The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club

The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club

All is not what is seems for the femme fatales of The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club, the deliciously juicy new novel by Duncan Whitehead. With enough drama to have the women of Wisteria Lane shaking their heads, The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club will leave you, shall we say, begging for more.

In The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club, something is not quite right. The friends and fellow members of Thelma Miller's afternoon cocktail club gather to mourn her death and lament the life of their neighbour, but as old friends vie for the attention of the new 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, old and recent history unravels and an intertwined web of deceits and lies surface in the middle class neighborhood. Meanwhile, a killer lurks and leaves the neighbors wondering if anyone is who they appear 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 complex and thrilling story of murder, revenge and love.

The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club leaves readers reeling as they explore:
Revenge - What lengths would someone go to protect themselves, their loved ones and to extract revenge, if the opportunity presented itself to them?
Deceit - Most people have at least one secret and some will do anything to keep them hidden.
Intrigue - We greet our neighbors almost every day and form friendships solely on the fact we live near each other, but what do we really know about them?

'I don't insult the reader, the clues to the plot and twists are there and every twist and surprise is explained," says Whitehead, 'the readers of this book always, without fail, read it twice, and inevitably say -of course….now I see it!'"


Born in England, Duncan Whitehead has lived and travelled the world as a member of the Royal Navy and served as a Purser on some of the world's largest super yachts. Eventually retiring to Savannah, GA, he began his writing career and was inspired by his quirky neighbours. Whitehead has written over 2,000 spoof and comedy news articles, under various aliases, for an assortment of web sites both in the U.S. and U.K. His next novel, The Reluctant Jesus, is a comedy set in Manhattan, and scheduled for release in early 2013.


The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club
Author: Duncan Whitehead

Interview with Duncan Whitehead

Question: What inspired you to write The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club?

Duncan Whitehead: Gordonston itself! I lived in the neighbourhood where the book is set. I was inspired by the quirkiness of some of my neighbours, and the eeriness of the neighbourhood. Often I would walk around the tree lined neighbourhood, especially during the summer months with my dog - and encounter not a single soul. The park in the book does exist, and I walked my dog there, and I found it eerie that I was surrounded by these beautiful homes and had no idea what was going on behind the closed doors. I figured it would be a great location for a suspense mystery thriller, with some quirky characters and comedic twists thrown into the mix.

Question: Did you belong to a walking club, as research for the book?

Duncan Whitehead: No, I didn't; I did however used to walk my dog in the park, which inspired the book and apparently, according to a message I received on Facebook, there is actually a real life Ladies Dog Walking in Gordonston, though I didn't know it… if I had I would have joined them or on second thoughts... maybe not.


Question: Why did you decide to write a thriller?

Duncan Whitehead: It is more of a dark comedy/mystery than an out and thriller per say. I decided to tackle the subject of a murder and a sinister underlying tension beneath what appears to be an ideal neighbourhood because any of us, unbeknownst, could be living next door to, or opposite, someone who may have secrets or a dark past... or who may even have sinister intentions towards us. I love the premise that we could all somehow be connected, either by a past meeting or a mutual acquaintance - but don't realise it. Maybe we have a connection; maybe we have crossed paths before, some fleeting instance... I love exploring that, in fiction, and making those connections, while seemingly of no significance become something dramatic.


Question: Which character did you enjoy writing and exploring the most?

Duncan Whitehead: That is a tough one. I have actually anticipated this question and I struggle because there are so many fun and quirky characters. Heidi was fun, because behind her mask of genteel old lady, who seemed to be the pillar of the society, there is a very sinister and dark personality, bordering on evil, I enjoyed writing and creating her . Kelly was fun as it was easier to introduce humour into her character as she is kind of -dumb', but in a nice and naive way. Billy, because he is so devious was also a fun character to play with, because he switches personalities, and not to give away too much of the plot away, he has to act, but underneath his act he is always scheming and very much a coward and a bit of a wimp.


Question: Tell us about The Reluctant Jesus:

Duncan Whitehead: The Reluctant Jesus is my next book, it is comedy set in Manhattan and chronicles the story of Seth, a self-centred Jewish architect and 'player' who is told by his domineering mother, then God, that he is in fact the second coming of Christ... obviously he doesn't want the job and does his best to get out of it! Unfortunately Satan has an equally reluctant son and according to a 'disorganised' God they have to fight it out unfortunately the anti-Christ suffers from allergies, weighs about 120 lbs and likes to play video games and is a nerd... you can imagine it is quite zany.

 

The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club
Author: Duncan Whitehead