Shadow Walk [Paperback]

Jane Waterhouse (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1999

The second Garner Quinn mystery is "as lyrical as a lullaby and as eerily hypnotic as a cobra's dance." (Booklist)

True-crime author Garner Quinn has quit writing--until a reporter hints that he knows the location of the one murderer who has eluded Quinn for decades. But as the final showdown approaches, it's hard to tell who is the hunter, and who is the prey...

"Gripping and suspenseful."--Library Journal

"Absorbing." --Publishers Weekly

"First-rate." --Chicago Tribune

"Hypnotic."

--Booklist

"A stylish, powerful tale of suspense."--Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"After all the years spent writing true crime, I found it difficult not to play my thoughts close to the vest. It was a habit so ingrained in me that I'd perfected a diversion--a complete toning-down of self that allowed me to blend into any background," says Garner Quinn, Jane Waterhouse's complicated, vulnerable character, whose work brings her equal amounts of excitement and pain. But after the publicity resulting from her last true crime book, described so well in Waterhouse's Graven Images, Quinn is having trouble hiding in the background. She's recognized on the street, courted or spurned by the police, and even called as an expert witness whenever a fellow true crime writer is sued. Her new high profile makes it harder--and more dangerous--for Quinn to dig into the suspicious suicide of a colleague who seemed to be on the verge of cracking open a big story linked to Quinn's past, but that doesn't stop her. And even a couple of outrageous red herrings toward the end of the book shouldn't stop you from having a wonderful time reading it. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Series protagonist Garner Quinn (Graven Images, LJ 10/1/95), a best-selling true-crime writer living at the Jersey shore, has allegedly given up writing but investigates a local case of multiple murder anyway. Though the murderer massacred his family and escaped some 20 years earlier, Garner's long-time acquaintance and fellow writer T.J. swears he has seen the man in Virginia. Garner is hooked?especially since one victim was her childhood friend. When T.J. dies suddenly and, to Garner's mind, suspiciously, she feels compelled to seek the truth and keep a childhood promise. Good psychological drama, gripping and suspenseful.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425169464
• ISBN-13: 978-0425169469
• Product Dimensions: 16.2 x 10.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,634,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So cleverly executed that it becomes a brilliant novel, October 11, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Shadow Walk (Hardcover)

True crime writer Garner Quinn is tired of all the dirt and horror she digs up while on a case. She is seriously thinking that it is time to retire at 37. Some addictions go todeep to just give up like that. Sometimes friendships are too important to ignore even if one of the parties is dead. Quinn and Lara Spangler never thought that their early teen vow of eternal friendship would last only five whole days. On the sixth day, Lara's father killed her and the rest of their family before disappearing into the night.

Garner is shaken out of her apathy when a down on his luck journalist, T.J. Sterling informs her that he has sighted Gordon Spangler. He wants Garner to help him open doors to the power people in publishing. T.J. promises to allow Garner the opportunity to talk with Gordon before the whistle is blown on the escaped convict. Quinn agrees to the deal, though she has grave misgivings. Her eerie inner warning system proves to be at full operational strength when the headlines state that T.J. committed suicide. Though everyone else thinks the man took his own life, Garner believes that he is the latest victim of Gordon. Garner decides it is time to bring the killer down even if it means risking her own life in the process.

Jane Waterhouse is a brilliant writer whose stylish story is memorably lyrical and populated with unique characters. SHADOW WALK is a walk into dark side of the human existence, a place where psychopaths reign supreme and Mr. Hyde is a Sunday school teacher. The protagonist is a very human and passionate person, torn between leaving a world that taunts her with its depravity yet leaves her yearning to explore it. Like Garner, readers will find the story compelling but a very uncomfortable reminder of what is out there in the real world.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent and compelling writing, August 28, 2001

By 

Lorraine Milligan (Melbourne Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadow Walk (Paperback)

This novel was chilling and unforgettable. Jane Waterhouse writes in an intelligent, interesting manner and I would recommend all her novels in this series.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A slow but interesting thriller., August 3, 2001

By 

David Lucas - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadow Walk (Paperback)

Garner Quinn, a best-selling true-crime author, goes on a search for her childhood best friends father, who killed his family apparently without reason and subsequently disappeared.

Her interest in the case is initially rekindled when a fellow author asks to meet her and subsequently reveals that he knows where the killer is, although won't identify him.

Days later he is dead in suspicious circumstances and Quinn is left with the puzzle of discovering who he is and where to find him.

Overall, the book is an enjoyable read, with sufficient interest being maintained in the characters and plot to keep the reader reading, though people looking for a fast-paced, blood-and-guts story should look elsewhere.

Like many similar stories, the main character has the financial and occupational freedom to pursue their quest, also a degree of independence. However, whether deliberate or not, there is no real empathy built between Quinn and the reader. When she reaches a dead-end, you don't feel sorry for her, more apathetic.

This is very much a mystery story - how did this man manage to disappear for so many years. Unfortunately, this question is not answered to this readers satisfaction.