In the town of Gordonston, a sorrowful event has occurred. Thelma Miller, wife, mother, friend to all, has died. And the neighborhood tilts a little on its axis, a bit out of control. A common mistake made by many is taking a few facts, a few assumptions, and creating a persona that may not be a good fit. In fact, you could be wrong – dead wrong. Author Duncan Whitehead does a masterful job in creating a delightful community, and then wreaks havoc on it. This suspenseful thriller is sure to delight you as it twists its way to a powerful conclusion you won’t easily believe but have to accept. And it will cause you to think twice as you exchange pleasantries with the people you think you know. I received this book free from The Cadence Group. show less

This book reminded me of Desperate Housewives a little. Women fighting over their deceased friends husband shortly after her death, also things going on in their neighbors lives and homes. I love a story with a hit man and wonderful locales. I think the storyline was good, but the characters were great, you could almost see what they were thinking.
I enjoyed this book immensely.

The story centres round a square where the well to do residents, mostly single and widowed, exercise their dogs. From this vantage point they watch the comings and goings of their neighbours.

For me Cindy and Carla seem interchangeable as characters. Heidi is the most interesting, but her family background strains credibility for me. This begs the question, what is the dividing line between fiction and fantasy? Fiction by it's nature is not real, but can we blur the boundaries and alter history in order to make a fictional point? Forrest Gump turned up at many of the seminal moments in American history, but the chances of one person being present at all those moments is highly unlikely. Yet it is probably one of the most loved films of show more all time.

From a political standpoint I would have liked to see Heidi's views exposed and developed sooner in the book. To see how her politics conflicted with other people and the American way of life. Would her right wing views be treated with more tolerance than left wing, socialist views?

Elliott, as a young man, encountering a stranger in a restaurant is perfectly possible. The man telling him stories that he would later pass off as his own is plagiarism, but perfectly possible, if ethically objectionable. Who that man was is a bit of a problem, as historically he would have been dead long ago. Again this begs the question, how far can we stretch history?

Doug and Veronica are a married couple with a little girl. She works and he is unemployed. He represents the psychological struggle and guilt which men face, when due to circumstances, they are out of work. For an older generation there is something culturally objectionable to a wife going out to work and leaving her husband to look after the baby.

Kelly and Tom as the perfect young couple are interesting, due to their lack of intellectual depth. They represent the cultural obsession with beauty over substance. As well as the gullibility of some people, to believe they can create and sustain a credible fictional persona. In that sense the reader will undoubtedly feel sorry for Kelly and her need to create such a delusion, even if they believe, as a couple, they are the authors of their own destruction.

The writer talks about the violence of everyday life and the conclusion of the book reflects this. However I find the characters motives for revenge and violent retribution disturbing. Would anyone pay such a large amount of money to have someone killed? I guess that depends how much money you have to spend and the value you put on a human life.

This is obviously an intellectual writer who likes to weave controversy into his work in order to promote debate, Although this novel may raise more questions than it answers, it is nevertheless an entertaining read. show less