Bad Moon Rising - (A Bad Axe County Novel) by John Galligan (Paperback)

About the Book

"A record heat wave suffocates remote rural Wisconsin as the local sheriff tracks down a killer hidden in the depths of the community in this atmospheric, race-to-the-finish mystery"--

Book Synopsis

"As unique a place in the mystery universe as you will ever find...smooth, unexpected, and memorable. This book is a diamond in the rough." --Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author

A record heat wave suffocates remote rural Wisconsin as the local sheriff tracks down a killer hidden in the depths of the community in this atmospheric, race-to-the-finish mystery by the acclaimed author of the Bad Axe County series.

Sheriff Heidi Kick has a dead body on her hands, a homeless young man last seen alive miles from the Bad Axe. Chillingly, the medical examiner confirms what Sheriff Kick has been experiencing in her own reoccurring nightmares of late: the victim was buried alive. As the relentless summer heat bears down and more bodies are discovered, Sheriff Kick also finds herself embroiled in a nasty reelection campaign. These days her detractors call her "Sheriff Mommy"--KICK HER OUT holler the opposition's campaign signs--and as her family troubles become public, vicious rumors threaten to sway the electorate and derail her investigation.

Enter Vietnam veteran Leroy Fanta, editor-in-chief of the local paper who believes Heidi's strange case might be tied to a reclusive man writing deranged letters to the opinions section for years. With his heart and liver on their last legs, Fanta drums up his old journalistic instincts in one last effort to help Heidi find a lead in her case, or at least a good story...

With simmering tension that sweats off the page, Bad Moon Rising infuses newsworthy relevance with a page-turning story of crime in America's heartland, capturing global issues with startling immediacy while entertaining from start to finish.

Review Quotes

"As unique a place in the mystery universe as you will ever find and in the eloquent prose of John Galligan it comes alive in a ride that is smooth, unexpected, and memorable. This book is a diamond in the rough."--Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Law of Innocence

"[A] compelling country noir in which a few good souls attempt to fight entropy." --Booklist

"A heady combination of brooding meditation and adrenaline-fueled action...Galligan writes swift, atmospheric prose that will keep the pages turning." --Crimereads

"As the pages turn, the author prompts readers to consider a range of timely issues (climate change, homelessness, corrosive wealth) via masterfully executed and action-packed storylines that coalesce in a shockingly memorable final act sure to leave readers eager for the next Bad Axe County thriller." --BookPage (starred review)

"Fascinating characters, a thoroughly original voice, and a riveting sense of place and atmosphere...Unputdownable." --Ausma Zehanat Khan, author of A Deadly Divide

"Fast-paced and utterly addictive. I loved Heidi kick, the Dairy-Queen-turned-sheriff. Long may she reign." --Lori Rader-Day, Edgar-Award-nominated author of Under a Dark Sky

"Fast-paced and well written, Bad Moon Rising leaves Galligan's fans anxiously awaiting the next volume in his Bad Axe County series." --Mystery and Suspense Magazine

"Galligan is every bit the equal of Craig Johnson, just as Kick feels like a fresh and feminine version of Johnson's vaunted Walt Longmire. If you like your thrillers seasoned with a hefty dose of noir, and a big tale wrapped in a small package, "Bad Moon Rising" should be on your must-read list for summer." --Providence Journal

"Given current tensions and deep divisions in the United States, Dead Man Dancing takes on an electrifying relevance made all the more effective thanks to Galligan's vivid descriptions and emotional portrayal of his characters." --BookPage

"Gritty and propulsive...Intriguing characters take a wild ride through backwoods Wisconsin in this irresistible mystery." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"If Joseph Conrad had really wanted to find the heart of darkness, he'd have looked in Bad Axe County. Lurking in the isolated coulees at the edge of the Mississippi River are some of the meanest, foulest, cruelest hearts imaginable, and John Galligan evokes them with all the intensity of a mad poet. But in county sheriff Heidi Kick, a woman chipped and broken on every edge, Galligan offers a righteous force in opposition...A dark beauty of a novel."--William Kent Krueger, New York Times Bestselling author of Desolation Mountain

"Madison author Galligan has written another gritty, gripping addition to his series set in rural Wisconsin. Kick, as her name implies, strikes hard when she's forced to." --Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"Madison author, Galligan, has written another gritty, gripping addition to his series set in rural Wisconsin. Kick, as her name implies, strikes hard when she's forced to. This is becoming one of my go-to series." --Carole Barrowman, "The Morning Blend" Summer Reads

"Suspenseful...Readers will root for Kick as the action builds to a satisfyingly hard-edged denouement. Fans of gritty rural crime, such as Ace Atkins's Quinn Colson series, will be enthralled." --Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Bad Axe County Novels

"[An] outstanding sequel...gripping." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About the Author

John Galligan is the author of four Bad Axe County novels including, Bad Axe County, Dead Man Dancing, and Bad Moon Rising. He is also the author of the Fly Fishing Mystery series, The Nail Knot, The Blood Knot, The Clinch Knot, The Wind Knot, and the novel Red Sky, Red Dragonfly. He lives and teaches college writing in Madison, Wisconsin.