The thrilling sequel to the bestselling and award winning novel, The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club. Four months after the disappearance of Tom Hudd from a leafy Savannah neighborhood, the members of an afternoon cocktail and dog walking club ponder his whereabouts; despite one of them knowing his true fate. Recently elected mayor Elliot Miller has new agendas, and just where is Doug Partridge? An old man's death bed memories recall his ultimate revenge, while Savannah Detective Jeff Morgan has been assigned to two missing person's cases and a years old murder that he believes already solved. Once again, though, a killer lurks and even more secrets unfold, as does an ever expanding web of deceit and lies. Who will die and who will live to see out the conclusion to a story of revenge, twists and murder? As before, the plot thickens, and the residents of Gordonston, all with deep hidden agendas, resume their plotting and desire for revenge and retribution; twists and turns lead the reader once again to a conclusion, and another sucker punch ending that will leave them breathless.
Award-winning writer Duncan Whitehead was born in England and is the author of the best-selling and award-winning GORDONSTON LADIES DOG WALKING CLUB Trilogy. The series, inspired by the quirky characters and eeriness in the real-life Savannah neighborhood in which he once lived, is a humorous mystery that boasts an assortment of characters and plot twists. The first book in this series won the 2013 Reader's Favorite Book Award for Comedy.
He has also written over 2,000 spoof and comedy news articles under various aliases for a variety of websites both in the US and the UK. Duncan now resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and has written further novels, including the four-book FOREST PINES MYSTERY SERIES and a stand-alone comedy, THE RELUCTANT JESUS, which won the 2014 Reader's Favorite Book Award for Comedy.
The final and fourth book in the FOREST PINES SERIES was released in December 2023, written after a four-year hiatus from writing. He is the author of the parody A COZY MYSTERY…WITH ZOMBIES!, which was released in January 2024. He has recently completed his next book, a comedy and parody entitled MURDER, SHE HOPED, and has commenced work on his next comedy/mystery, THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT FLETCHER'S END.
Duncan is well known for his charity work and kindness to animals, children, and old people. His charity, 'Habitat for Hotties,' where he finds housing for retired Hooter's waitresses, was recently voted the least likely charity anyone would ever donate to. He has donated several organs to puppies and kittens and, to help save the planet does not leave a carbon footprint, as he only wears slippers. In February 2040, he invented time travel and now spends much of his time in either the future (where he has won the lottery an astonishing 117 times) or the present day. Attempts to return to 1985 and write The Harry Potter series of books have thus far failed.
I'm not going to write too much of a detailed review on this book because I don't want to spoil anything in the first book. I stand by what I wrote in my review of the first book, and feel most of it applies to the second book as well.
This book takes place a few months after the events of the first book and we are treated to a darkly comical realization of the paid hits from the first book. Regrets, turmoil, and deeper, darker plots ensue.
I laughed out loud, again, many times, and fell prey to the author's deceptions throughout the book.
Just as well-written as the first book, if not more complex and involved, because, once things start going bad, they're only going to get worse.
I read this book in two days, riding on the wave of the first book, while also eagerly trying to get through this so I could read the conclusion in the third book.
3.5 stars This is a follow up to The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club, and again we have very dark humour involving murder and mayhem. The reader is advised to first read the previous book to fully appreciate the situation. The three widows, two in their mid sixties and one in her eighties, again are sitting in the park drinking liquor from red plastic cups. They spend a lovely sunny day gossiping about people in their upscale neighbourhood, especially about two young married men who have gone missing. Their dogs play nearby. A frequent visitor describes this lovely, formerly tranquil place as boring and filled with uppity rich people, snobby, pompous and self-righteous. Even the park is off limits to outsiders to keep out the 'riff raff'. The police are pressed by the new mayor to investigate a cold case where a man was killed while attending an international bankers convention. This is only for appearance to show he is tough on crime and to draw convention business back to the area. The most incompetent and disliked policeman is put on the case. The two wives of the missing men are anxious for them to be found. This is ignored, as the detective believes the men were lovers and ran away together. A mysterious older man arrives in town and comes across the three members of the Ladies Dog Walking Club. The two younger widows feel he is acceptable in the park as he seems wealthy because of his attire and wears an expensive watch. He is well spoken and polite. One flirts with him. He seems most interested in the older woman who is more his age, but she stares at him with disdain. Meanwhile, more murder is being plotted. Who will survive? Will enough people in Gordonston be left alive for a further sequel? I hope so.
After the first one I had to see what else happened to these characters. I don't want to give away detail so there is one part of the book so incredible that I had to finish reading the whole thing.
The dark humor continues in this 2nd book of the Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club. Detective Jeff Morgan has 2 missing person's cases and one cold-case murder that he thinks are solved. Secrets continue to abound and a killer stalks again.
I found myself actually talking to the characters to keep them from doing something stupid. The neighborhood is like an onion; you just keep peeling away layers and the concept of "good neighbor" goes right out the window.
