Dead Man Dancing

PRAISE: DEAD MAN DANCING

… bring your knowledge of current events because Galligan ripped the pages out of a bunch of news magazines to make this book relevant, and as fresh as country air. Bring a bookmark, though you probably really won’t need it.

— The Post Bulletin,
by The Bookworm Terri Schlichenmeyer

Hey, what are you still doing here? Why aren’t you out getting “Dead Man Dancing”? You should, you know. It’s a perfect chance to relax between river and prairie, near bluffs and coulees, and … a sleep-deprived Sheriff who loves her town and her neighbors. Indeed, despite that Bad Axe County residents seem both backward and forward-thinking, author John Galligan plays his characters like a tuba — loud, dexterously, and with a deep breath — making it hard not to want to visit Farmstead yourself.

— Daily Jefferson County Union
“Thrills inside ‘Dead Man Dancing’ will get your heart hopping”

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 “American Nightmares”
feature by G. Robert Frazier 

Galligan juggles the multiple plotlines without ever straining credibility. Ace Atkins fans should be drawn to this gripping account of an honest law enforcement officer battling racists

— Publishers Weekly
(read entire starred review)

Summer is a great time to pick up a mystery. Madison’s John Galligan knows how to write good ones; plus, he sets them in southern Wisconsin. – Isthmus

Heidi Kick was interim sheriff of this seedy Wisconsin territory. Now she’s full-time, sounding like somebody with a job. She fights with the payroll department over time off, and she’s undermined by big-bellied old boys who call her Sheriff Snowflake. … Some fine action scenes result, sparked by one outlandish villain: “I melted the snowflake,” he brags after throwing acid at a woman. “Hydrochloric justice.” Heidi doesn’t want any more of this scoundrel, but his presence certainly shifts the novel into overdrive, the way only a truly despicable villain can do.

— Don Crinklaw, Booklist