Book review: ‘Dead Man Dancing’ by John Galligan

By LARRY BALLWAHN | Wilton

The Bad Axe County Sheriff is Heidi Kick. She has three children and a husband. The husband is less than thrilled about his wife’s more than full-time job. Another point of friction is the husband Harland’s brother Kenny. Kenny constantly challenges Sheriff Kick; the latest is driving his new truck up and down Main Street with a Confederate flag waving in the back. When she takes this to court, the judge dismisses it based on the defense lawyer’s claim that Kenny was unaware of the offensive nature of the Confederate flag.

Bad Axe County was proud of its Norwegian heritage and to celebrate it, they were holding their 51st annual Stende Mai festival. Polka music was proudly featured. Gus Pfaff was the leader and tuba player for the local polka band. Gus, a retired teacher, had also recently become a published author. Like most of the people in the area, he had known a little about the history of the area’s round barns, but he thought there must be more, and his research had proved him right. The man responsible for the barns was Alga Shivers, a black man who was part of a considerable community of Negroes who lived in the valley at one time. According to the advertisement in the paper, Gus’s book would be on sale at the celebration, and the book apparently had a great deal to tell about the area’s history and that of several area families.

A key attraction of the celebration was the parade. The polka band always rode on a wagon playing their favorite polkas. Gus Pfaff was concerned about more than the Sunday parade polkas, though. The newspaper had advertised that his book revealed the histories of several local families. It was quite possible that some families did not want it known that they were relatives to some of the black families that had lived nearby. One way to stop that was to destroy the books before they were out.

The concern had more basis than Gus knew. There was local leadership for the white-supremacy group growing in the area. They intended to take action against the blacks and browns of Bad Axe County. To establish their reputation, they had a considerable number of agitators coming to join them in marching in Sunday’s parade. It was likely that some in that group were not too anxious to have family secrets surface.

In a case of exceptionally bad timing, Neon Shivers was on his way to Bad Axe. While researching his book, Gus had left a draft copy with Neon’s grandmother. Neon was to return the book and learn what he could about relatives who had been in the area. With a white mother and a black father, he was having trouble sorting himself out. This journey was his grandmother’s way of helping him do that. It wasn’t the right time to be in Bad Axe County, however.

Gus’s house and books are burned. Sheriff Kick is faced with arson, a murder, a kidnapping and domestic problems. How does a county sheriff deal with white supremacists in a parade? Some other major characters become involved.

“Dead Man Dancing” is a well-written, complex mystery. It is more interesting because it is set in western Wisconsin. Most people are aware of the round barns nearby.



Comments are closed.

  • N-O-W homecoming parade set for Sept. 29 in Ontario

    September 21st, 2023
    by

    Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton Schools’ homecoming parade will be at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, in Ontario That night, the football team will […]


    Kendall Gathering

    September 15th, 2023
    by

    The Kendall Gathering was Sept. 2, during Labor Day weekend. Formerly known as the Kendall All-School Reunion, the event now […]


    Man hurt in Whitestown motorcycle accident

    September 15th, 2023
    by

    An Illinois man sustained injuries Sept. 9 in a motorcycle accident on County Highway P, near Big Valley Road, in the town Whitestown. 


    Kendall marks Labor Day with annual festival

    September 8th, 2023
    by

    Celebrating its annual Kendall Fest, the village commemorated Labor Day last weekend.


    Monroe County offering WIC hybrid services

    August 31st, 2023
    by

    WIC hybrid services began in Monroe County on Aug. 10.  Appointment reminders will indicate if the appointment will be in person or over the phone.  In-person appointments will be located at 315 W. Oak St. in Sparta.


  • Wisconsin’s puppy-mill problem: More than two dozen Wisconsin dog breeders have been cited by feds this year

    August 24th, 2023
    by

    Wisconsin ranks No. 4 for the number of dog breeders in the state cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for violations of health and safety rules so far this year, according to reports compiled by Bailing Out Benji, an Iowa-based animal welfare organization. 


    Additional funding obtained for Office of School Safety

    August 24th, 2023
    by

    The Wisconsin Department of Justice has secured additional funding for the Office of School Safety (OSS) for the 2023-24 school year after Republican lawmakers decided not to increase the office’s funding in the state budget. 


    Brookwood theatre to perform ‘Antigone Now’

    August 24th, 2023
    by

    Brookwood’s theatre department will put on a performance of “Antigone Now,” a modern adaptation of the Greek tragedy, on Saturday, […]


    Notice: County Line delivery delayed

    August 24th, 2023
    by

    To our print subscribers: Our newspaper delivery will be delayed until Friday due to a production issue. We apologize for […]


    Brookwood teacher to sing national anthem at Packers game Saturday

    August 22nd, 2023
    by

    Brookwood vocal music teacher Hunter Evenson will attend his first-ever Packers game Saturday, but his inaugural visit will include a facet few experience: he also will sing the national anthem to an estimated crowd of roughly 72,000. 


    ‘Macbeth’ performed at Wildcat

    August 10th, 2023
    by

    Milwaukee-based Summit Players Theatre put on a performance of “Macbeth” on Friday at the Wildcat Mountain State Park amphitheater. 


  • Archives