THE NAIL KNOT
(the first Fly Fishing Mystery)

buy the book | listen to the first chapter here

 

The going has gotten tough, and Ned “Dog” Oglivie has gone fishing. Fly fishing. For trout. All across America. At least until his money runs out . . .

Driven by tragedy to turn his back on human society, the Dog is on a quest to fish himself into oblivion. And he’s nearly made it. Playing the back highways of America in a wounded old RV . . . provisioned with a supply of peanut butter sandwiches, bad cigars, and vodka-Tang . . . armed with a loaded pistol (for when the money runs out) . . . the Dog is nearly at the end of his tether when he rolls into little Black Earth, Wisconsin, intending to fish the yellow sally stonefly hatch . . . and finds a body instead.

Who killed Jake Jacobs, fellow fly fisher and late-coming agitator who was trying to save Black Earth Creek? Why was Jacobs disfigured in such a peculiar way? Why does the Dog give a damn? Can he rekindle his faith and interest in humankind? By caring about the death of a stranger, can the Dog recover his own life? Can he untie The Nail Knot?

 

Praise for The Nail Knot

“Ned ‘the Dog’ Oglivie lives in an old RV, crisscrosses the country to hit all the trout streams, and swigs vodka. But when he discovers a fellow fisherman's body in a Wisconsin stream, he also meets another oddity—one Melvina O'Malley—who tampers with the evidence and then appeals to the Dog for help. For some reason, he sticks around, encountering a red-neck fish poacher; a dangerously half–educated police chief; a retired, whiskey–guzzling fish biologist; and a crusading, crippled fly tier. In the first installment of a new mystery series, Galligan (Red Sky, Red Dragonfly), a Wisconsin–based college writing professor, portrays these radiantly quirky characters with deft strokes, pulling their strings with panache and outlining their world with humor and acceptance. A real treat.”
—Library Journal

“The Nail Knot by John Galligan is an original and deftly written murder mystery about Ned “Dog” Oglivie, a dedicated fly fisherman in Wisconsin who is unfortunate enough to find the disfigured and dead body of Jake Jacobs (Dog's fellow fly fisher and a late-coming agitator trying to save Black Earth Creek). Dog comes to rediscover what it means to care about another human being, whether living or dead. The Nail Knot is a terrific mystery that rivets the readers’ rapt and total attention from beginning to end!”
—Midwest Book Review

“. . .even mystery readers who wouldn't dare set one foot in a muddy creek will enjoy Galligan's breezy tale, which has a roster of engaging characters and a solid mystery plot that plays fair with the reader. Plus, when you least expect it, Galligan throws in a great sex scene. Best of all, Dog is an appealing sleuth, sort of a Philip Marlowe in hip waders, and seeing him gradually reconnect with Junior (and, by extension, the world at large) is an enjoyable trip. Let's hope The Nail Knot is the start of a new series—there's a lot of trout streams out there, and Dog's RV is all gassed up.”
—The Capital Times

“Galligan's The Nail Knot moves like a Wisconsin spring creek-now tumbling and light-specked, now deep and ponderous, always keeping you fixed on the next bend. This fine meditation on man and nature's frailty but ultimate resilience belongs on the bookshelf with Jim Harrison, Robert Traver, and Harry Middleton.”
—John G. Motoviloff, Driftless Stories