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Fly Fishing Mystery #2
The Clinch Knot: A Fly Fishing Mystery
The Dog is in Livingston, Montana, daydreaming about fishing the Stone and, as usual, subsisting on Swisher Sweets, vodka-Tang, and the hope that pretending to forget will be enough.
He's forged a few tenuous friendships, and now finds himself watching from the bank as troubled local girl Jesse Ringer leads D'Ontario Sneed into the swift current of young love. It's sweet, really . . . but some of the locals object to the relationship on the basis of Sneed's skin color.
Then the unthinkable: vibrant, wild Jesse is found shot in the head, and Sneed is passed out in her car, gun beside him, window seams taped, and engine running. Sneed is hospitalized for severe carbon monoxide poisoning and can't string together a sentence to defend himself, so it falls to the Dog.
If only the Dog could run from his life without ending up in the tangle and snarl of the lives of others. A man who wants to lose himself in the current must be careful of his backcast; it'll always keep him tethered to a life he's trying to forget.
He's forged a few tenuous friendships, and now finds himself watching from the bank as troubled local girl Jesse Ringer leads D'Ontario Sneed into the swift current of young love. It's sweet, really . . . but some of the locals object to the relationship on the basis of Sneed's skin color.
Then the unthinkable: vibrant, wild Jesse is found shot in the head, and Sneed is passed out in her car, gun beside him, window seams taped, and engine running. Sneed is hospitalized for severe carbon monoxide poisoning and can't string together a sentence to defend himself, so it falls to the Dog.
If only the Dog could run from his life without ending up in the tangle and snarl of the lives of others. A man who wants to lose himself in the current must be careful of his backcast; it'll always keep him tethered to a life he's trying to forget.
318 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2008
About the author
John Galligan
16 books114 followersJohn Galligan,in addition to being a novelist and teacher, John has worked as a newspaper journalist, feature-film screenwriter, house painter, au pair, ESL teacher, cab driver, and freezer boy in a salmon cannery. He currently teaches writing at Madison Area Technical College, where his experience is enriched by students from every corner of the local and world community.
Series:
* Fly Fishing Mystery
Series:
* Fly Fishing Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 1, 2015
This is very structured mystery. Picking it up, I really didn't think it would have as many layers as it did. Centered around fly fishing and the fly fisherman known as Dog, it also included hate crimes, domestic terrorism, environmental awareness, drug dealers, and racism. I loved it!
February 12, 2012
“I am the Dog now. I am a trout hound. I fish, I drive, I fish, I drive, I fish. I follow my nose. Not to wax poetic about it, but I dig holes. I scratch myself. I howl at the moon, and I know where I will go to die. I am also, for the record, a pretty decent fly fisherman.”
Ned Oglivie (a.k.a. the Dog) may claim that he doesn’t “wax poetic” about things, but John Galligan takes care of business.
The Clinch Knot is packed with nifty imagery, sure-handed prose.The poetry is sly and understated.Galligan’s style is quick and clean, pixilated dots of color and images as the story revs up and gets going.
The Dog is a trout bum. But Galligan doesn’t romanticize the Dog’s life. There is an underlying bleakness and obvious squalor here, right down to Oglivie’s favorite sipping beverage, vodka and Tang, and his favorite smokes, Swisher Sweets. The Dog’s home is a Cruise Master RV. He is both at home and a long way from it.
However, the Dog is also open to friends and friendships and in Livingston, Montana—where he yearns to fish the Yellowstone River—he befriends a young black man named D’Ontario Sneed and his new squeeze, a white girl named Jesse Ringer. They give him a lift.
In fact, the Dog is confused by his own brief foray into happiness but, of course, it doesn’t last. Jesse is found dead and D’Ontario is found unconscious nearby. It’s up to the Dog, as reluctant a sleuth as you’ll come across, to pursue his own trail and theories, avoiding and sparring with the local law enforcement as he goes.
The start of The Clinch Knot is as sharp and finely drawn as a good mystery comes, but then in walks Aretha Sneed.
