The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club

By: Duncan Whitehead

Narrated by: David de Vries

Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's Summary

Little is what it seems to be in a leafy Savannah neighborhood as members of an afternoon cocktail and dog walking club mourn a neighbor’s death. Jealousies surface when friends vie for the widower running for mayor. An old woman with an infamous uncle plots to avenge a wrong. Memories haunt a once successful children’s writer. And a model has won the trip of a lifetime.

But a killer lurks and secrets unfold, as does a web of deceit. Is anyone really who he or she seems to be? A mysterious South American, a young Italian count, and a charitable nephew add suspicion and intrigue, as do an enigmatic organization linked to organized crime, a handsome firefighter, and three widows with hidden agendas. What’s a retired accountant’s secret, and why did a former showgirl really have plastic surgery?

The plot thickens, the Georgia temperature rises, and someone is destined for an early unmarked grave. The truth contorts to a climax that leaves readers breathless.

©2013 Duncan Whitehead (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

A disappointment

I had high hopes that this book would be a charmer but it turned out to be a disappointment. The characters were unlikable and the narration heavy handed. Can't recommend.

27 of 28 people found this review helpful

Unappealing characters

I did not care for this book. I guess the plot could be called clever in that it does illustrate how people and situations are not always as they appear. But none of the characters are likable. Well, one of the male characters is an overall good guy and his wife, who is dying, has some appeal but everyone else in the story is two faced, phony, deceptive and some of them are downright evil.
I thought this book was supposed to be funny but I didn't find it amusing at all. Its only saving grace is that it has a lot of dogs in it - but the author didn't use the dogs to propel the plot or make the story more quaint or colorful or original.
The narrator was fine but although a bad narrator can ruin a book, a good narrator can’t rescue a poorly written story.
I don't recommend it.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Waste of time

This book was so poorly written and the characters so unlikeable, it was pure torture to listen to, much less read (I did both hoping it would get better). I would have dropped it after the first chapter if it hadn't been a monthly selection for out book club. We will vet the book choices more carefully after this fiasco.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

surprising

it was a little slow going at the start but the little surprises along the way were worth it and the big surprises at the end were fantastic!
the narrator was okay. he did the ladies voices very well, as well as all the accents (southern US, french, British, Italian).

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I liked the characters

Mildly entertaining. I'm afraid I found this a little silly. I loved most of the characters but I would have gone in a different direction with the story.

Clever, absorbing, get caught in the story book

Oh, this book was so fun! Good read is propelled by a great narrator and witty writing. Author Duncan Whitehead has developed the main characters, 5 older women bonded by their lust for good looking men and dogs, so that you can amost see them walking their dogs in a hot Savannah park. The narrator voices each character distinctly. The story wraps up with a mystery--who killed ? OVerall really, really entertaining and a light look at aging.

Ridiculous plot

This is the worst book I've read in a long time. The author spent the first half of the book simply introducing the characters with virtually no plot. Then what plot there was was so far beyond belief that it was ridiculous. It wasn't charmingly zany or clever, it was just tedious and boring.

Full of supprises

The prolog lets you know something bad will happen. Then clues let you suspect other bad things may also happen. No more clues for u!!!

Setting you up for surprises !

At first I bought it was a dull maybe trite story but.. then I saw how the story was set up for interesting surprises. Nice and short and great ending. 👍🏼

Ultra silly but readable

What would have made The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club better?

I guess nothing could have. Maybe it was meant to be a silly air headed shallow book. Life and books are not all down to earth seriousness

What was most disappointing about Duncan Whitehead’s story?

The ending was so bad and poorly worked out. It was completely implausible even for fiction. It made no sense whatsoever. It was too silly to evoke that shock factor the author was going after. There is no feasible explanation no matter how far fetched why and how Ignatius should be the contract killer boss and mastermind. I think his character should have been developed more even without giving too much away so that the ending could make a modicum of sense enough to be shocking.

What about David de Vries’s performance did you like?

He read well and kept you interested even though he was reading fresh air.

What character would you cut from The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club?

Heidi. What was all that Nazi stuff about? Very put up, contrived and unreal. Like the whole book I guess. I did like the whole Paris affair though and how it unravelled

Any additional comments?

I wont say I wasted my time but I've certainly spent it in better pursuits

A slow burn but well worth persevering!

A very cleverly thought out book with lots of plot strands that start off miles apart and then start to intertwine in the most fantastical ways. An intriguing read that keeps you guessing thought until the end. I loved it.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Unbelievable

Don't be tempted to give up on this book! It is a really slow burner, reflective of the area of the United States in which it is situated! You may be tempted into thinking that this story is going nowhere but, oh boy, would you be wrong!!

To tell you anything, other than what the flyer has already depicted, would be to give you a massive spoiler! So, I really can't do that! Suffice to say - absolutely on no account give up on this book! Stick with it yo the end. You will not be disappointed!

I'm off to get book 2!