NEW
RELEASE and GIVEAWAY
The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club
by
Duncan Whitehead
The author has generously donated two Kindle editions of his new book for
our giveaway. Make sure you enter the giveaway below. Thanks, Duncan.
Description
Something is not
quite right in the leafy Savannah neighborhood of Gordonston.
As the friends and
fellow members of her afternoon cocktail club gather to mourn the death and
lament the life of their neighbor, Thelma Miller, not all is what it seems.
As old friends vie
for the attention of widower, Alderman and mayoral candidate Elliott,
jealousies surface and friendships are strained. An old woman with a dark
secret and an infamous uncle plots her revenge for a perceived wrong done over
thirty years before, a once successful children's writer with his own secret is
haunted by memories of the past and aspiring model Kelly Hudd has just won the
trip of a lifetime.
As secrets are
revealed and history, both old and recent, unravel and an intertwined web of
deceits and lies surfaces in the middle class neighborhood a killer lurks and
is anyone really who they seem to be? A mysterious European gentleman in South
America, a young Italian count parading the streets of Paris and a charitable
and kind hearted nephew recently arrived from India add to the remarkable
assortment of characters in this story of intrigue, deceit and revenge. What is
the secret a recently retired accountant is trying to hide and just why did the
former showgirl and attractive sixty two year old widow Carla Zipp really have
plastic surgery?
As the plot thickens
and the Georgia summer temperature rises we discover who is destined for an
early-unmarked grave in the wooded park that centers the tree-lined avenues of
Gordonston.
A mysterious
organization with links to organized crime, a handsome fire fighter who can do
no wrong and a trio of widows with deep hidden agendas compound a story of
simplistic complexity. As twists and turns lead the reader to a conclusion that
they will not see coming and a sucker punch ending that will leave readers
breathless, the Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club's top priority remains the
need to chastise the culprit who refuses to 'scoop' after his dog walking
sessions in their treasured park.
Excerpt
He took one final draw on his cigarette before flicking the wet butt into
the hole he had just dug. It was still dark; the sun not due to rise for
another thirty minutes. He checked his watch and confirmed the time. He was
still on schedule. He turned suddenly to his left, surprised by the rustling
noise he had heard in the undergrowth. A grey squirrel peered out from the
bushes before rapidly disappearing into the wooded area to the right. Overhead,
a woodpecker began to tap against a nearby oak tree. The ‘rat-a-tat’, like a
hammer, echoed through the densely forested landscape.
Satisfied that he was still alone, he
re-inspected the freshly dug hole. Ideally, it should have been six feet deep,
but four, he thought, would do. It was not the first time he had dug a hole
like this, but he wondered though if this one would be the last. He had begun
digging the night before and hoped that no one would discover his half-dug hole
and half-empty bag of lime salts, which it now appeared, they had not. Usually
he would have poured more lime salts into the bottom, to cover the unpleasant
smells that would rise from the ground later, but he had decided that the extra
bags would be too much to hide. He crouched and leaned over the hole,
stretching his arm to full length to pick up his discarded cigarette butt.
Unprofessional, he thought. He really knew better than that. He slipped the
butt into the packet it had come from, alongside the other nineteen yet
unsmoked menthols.
From his vantage point he could see anyone
entering or leaving the park. There were three gates, but he had taken the
precaution of locking the north and south gates with padlocks, which he would
remove and discard once his task was complete. Now the only way to enter the
park would be via the east gate, which was the main entrance anyway, and the
one he knew would be used that morning.
The recently prepared hole was ensconced just
off the welltrodden path that encircled the park; he couldn’t have asked for a
better spot to perform his task. If only they were all this easy. He picked up
his shovel and placed it out of sight in the undergrowth. He would need it
later to fill the hole back in. Though he had dug holes like this before, they
were usually not necessary. But the instructions he had received were very
specific, that there should be no trace of his work for at least one week. He
hoped that four feet was deep enough. He considered his surroundings and
decided it was.
The park was located in the center of a middle
class neighborhood of approximately 300 homes. It was protected by a wrought
iron fence and three gates—perfect for his purposes. Signs proclaimed that this
was private property, designated solely for the use of those who lived there.
At least half the families in the area owned a dog and regularly used the park
to exercise them. Not everyone walked his dog in the park. He estimated that
only fifty or so people ever ventured where he now stood.