At that moment, for me, The Clinch Knot clicks up to a whole other level where a mystery becomes so much more, underpinned with questions about animals, humanity, life and death—all without being pushy about it. When Aretha enters the Dog’s life, I found myself slowing way down on the page to watch these two interact. Pure joy.
Aretha Sneed is a firefighter with a fascination with the television western Bonanza. (Turns out she’s partial to Hoss.) She has reinvented her life, too, and has been through a wringer that’s different than the Dog’s but still a wringer.
Galligan can pack as much information into dialogue as Elmore Leonard and these two both spar in a crackling, feisty manner. Their float trip presents myriad opportunities to bond and chat and analyze and Galligan milks them all beautifully.
The Clinch Knot involves white supremacists and there’s a terrific environmental story at the heart of the plot that goes right to the issues of Big Wealth in the New West: fences, open ranges, water rights. A full array of quirky locals add flair to the scenery.
But at the emotional heart of this story is the teamwork of the Dog and Aretha. Their bonds reminded me of Galligan’s description of a granny knot, held together “as some knots will, by sheer luck, and by copious looping and winding and threading and cinching.”
The Clinch Knot requires the Dog to know fly fishing knots but the key to untangling the mystery is the Dog’s ability to make utterly human connections—and trust his instincts. The Clinch Knot ties things up beautifully. The last few paragraphs are utterly human, touching gems of prose and power.
Ned Oglivie (a.k.a. the Dog) may claim that he doesn’t “wax poetic” about things, but John Galligan takes care of business.
The Clinch Knot is packed with nifty imagery, sure-handed prose.The poetry is sly and understated.Galligan’s style is quick and clean, pixilated dots of color and images as the story revs up and gets going.
The Dog is a trout bum. But Galligan doesn’t romanticize the Dog’s life. There is an underlying bleakness and obvious squalor here, right down to Oglivie’s favorite sipping beverage, vodka and Tang, and his favorite smokes, Swisher Sweets. The Dog’s home is a Cruise Master RV. He is both at home and a long way from it.
However, the Dog is also open to friends and friendships and in Livingston, Montana—where he yearns to fish the Yellowstone River—he befriends a young black man named D’Ontario Sneed and his new squeeze, a white girl named Jesse Ringer. They give him a lift.
In fact, the Dog is confused by his own brief foray into happiness but, of course, it doesn’t last. Jesse is found dead and D’Ontario is found unconscious nearby. It’s up to the Dog, as reluctant a sleuth as you’ll come across, to pursue his own trail and theories, avoiding and sparring with the local law enforcement as he goes.
The start of The Clinch Knot is as sharp and finely drawn as a good mystery comes, but then in walks Aretha Sneed.
At that moment, for me, The Clinch Knot clicks up to a whole other level where a mystery becomes so much more, underpinned with questions about animals, humanity, life and death—all without being pushy about it. When Aretha enters the Dog’s life, I found myself slowing way down on the page to watch these two interact. Pure joy.
Aretha Sneed is a firefighter with a fascination with the television western Bonanza. (Turns out she’s partial to Hoss.) She has reinvented her life, too, and has been through a wringer that’s different than the Dog’s but still a wringer.
Galligan can pack as much information into dialogue as Elmore Leonard and these two both spar in a crackling, feisty manner. Their float trip presents myriad opportunities to bond and chat and analyze and Galligan milks them all beautifully.
The Clinch Knot involves white supremacists and there’s a terrific environmental story at the heart of the plot that goes right to the issues of Big Wealth in the New West: fences, open ranges, water rights. A full array of quirky locals add flair to the scenery.
But at the emotional heart of this story is the teamwork of the Dog and Aretha. Their bonds reminded me of Galligan’s description of a granny knot, held together “as some knots will, by sheer luck, and by copious looping and winding and threading and cinching.”
The Clinch Knot requires the Dog to know fly fishing knots but the key to untangling the mystery is the Dog’s ability to make utterly human connections—and trust his instincts. The Clinch Knot ties things up beautifully. The last few paragraphs are utterly human, touching gems of prose and power.
