Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Noir master Scott Phillips's The Walkaway explores the far-reaching consequences of the deception and violence of its predecessor, The Ice Harvest.
Summer 1989: Gunther Fahnstiel, a retired cop whose senility is rapidly setting in, walks out of his Wichita nursing home to track down the pile of cash he stashed away a decade ago. Where did he put it, again? He isn't sure. And the money isn't exactly his; on Christmas of 1979, Gunther and his wife accidentally ran over a stranger with their RV and found the stacks of bills in his bag, along with plane tickets, a .22-caliber pistol, and a bottle of Johnnie Walker.
Gunther's escape brings out several pursuers, from family to law enforcement. Meanwhile, his mind won't stop wandering back to 1952, when he was determined to protect his then-girlfriend Sally Ogden's sex ring from her vindictive estranged husband. As his memories unravel, the past and present will collide in a brilliant reckoning.
This Soho Crime reissue, a dark comedy that is at once prequel and sequel to Phillips's award-winning debut The Ice Harvest, proves that no walkaway can really escape unscathed.