Book review: ‘The Blood Knot’ by John Galligan

By LARRY BALLWAHN | Wilton

Ned Oglivie, Dog, was on a mission. He was on a three-year fly-fishing trip across the USA. He would drive the old Cruise Master to a trout stream and camp if the fish were biting. It was a way to take his mind off his past. Now he was near Avalanche, Wis., to fish the west branch of the Kickapoo River. His first effort netted not a trout, but a bitten leg from a feisty beaver that Dog thought he had spooked out of the stream.

Dog immediately left the stream and sought help in the Avalanche Mercantile Store. He was surprised when the woman behind the counter sought to barter to give him aid. She wanted help with her son (teaching him to fly fish) as a trade for giving him assistance. In the end, her brother-in-law sewed up the wound with a fishline. There was some talk about the beaver being rabid, which later proved true, though that responded to Eve Kussmaul’s (the Mercantile clerk’s) Amish treatment. She had been raised Amish and later banned for her behavior (resulting in the aforementioned son).

Ned Oglivie was in a camping area near the river. When he heard several rifle shots, he responded, thinking that Eve’s son, Deuce, was shooting at the beaver. It was Deuce shooting all right, but his apparent target was a woman lying dead by the bridge. Known to Dog as “the Barn Lady,” she had also been camped in the campground at some distance from the Cruise Master. She had been a painter who featured the various barns in the area. The barns in the area were owned by the several Kussmaul brothers. They had been unhappy that she was earning money from their property without giving them a cut, but was this enough reason for Deuce Kussmaul to shoot her?

His mother, Eve Kussmaul, didn’t think so, and she expected Ned Oglive to help her prove that. Dog didn’t know what to think; he knew what he had seen, but it was hard for him to believe that the boy would commit murder. Anyway, forensics would identify the cause of death. Eve Kussmaul believed that Annie Adams was already dead when her son shot her. The forensics would answer that, too. As a minor, Deuce was released to his mother after the psychiatric examination.

It was clear that Deuce needed some time filled. Dog began the task of teaching him to flyfish. That proved even harder than he even imagined. Deuce wouldn’t go anywhere without his puppy, Wally. And Wally was as likely to romp ahead in the stream, scaring any trout that might be there. Deuce tended toward that approach as well. There was also the small matter of proper handling of a fly rod. It also didn’t help matters that Dog questioned him regarding his reason for shooting the Barn Lady. Even so, they did do some fly fishing. As happens in fly fishing, the combination of the right bait and a fortunate cast resulted in Deuce hooking a large Brown. In the end, it got away.

The Kussmauls farmed most of the land in the area. Each brother had a farm and a unique barn. They had taken a serious dislike to Annie Adams not asking permission to paint their barns and her not sharing the money. In addition, they thought, rightfully, that she snooped. Dog wondered if she had found something that got her killed. Was Eve’s theory correct? Had she really been dead before Deuce had shot her? If so, why had Deuce said he killed her?

The blood knot does play a key role in solving the mysteries involved in this book, but it will require reading John Galligan’s “The Blood Knot” to discover how.

Comments are closed.

  • Easter egg hunts slated for Saturday

    March 25th, 2024
    by

    Local communities will host Easter egg hunts on Saturday.


    Highway 33 reconstruction from Ontario to Hillsboro slated to begin March 27

    March 19th, 2024
    by

    Gov. Tony Evers recently signed a $5.7 million contract to resurface Highway 33 between the Kickapoo River bridge in Ontario and the Hillsboro city limits in Vernon County. 


    Names released in fatal UTV crash

    March 18th, 2024
    by

    The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has released more information related to the UTV crash that occurred early Sunday morning, March 17, that left a local woman dead and a man injured.   


    One dead in UTV accident in town of Wells

    March 17th, 2024
    by

    A woman is dead and one man injured after a utility terrain vehicle rolled over early Sunday morning in rural Sparta. 


    Burn ban issued for Vernon County

    March 17th, 2024
    by

    Effective immediately, Vernon County Emergency Management and the Vernon County Fire Chiefs Association has issued a burn ban until further notice.


  • Window damaged at Norwalk Village Office

    March 8th, 2024
    by

    In an apparent act of vandalism, a rock resulted in a broken window at the Norwalk Village Office sometime between […]


    N-O-W construction project: A bird’s-eye view

    March 2nd, 2024
    by

    Construction at Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton School Schools has resulted in a different landscape.


    Brookwood to present ‘Harry Potter’ parody

    February 26th, 2024
    by

    The Brookwood theatre program will present “Sally Cotter and the Censored Stone” on Saturday, March 2, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 3, at 2 p.m. 


    Combating tooth decay among children

    February 26th, 2024
    by

    During Children’s Dental Health Month, Scenic Bluffs raises awareness on the importance of dental sealants


    Vernon County reports shots fired in rural Ontario

    February 26th, 2024
    by

    UPDATE FROM THE VERNON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE “** UPDATE (1:15 PM): The situation is under control. A male, age 42, […]


    Royall concert slated for Monday

    February 21st, 2024
    by

    The Royall High School Music Department will present a Concert Festival Showcase Concert on Monday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. in the high school gymnasium. 


  • Archives