The Girl Scout Hut, an old log cabin-style
building that stood in the center of the park, was available for hire for
private functions and neighborhood gatherings as well as for residential
association meetings. An extensive wooded area, home to an abundance of
wildlife, dominated the interior of park. Trees and shrubbery surrounded the
perimeter railings, hiding the interior of the park from anyone traversing nearby
streets. A children’s playground in the northeast corner of the park offered
wooden swings and forts. These, along with sliding boards and monkey bars
delighted the children of those privileged to play there.
Dog walkers took advantage of the wood-chipped
track that circled the park. The path wove around the trees and crossed ditches
and natural moats. The occasional jogger who ventured into the park would
sometimes make use of the track but would have to watch for fallen trees and
avoid the sprawling roots that sprouted from the earth. He pulled another
menthol from its packet and lit it. He sucked in the mint-flavored smoke and
exhaled it into the early morning air. It was hard to hold the cigarette in his
gloved hand, so he removed the leather pair that he wore. He wore the gloves
not due to any coldness but as necessary to his task.
The sky was no longer black but a dark blue,
the sun now on the verge of rising. The first birds of the morning began their
song and the temperature was slowly beginning to rise. The unnatural sound of a
car engine straining into life could be heard in the distance. Its owner was
probably an early morning worker, beginning his day while most were still
enjoying their last few minutes of sleep.
It was going to be another warm day, and air
conditioning systems would be on high throughout the city. He considered
removing the dark coat that he wore but didn’t. It, along with the gloves, was
his standard attire when working: an unofficial uniform of his trade. More
rustling, this time from the north, made him twist his body and alerted his
senses. As before, another squirrel disappeared into the dense wood as the
streetlights that illuminated the avenues and streets that ran alongside the
park switched off in unison, announcing that daybreak was approaching. Soon
bedroom lights would turn on as early risers prepared themselves for the day
ahead.
Review
By Gaele
In a cleverly
twisted plot, there are 4 possible victims, and yet only one suspect, so far.
With an eye for lush imagery and a tongue in cheek sense of the absurdities of
suburban living, the satire is intermingled throughout the story, aiding in the
reader's enjoyment of the characters and the plots that are set against them.
With distrust and
suspicion, friendships and romantic entanglements are revealed, and are slowly
unravelling as the plot thickens, with several twists that were unique and very
reminiscent of playing the game of Clue as a child. Thoroughly entertaining,
the pacing improves as the book moves on to a conclusion that certainly leaves
room open for one, or more, murders.
About the Author
Duncan was born in England in 1967. After a successful career in the
military where he served in British Embassies throughout South America and saw
service in the Gulf War he joined the world of super yachts as a Purser onboard
some of the world’s largest private vessels, working for many high profile
individuals, being fortunate enough to visit some of the world’s most luxurious
and exotic places. Eventually retiring to Savannah, Georgia, he began to
partake of his greatest passion, writing. Initially writing short stories he
finally put pen to paper and wrote The
Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club, inspired by the quirky characters and
eeriness of his new environment, the book, a thriller, which boasts an
assortment of characters and plot twists, set in the leafy neighborhood where
he lived. His passion for comedy saw submissions to The Onion and a stint
performing as a stand- up comedian.
He is a former boxer, representing the Royal
Navy and an English under 19 team as an amateur and is a qualified teacher of
English as a foreign language as well as a former accomplished children’s
soccer coach.
In 2011 Duncan returned to South America,
spending six months in Brazil and a few months in Paraguay before travelling to
the Middle-East and Europe before returning to the United States to settle in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and lists his
hobbies and passions as cooking, the Israeli self-defence art of Krav Maga and
the pressure point martial art Dim-Mak.
Duncan has written over 2,000 spoof and comedy
news articles, under various aliases, for an assortment of web sites both in
the US and UK.
As well as his other activities he performs
volunteer work, as a hospice volunteer visitor and teaches English to refugees
arriving in South Florida.
Duncan has penned a further novel, The Reluctant Jesus, a comedy set in
Manhattan which is set to be published early 2013. He is also working on the
script for a potential sit-com and the second and third books in The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club
trilogy.
Duncan has one daughter, Keira, and lives alone.
Giveaway
