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    Woman With a Gun: A Novel
    Woman With a Gun: A Novel
    Woman With a Gun: A Novel
    Audiobook7 hours

    Woman With a Gun: A Novel

    Written by Phillip Margolin

    Narrated by Hillary Huber

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    New York Times bestselling master of mystery Phillip Margolin transcends his traditional territory in this new and different book, a haunting thriller inspired by an unforgettable photograph.

    Visiting an art museum displaying a retrospective of acclaimed photographer Kathy Moran's work, aspiring novelist Stacey Kim is stunned by the photo at the center of the show—the famous "Woman with a Gun," which won a Pulitzer Prize and launched the photographer's career. Shot from behind, the enigmatic black-and-white image is a picture of a woman in a wedding dress, standing on the shore at night, facing the sea. Behind her back, she holds a six-shooter.

    The image captures Stacey's imagination, raising a host of compelling questions. Has the woman killed her husband on their wedding night? Is she going to commit suicide? Is she waiting for someone she plans to kill? Obsessed with finding answers, Stacey discovers that the woman in the photograph is Megan Cahill, suspected of killing her husband, millionaire Raymond Cahill, with the six-shooter on their wedding night. But the murder was never solved.

    Drawn deeper into the case, Stacey finds that everyone involved has a different opinion of Megan's culpability. But the one person who may know the whole story—Kathy Moran—isn't talking. Stacey must find a way to get to the reclusive photographer or the truth may never see the light of day.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateDec 2, 2014
    ISBN9780062351104
    Author

    Phillip Margolin

    Phillip Margolin has written nineteen novels, many of them New York Times bestsellers, including his latest novels Woman with a Gun, Worthy Brown’s Daughter, Sleight of Hand, and the Washington trilogy. Each displays a unique, compelling insider’s view of criminal behavior, which comes from his long background as a criminal defense attorney who has handled thirty murder cases. Winner of the Distinguished Northwest Writer Award, he lives in Portland, Oregon.

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    Reviews for Woman With a Gun

