Shadow Walk

Garner Quinn #2

by Jane Waterhouse

It was in her seaside hometown of Spring Lake, New Jersey, on All Souls' Day of 1970, that mild-mannered Gordon Spangler murdered his family, first shooting his wife and mother as they ate breakfast, then patiently waiting for his children to come home from school so he could pick them off one by one. By the time their bodies were discovered. Spangler had vanished without a trace. Quinn knows that Spangler is out there somewhere, having fashioned a new life for himself, posing as an unremarkable man, hiding the heart of a cold-blooded killer. Now all she has to do is find him.

Genres: Mystery

310 pages, Hardcover

First published October 27, 1997

About the author

Jane Waterhouse is a scriptwriter, award-winning playwright and the author of four novels, including the critically acclaimed Garner Quinn thrillers.

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book through being one of Brash publishers’ premium reviewers or something like that and then noticed it was book 2 of the series and was like oh no, but then it actually turned out, lo and behold, I read book 1 some time ago and just managed to have no recollection of it. It would be unfair to say that’s entirely the books’ fault, yes, it didn’t do very much to stand out for me, but then again I also read tons and a not insignificant percentage of that are thrillers, so it takes a lot for a book to really imprint itself into my mind. According to my review from back then book 1 was perfectly decent, so book 2 was a pretty safe bet and it actually turned out to be (at least according to my original opinion) an improvement. Maybe because just about all of the modern women authored women driven thrillers are so formulaic, it was just refreshing to read something that didn’t split the narrative or concentrated quite so heavily on personal relations. Garner Quinn, the protagonist of the series, is a true crime author at the top of her game and as such she has a freedom (i.e. finances) to retire. The events of book 1 (which I barely remembered even after reading the plot summary) have left her romantically disillusioned, so now she’s perfectly content to dedicate her time exclusively to her teenage daughter and various renovations until a crime that stunned and horrified her small Jersey shore town some two decades ago gets brought back into the light by her kind of sort of one fairly disreputable colleague. Obviously the draw is too immense and soon Garner is snooping around and detecting and taking risks to try to bring to justice a man who disappeared after brutally murdering his entire family all so many years ago. So pretty straight forward, yes, but there is a couple of very nice plot twists and the writing and characterizations are consistently good throughout, definitely of above average quality. It’s an older book, but it doesn’t read especially dated outside of mobile technology advances. Actually turned out to be a very enjoyable read. More than expected, which is always a pleasant surprise. Probably can be read as a standalone if you haven’t read book one. Quick, dynamic, suspense mystery thriller. Thanks Brash.

[Lillian Cummings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can you find out the truth about your friend's murder? Garner Quinn might a well known writer but she has taken a break to raise her daughter. But someone from the past is about to change everything. She knows that TJ Sterling is probably up to no good and that he wants something from her and she feels like she owes him from before. TJ knows that he has found Gordon Spangler but can she trust him. She has always wondered about where he went after killing his father and she hopes that TJ isn't lying to her. She knows that she can find out the truth and hopefully get justice for her friend Lara. What makes a man kill his whole family?
Garner can't believe that TJ is dead and she wonders if Gordon found him she is in so deep now that she can't trust anyone. She knows that she can't stop until she finds Gordon he needs to pay for what he did but can she really go through with this quest for justice?
Will Garner be able to find out who killed TJ and can she say goodbye to Lara after all this time. A good read. I was lucky enough to get a copy via Brash Books in exchange for my honest review.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A successful true crime writer investigates the death of another writer who claims to have seen the man who murdered his wife, children and mother. One if the children had been her close school friend. The murderer had been missing for twenty years.

[Babs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent read. I never heard of this author until a friend suggested I give it a try and I am so glad I did. GQ is a great character that I am looking forward to getting to know better.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good plot. Crime writer Garner Quinn has sworn off writing crime books, but tantalized by hearing that father that killed his whole family, including her friend, and disappeared 30 years before has been seen.

[Tm Buffalo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad book finished it fast . Would be great plane or beach read. I will lookup the other two books sometime.
So glad it was not waste of my time but very entertaining

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Garner Quinn Jane Waterhouse book. I enjoyed it. Story of a man who killed his whole family and how Garner found him.