BAD MOON RISING

4 stars out of 5

It almost seems contradictory to say this is a good book when there's not a single character I'd ever want to meet or a location that makes me want to be there even if I'm just passing through. After watching all the characters sweat their way through gruesome murders, investigations meandering through muddy streams, bug-infested woods and temperatures hot enough to grill steaks on the pavement, I said a prayer of thanks for the air conditioning that was keeping me cool while I read.

That said, the style in which it's written makes for a bit of a tough go figuring out what's going on here, but once it began to come together in my head, the whole thing was full of action, twists and turns and on the whole a real page-turner. Bad Axe County (Wisconsin) Sheriff Heidi Kick, who's in the midst of a down-and-dirty reelection campaign, is called in when a dead body is found (this is, BTW, the third in the author's Bad Axe County series). Heidi's friend, former editor-in-chief of the local newspaper that's just been bought out by the mother of the guy running against her, thinks the dead guy might somehow be connected to an anonymous person who's been sending dire (and irrational) doomsday warnings to the paper. Unbeknownst to Heidi, he sets off on his own to ferret out the truth despite health issues that threaten to sideline him (or worse) at any given minute.

Meanwhile, Heidi's personal life is less than ideal; her loving husband, Harley, is a local baseball superstar who's away at a tournament - leaving her alone with twin sons Taylor and Dylan, one of whom has serious emotional issues, a daughter who's away at some kind of camp and a mother-in-law from you-know-where. On top of trying to do her job in the unyielding heat, she has to deal with near-threats from the man who's looking to replace her.

There's no way to describe the directions the investigation, political race and Heidi's personal life will go - it's way too complicated - so you'll just have to read the book to find out how it all comes out (and together) in the end. I'm glad I read it - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. Beyond that, I'm still breathing a (cool) sigh that I don't live anywhere near this part of the country. Whew!

Bad Moon Rising by John Galligan (Atria Books, June 2021); 334 pp.

BAD AXE COUNTY

4 stars out of 5

If Bad Axe County really existed, I'd never go near it. And based on the characters in this story (which, BTW, there were far too many of for my aging brain to keep straight), I'm happy to not live anywhere near any of these downright detestable folks. That's not to say the book isn't well-written; it is - and no doubt many readers will love it. But I disliked the people and places so much that it was hard to work up much enthusiasm for the plot.

Heidi Kick is the new interim sheriff in Bad Axe County, Wisconsin - the first female in what's clearly old-boy territory. She's married to Harley, who in his younger days was a star baseball player (and who is the only character in this story who has redeeming social value, IMHO). More than a decade earlier, Heidi's parents were found dead on their farm, and the police ruled it a murder-suicide. Heidi never believed that, though, and has tried ever since to figure out what really happened to them.

She's also got a job to do, though much of it seems to be an uphill battle against the seedy folks in the backwoods county who don't want her to do it. So bad is the situation that she's not even totally sure she'll run for the upcoming election that, should she somehow win, would give her a more permanent status. 

As a real storm brews, a storm of another sort pops up in the local library involving an unidentified man, a young girl and a years-earlier baseball game that nobody - including Heidi's husband - want to talk about. That, in turn, leads to Heidi's learning about secret "stag parties" attended by all sorts of locals and an assortment of young girls, not all of whom were there of their own volition (think: human trafficking). One, in fact, has been missing ever since the party that followed that secretive baseball game; now, Heidi fears that the girl in the library may be another unwilling victim (one who, hopefully, she can save).

The nasty weather and roiling rivers take their toll as Heidi investigates up and down very run-down properties like a salvage yard and a restaurant/bar, both of which are operated by characters even a mother couldn't love. Can Heidi find the missing girl before it's too late? Will she learn whose hand really killed her parents? And will her marriage survive the secrets her husband has been keeping from her? All are questions that aren't for me to reveal; you'll just have to read it for yourself. Do so only, I might add, if you don't mind graphic language and really, really rough guys and gals (the language does fit the characters, but even though that usually doesn't bother me much, in this case it made me like them all even less).

Bottom line? While I appreciate the quality of the writing, this one is just too dark and gritty for me. In other words, I got through it intact, but I admit I'm now looking forward to diving into a cozy mystery (and if you know my opinion on those, you know that speaks volumes). Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Bad Axe County by John Galligan (Atria Books, July 2019); 336 pp.