    3.5/5

    50 ratings11 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Good whodunnit
    • 4/5
      Good story, a little busy at points with so many characters, but overall good and interesting.
    • 5/5
      A really interesting novel by Phillip Margolin. A little confusing as it jumps back and forth from the past to the present, but this also sets up the storyline for a really big reveal at the end, one I had thought might be possible but I wasn't sure how it could be accomplished. What's most interesting to me is, there is this picture of a woman with a gun. Margolin sees it, falls in love with it, and decides to write a story about it, explaining it. And in the novel, one lead character goes to moma, sees this very same picture, falls in love with it, and decides to write a story about it. Of course she (the lead character that's a writer) solves a ten year old murder mystery while she's at it, but there ya go, finito! I love when this happens.....lol.
      A very engrossing novel, and I give it 4.5 stars.
    • 3/5
      Interesting story about a writer who sees a photo and wonders about the back story of the photo. Woman with a Gun tells the story of a 10 year old murder case and the people who were involved in the murder.
    • 3/5
      I've never read anything written by Phillip Margolin, but the photograph on the cover was intriguing so I gave it a shot. I thought the murder mystery was mildly interesting, but found the writing to be rather dry and unemotional. Every other person who has reviewed this book has given it very high ratings, so I guess I'm in the minority here. Based on this book, I don't think I would read any of this author's other books.
    • 3/5
      Not my cup of tea. I don't like when a character I like is in danger from a psychopath.
    • 4/5
      “Woman with a Gun” is the title of the haunting black-and-white photograph that won Kathy Moran a Pulitzer ten years ago and made her career as a photographer. Currently a focal point in an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, the photograph is seen by aspiring novelist Stacey Kim. Intrigued, she is determined to identify the woman and unravel the circumstances that brought her to the edge of the sea where the mesmerizing photograph was taken. With its enigmatic feeling and the fascination of the antique revolver held behind the woman's back, Stacey decides the story behind the prize-winning photograph could be the perfect plot for the novel she has come to New York to write. But Stacey may never get the chance to put pen to paper. Doggedly determined, she heads off to Oregon to find the answers she seeks, but as she gets closer and closer to the truth, there are those who will do anything to keep her from revealing their secrets.“Woman With a Gun” is a story within a story within a story taking the reader from Stacey’s present-day investigating to the scene of a 2005 murder to a 2000 murder trial and beyond. With a good many twists and turns and a suspenseful plot that’s first-rate, they all tie together in an ending that will surely surprise readers. Recommended.
    • 4/5
      Stacey Kim is a wannabe author looking for inspiration. She finds it in an art museum – a photograph of “Woman with a Gun” taken in 2005. She begins to wonder: did the bride kill her new husband; is she getting ready to hide evidence by throwing the gun in the ocean; is she contemplating suicide? Stacey begins to dig deep into researching the photo and its photographer, Kathy Moran. Thus begins a backtrack into the story of Megan Cahill, the young woman in the photo. Indeed her millionaire husband, Raymond Cahill, had been killed on their wedding night, but Megan has amnesia and is unable to remember what happened. Stacey finds that while some people are more than happy to talk about the investigation, others avoid any conversation with Stacey. All she wants is enough detail to formulate a fictional account of the historic murder. What she finds is much more.This is a fairly light read set in the beautiful, although fictional, Oregon beach town of Palisades Heights. I liked the character of Stacy and her determination to gather details. However, Stacey’s portion in the novel is rather small as the book predominantly covers the investigation and trial of Megan Cahill in 2005. I do think the lawyer’s dialogue could have been a little more realistic. The jump in time caused a bit of confusion – present day Stacey; 2005 when the murder happened; and further back to a court case in which attorneys Jack Booth and Kathy Moran were opposing counsels. Overall, I enjoyed the story line and the author’s very creative concept. I rated Woman with a Gun at 4 out of 5.
    • 5/5
      I usually quote a portion of the publisher’s blurb for a quick synopsis, but this one read as if the story takes place in the present, and in a way it does by beginning and ending there, but in between are several time lines where the bulk of the story actually occurs and focus shifts to a different primary character…We begin, briefly, in 2015…When Stacey, an aspiring writer, decided to spend her lunch hour relaxing at an art exhibit, she never dreamed it would completely change her life. She had moved to New York thinking just being in the Big Apple would spur her creativity, but so far it was one boring day after another, toiling away at a dreary job as a receptionist to pay the bills. Everything changed when she saw a prize-winning photo of a woman on a beach holding a gun – there was a story behind that photo, and that would be her novel.We jump back in time to 2005 and later to 2000 to learn the story behind the photo…Photographer Kathy Moran is walking on the beach when she see a woman, wearing a white dress gazing, out over the water and holding a gun behind her back. She takes a photo and then offers help to the woman who appears dazed and in shock. We learn it was her wedding night and in a robbery at their home she was attacked and knocked unconscious. When she woke she found her husband dead. There are several suspects but the murder is never solved despite the efforts of prosecutor Jack Booth, who we will learn has a prior history with the photographer, Kathy, in the jump back to 2000.It sounds complicated, but once the characters are established, the non-linear story line works well. We spend enough time in each period to understand the plot, develop the characters and pick up a few clues.The mystery was compelling and the jumps in time felt seamless. The shifting points of view – Stacy in the present and Jack in the past – provided plenty of insight and revealed bits and pieces of the story. Photographer Kathy Moran and prosecutor Jack Booth are present throughout and tie the stories together with an eventual resolution of the mystery in the present time line.I didn’t figure out who the killer was until the end, when enough information was revealed to understand the motive. Now, looking back and thinking about it – revenge, anger, greed – it all falls together. If you like a compelling mystery that keeps you guessing, this is a good choice.
    • 5/5
      Another great book by the extremely talented, Mr. Margolin. This is my third book that I have read by this author. Every book that he comes out with is a must read for me. I can't wait to get my hands on his books. Mr. Margolin infuses his characters with such life and makes the stories that he is writing so personal that I just fall for the characters and their story. Just like Mr. Margolin I too was very intrigued by the title of this book and the book cover. I wanted to know more about the mystery woman in the photo and what secret she held. I liked the way the author went smoothly from present, past and back to the present. I kept trying to figure out the truth before the author revealed it to me. Sadly, I was not able to uncover the secret before it was time. The way the author wrote the story was very smart. He never revealed anything. He had a good poker face. I can't wait to see what inspiration the author finds next for his next book. Woman with a Gun is a must, must read!
    • 3/5
      I have been a fan of Phillip Margolin's writing for many years. I normally find his characters and their stories compelling. This time, though, I just didn't get that connection. Something was lacking here for me.This book is really a story within a story. We start off with Stacey Kim, a young wannabe writer stuck in a job she dislikes. She comes across the Woman With A Gun photograph at an art gallery and is immediately consumed. Her part just didn't feel believable. She's young and in debt, without a publisher backing her, yet uproots to Oregon in order to research a real case she intends to then fictionalize. Any struggling author out there knows how absurd this is. I still have no idea how she managed to support herself during this time.Once these basics are established, we're transported back a decade to the actual murder case involving the woman in the photo. During the first few chapters, I found myself distracted because I was wondering when this sub-story would connect with Stacey. Eventually, when everything does intersect, I once again found myself seriously questioning Stacey's involvement in this now cold-case murder. All of the characters fell flat. Stacey immediately meets someone and they apparently fall in love, though this is something I surmised by the events rather than anything I felt or was shown. The characters did basically what they were supposed to do in order to propel the story forward. Most of the dialogue sounded trite or scripted. I missed the quirks and subtle behaviors that make characters feel real.Overall, I found the story within the center of the book, the characters and details surrounding the murder, far more realistic than the story of Stacey and her obsession with a photo. But a well-written story is usually able to lift me beyond this kind of doubt. In the end, I felt the story was lacking Margolin's usual flare with bringing character's to life.