Walking Shadows

by David Barry

Who do you trust when you can't trust your own flesh and blood?

Three months after her wedding, Karen no longer trusts her husband. Paul, the self-proclaimed entrepreneur, works as a travel agent out of a single shop, yet somehow lives the new BMW, high-end restaurants, designer clothes - only the best for Paul. And whenever Karen reflects on their relationship she often arrives at the worryiing conclusion that she knows nothing about him, and there is a darkness in him that scares her. As she discovers the truth to her suspicions, she receives a phone call from her father - acting guarantor for Paul's business which now owes the bank half a million...

As if that weren't enough, Karen's mother is near to death, and her dying wish is for a reconciliation between her twin daughters, Karen and Vanessa. But after Vanessa slept with Karen's fiance, it's been five years with rarely a word spoken between the two. And it comes to light that while his wife lay dying, Karen and Vanessa's father had been sleeping with another woman almost half his age. As family tensions continue to rise, Paul's dark nature emerges from the shadws with fatal consequences.

Chock full of scandal, shocks and confrontation, Walking Shadows is a thrilling take on a modern family drama.

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 12, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Linda Strong · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Talk about a dysfunctional family full of secrets and lies!

Twin sisters, Karen and Vanessa, haven't spoken to each other in years. One slept with the other's fiancee 5 years ago and has never been forgiven. Their mother is dying of cancer and wants her daughters reunited before she dies. Their extremely rich father has a mistress and a new wife already picked out.

One's husband has a dubious past and she no longer trusts him. He's basically a con man with no conscience. He's a manipulator and a liar, at best.

When their mother dies, their father cuts off all support. He evicts one daughter from a shop that she runs (and he owns) and the other is told they will have to move (since he paid the down payment). He's cutting them out of the will in favor of his new wife.

Needless to say, I didn't like any of the characters. They all seem to have no redeeming qualities. At the root of everything is money. The mystery in this story is who is willing to do what to get a lot of money?

There are several surprising twists, most notably toward the end of the book. This was just an okay read for me.

Many thanks to the author / Endeavor Press / Netgalley for the digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't care for this one at all. All the characters are incredibly irritating which made it difficult to keep turning the pages. I usually don't mind unlikable characters but they need to be interesting and written well. Sadly, this one just didn't deliver for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[A.V. Denham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A twist in the tale novel, Walking Shadows (David Barry) is the story of non identical twins, Karen and Vanessa, who hate each other. Will their relationship with their father, whose forthcoming second marriage threatens their inheritance, ever be resolved? Has Karen’s husband, Paul, with secrets he needs to keep, be discovered for what he is? This is a complex story with a satisfying denouement. Read it!

[Sharon C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about two estranged twins (Vanessa and Karen) and two very despicable men. One is their father and the other is Karen’s sleazy husband. After their mother’s death, the twins find that they have been disinherited by their extremely wealthy father, and Karen’s money grubbing husband, who is keeping a lot of secrets, hatches a plan to get hold of the father’s money. Although I could see where the plot was heading, I found it to be a very enjoyable journey. The characterizations were excellent, and the writing was tight. I would definitely recommend this book to friends.

[Helle Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading #WalkingShadows by #DavidBarry. I received this book from #NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. I guess a testimony of how much I liked the book is that I started it last night and finished it less than 24 hours later! This is a psychological thriller of a pair of grown twin sisters and their relationship with their mother who is dying, their demanding and demeaning father and the relationship between the sisters. Point of view changes a few times and on a couple of occasions take a while to pick up on but other than that small thing I think the book was very well written and the characters were believable. The plot line kept you interested and moved the story along. I must admit that I was surprised when there was still 20 minutes reading left when I thought it had all been said and done. A nice surprise ending! I would definitely buy this book and recommend it to others.

[Cristie Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dysfunctional characters and a great plot twist. Definitely recommend this one!