This book kept me guessing with all the twists and turns. It kept me so captivated that I read it all the way through without stopping.
Good plot, easy reading and many twists and turns. Good fun and very distracting from everyday life. Read the book one in the series first to appreciate the full storyline.....
This second installment of the Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club was a bit absurd, with murders and suicides right and left. Totally unrealistic and it all happened too fast. I didn't like much of the character development/closure that happened in this edition, it It seems like the author should have added a book or two to the series and spread them out a bit and let the readers decide if they liked that person or not before killing them off.
“The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club: Unleashed” by Duncan Whitehead is a long awaited sequel and one that does not disappoint.
Once again we are served a cocktail of clever plotting, comic and suspenseful entertainment and colourful characters in an intriguing and original setting. This time we start with a secret nightly burial, setting the tone for the secretive and murderous atmosphere in the outwardly peaceful neighbourhood of Gordonston, Savannah. Who does not have a secret, hidden agenda or a mysterious past in this novel? A lot is going on in the neighbourhood these days, for example. Elliott is running for Major, Cindy expects her nephew returning from Africa and the gossip still focuses on missing people and romantic liaisons – so life is busy as usual. The same can be said for a certain organisation that, for a fee, will resolve some of your problems for you, and which – lately – is getting a lot of business from the Gordonston neighbourhood. images “Unleashed” is fantastic as a sequel. It brings back some of the familiar and successful formula of intrigue, suspense, great characters and the hugely entertaining dynamics of the dog walking club; yet it introduces new characters, new themes and then blends them with the old through some unexpected twists, connections and turns of events. The plotting is excellently done and surprised me many times throughout reading the book. I would have been happy with a simple formula repetition since I enjoyed the first book so much, but Whitehead has simply used it as a stepping stone for a much more evolved and complex novel, unleashing the full potential of old and new. Threads you thought were tied up are not, so always expect the unexpected. There are some great stereotypes and hilarious moments but don’t fear that it is all mindless entertainment. Some characters show depth and serious reflections, adding a more thoughtful note and class to the story. Sharp, witty and well written this should sweep awards and nominations as easily as its predecessor did. For fans of crime fiction with a humorous tone I couldn’t recommend this highly enough and this is saying something since I don’t often get excited over crime fiction. Six out of five stars.
Unleashed takes us back to the Gordonston neighborhood of Savannah, Georgia where the people are well off, drowning in Southern charm and their own personal dilemmas. I loved The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club. Unleashed is book two. You have to read book one before book two makes any sense at all, and that is why this review is a three and not a four. Authors who expect me to have memorized their first book or to re-read it to understand the second one are a pet peeve with me.
I did neither of those two things, so the first third of this book was confusing. It is a direct continuation of the first book, which I felt had wrapped up rather nicely and didn't require more. I came into this story expecting new drama, not a rehash of the old ones.
The writing is still entrancing. I like Whitehead's style and the depth he gives his characters. The quirky way the individual actions of the people in the story come together in a flawless symphony of chaos and karma is rendered so completely believable that you just can't see how it could have happened any other way.
I'm looking forward to book three. I think that's where I'll find what I expected here.
I started reading this after I finished the first GLDWC because it was offered as a free read since I have Kindle Unlimited. I was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty good! So good, in fact, that I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for the next book in this series to be released (Aug 15!). It was pretty shocking because at first, it seems like light reading, maybe even a little trashy, but Whitehead develops the characters very well and there is much more depth and complexity than I expected. So at first blush, you think "trashy summer book" but then when you're finished you think "HOLY SMOKES! That was REALLY really good!" Just to give you an idea: This series is so good that you'll stay up until 3am to finish a book it even if you have to be up at 5:30 with the baby.
I normally never enjoy a sequel as much as the original, but this was an exception. I felt bad for Cindy because she finally found out what Billy was really like. I enjoyed the fact that he got his comeuppance. Kelly annoyed me and I felt her character was kind of predictable. I felt bad about what happened to Carla, it seemed like she was finally going to be happy. Heidi completely lost it. I was very moved by the reason Ignatius became the way he was. And I must admit I don't blame him for the things he did. Cindy got to be a bit much when Elliott began a relationship and married someone else. Yes it hurts to love someone and they don't feel the same, but move on. Don't dwell and become consumed by hatred.
Intrigued by the title and the beginning but got bogged down by the description....too much information! However, I did keep going if only to see how all the characters and threads would collide at the end. In some ways the ending was predictable but not so much that it didn't grab my attention. Not a bad investment of 2 days.
This was still a cute book book but did not have as many laughs as the first one in the series. Also, I now find that I'm not sure I like any of the characters!
I enjoyed this story as well as the first. Not to many neighbors left in the Gordonston. Murder on every doorstep. Very quirky. Is there going to be a third book?
This was a great follow-up to the first book. Will there be a third to tell the rest of Partidge and Heidi's stories. I hope so. I highly recommend you read The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club and this book.