John Galligan Books In Order

Publication Order of Bad Axe County Books

Publication Order of Fly Fishing Mystery Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

John Galligan
John Galligan is a teacher and a novelist. He has also worked as a feature-film screenwriter, an ESL teacher, house painter, au pair, cab driver, and a freezer boy in a salmon cannery.

He teaches writing at Madison College, where students from each and every corner of the local and world communities enrich his experience. John is a native of Madison, Wisconsin and has graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with degrees in English Literature (MA) and Environmental Policy (BS).

John’s won awards as a sports journalist, a short story writer, and feature journalist before he settled on a career as a novelist.

John’s debut novel, called “Red Sky, Red Dragonfly”, was released in the year 2001. His work is from the mystery and cozy mystery genres.

“The Nail Knot” is the first novel in the “Fly Fishing Mysteries” series and was released in the year 2003. The going’s gotten tough, so Ned “Dog” Oglivie went fly fishing. For trout. All around America. Well, at least til his money runs out.

The Dog, driven by tragedy to turn his back on human society, is on a journey to fish himself right into oblivion. He has almost made it. Playing the back highways of America in his wounded ancient RV and provisioned with a supply of vodka-Tang, peanut butter sandwiches, and bad cigars. He is also armed with a loaded pistol, for when his money supply runs out, the Dog’s close to the end of his tether when he arrives in small Black Earth, Wisconsin, intending to fish the yellow sally stonefly hatch. Dog finds a body instead.

Who murdered Jake Jacobs, a fellow fly fisher and a late-coming agitator that was attempting to save Black Earth Creek? Why was Jake disfigured in such a strange way? Why would Dog even care about it? Could he possibly rekindle his faith and interest in mankind? By caring about a stranger’s death, could the Dog recover his own life? Will he be able to untie the Nail Knot?

Readers liked Dog and Junior, his Wisconsin farm girl partner, who feels like a real person that you know personally. Readers feel like they are actually in Wisconsin during this story.

“The Blood Knot” is the second novel in the “Fly Fishing Mysteries” series and was released in the year 2005. The very last thing that The Dog wanted was to discover another corpse.

There was the barn lady, named Annie Adams, floating right at his feet, with her paints and easel set up on the bridge above his head. Standing beside them, one stubborn and scared nine year old kid, called The Avalanche Kid, with a shotgun and dares the Dog how he saw the boy hit her, now he wants Dog to go and tell somebody.

So the Dog wades through “Kussmaul country”. Here, he encounters a dispute about trespassing, some scandalous paintings, and a shunned Amish lady on meth. As well as a quite potentially rabid beaver. He knows that this is no fishing trip at all.

This is a challenging mystery story which is filled in with some false leads, obscure clues, and a big cast of quirky characters. It is an enjoyable journey to go through in order to solve this mystery.

“Bad Axe County” is the first novel in the “Bad Axe County Mysteries” series and was released in the year 2019. Heidi White’s parents were shot and killed on their Bad Axe County farm fifteen years ago. The cops declared it murder-suicide and closed the case. That night, however, Heidi found the only clue that she knew would lead right to the truth. If only those that were investigating the case would listen.

Heidi is now Heidi Kick, wife of Harley Kick (a local baseball legend) and mom to three young kids. She is Bad Axe’s interim sheriff. Half the county wants her elected however the other half is willing to do anything to make sure she stays out of law enforcement. While a lethal ice storm hits Bad Axe, tensions rise and some long-buried secrets climb to the surface.

While freezing rain washes out the roads and the rivers flood their banks, Heidi is on the trail of one missing teen girl. Clues lead her down some twisted paths to derelict dairy farms, backwoods stag parties, and the local salvage yard. Here, a different teen girl’s body has been carefully hidden for ten years now.

While the storm continues to rage on, Heidi figures out that somebody is planting clues for her to locate. They’re leading her to some quite unpleasant truths that point the local baseball team as well as the legendary game that her husband pitched years back. With a missing girl to save, a murder to solve, and a monster that needs to be brought to justice, Heidi is right on the cusp of shaking this community to its core. And learning what actually happened the night her parents died.

These are unique characters and the mysteries are all intriguing and readers found this to be an atmospheric and gritty crime novel. Heidi is a fantastic character that elevates the book and makes it a better read than if she weren’t in it.

“Dead Man Dancing” is the second novel in the “Bad Axe County Mysteries” series and was released in the year 2020. Sheriff Heidi Kick investigates an illicit cage fighting ring with connections to white nationalism when her husband vanishes suddenly.

It is time for celebration in Bad Axe County as the town gathers for the annual Syttende Mai (Norwegian Independence Day) festival. While this rollicking family-oriented event which is filled with food and dancing, Sheriff Kick finds a shocking and dark event. A migrant worker has been brutally beaten however will not explain what happened. A sudden killing of a band member shatters the entire festival. There is something deeply wrong in Bad Axe County.

While looking for answers, Heidi plunges down deep into a secret underworld where high-stakes cage fights are also combat training for the White Nationalist movement. All hell breaks loose for Heidi after her husband vanishes and her enemies attempt to force a rather desperate bargain.