June 20, 2016
Sequi sunt atque accusantium sunt eos esse. Libero quia ut. Inventore omnis libero velit asperiores tenetur adipisci sint.
August 24, 2017
Another nice murder mystery from John Galligan. Dog's fly fishing trip enters its fourth year and takes him to Montana. He is haunted by and drawn to water, never quite finding the solace he is looking for. Nice collection of supporting characters and the descriptions of Montana's rivers are quite engaging. I'll probably move onto the Wind Knot to see where Dog's journey takes him.
December 23, 2020
Read about 30 pages and ditched this. I'm not in the mood for racist, skinhead, redneck stories with corrupt police and alcoholic dipsticks. I was hoping it might have more "mystery" and maybe even some fishing theme as a background? Nope.
September 28, 2008
The Dog, aka Ned Ogilvie, is doing what he’s been doing for a while: fishing, drinking a perfectly dreadful combination of vodka and Tang, smoking Swisher Sweets, and trying to forget something impossible to forget. Right now he’s in Livingston, Montana and things are pretty much the same.
He finds himself caught up in yet another murder. Some people are just forever finding themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, hanging out with people who don’t always meet the classical definition of high-class. Again, some things don’t change for The Dog. Two of his friends are local girl Jesse Ringer and obviously not-from-here D’Ontario Sneed. Both fish. D'Ontario has some kind of affinity for pronghorn antelope.
One fine day some skinheads come and burn down Jesse and D’Ontario’s tent, threaten The Dog, and generally are quite unpleasant. When The Dog calls The Law, they don’t seem impressed, even though The Dog’s gun is now missing. That becomes more of a problem when Jesse is found shot, and D’Ontario looks to have tried to kill himself.
The Dog doesn’t believe that for a minute, and neither does D’Ontario’s mother when she shows up. They make quite the team, The Dog and Aretha.
There are other issues. There’s a man convinced he can out-run a pronghorn. There’s a land baron who has made a prime fishing stream off-limits, no matter how illegal that may or may not be. There are lots of drugs floating around Livingston, and no obvious source. There is the rivalry between the current Sheriff Roy Chubbock and his deputy. There is Hilarious Sorgensen, runner of the local bait shop, and his wife who is always going off to visit her relatives. And there is Jesse - convinced that her jailed father was innocent, sleeping with just about everyone in town, a problem in one way or another for a lot of people. Who killed her? What are the connections between all of these people and situations? The Dog just keeps worrying at all the bones, trying to untangle the mess.
Galligan takes this stew of disparate, not always individually palatable, ingredients and makes a very tasty book. The plot is convoluted enough for all but the most discriminating; the characters are full-blooded. The setting - well, we all know how important presentation is, and Galligan has it down.
He finds himself caught up in yet another murder. Some people are just forever finding themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, hanging out with people who don’t always meet the classical definition of high-class. Again, some things don’t change for The Dog. Two of his friends are local girl Jesse Ringer and obviously not-from-here D’Ontario Sneed. Both fish. D'Ontario has some kind of affinity for pronghorn antelope.
One fine day some skinheads come and burn down Jesse and D’Ontario’s tent, threaten The Dog, and generally are quite unpleasant. When The Dog calls The Law, they don’t seem impressed, even though The Dog’s gun is now missing. That becomes more of a problem when Jesse is found shot, and D’Ontario looks to have tried to kill himself.
The Dog doesn’t believe that for a minute, and neither does D’Ontario’s mother when she shows up. They make quite the team, The Dog and Aretha.
There are other issues. There’s a man convinced he can out-run a pronghorn. There’s a land baron who has made a prime fishing stream off-limits, no matter how illegal that may or may not be. There are lots of drugs floating around Livingston, and no obvious source. There is the rivalry between the current Sheriff Roy Chubbock and his deputy. There is Hilarious Sorgensen, runner of the local bait shop, and his wife who is always going off to visit her relatives. And there is Jesse - convinced that her jailed father was innocent, sleeping with just about everyone in town, a problem in one way or another for a lot of people. Who killed her? What are the connections between all of these people and situations? The Dog just keeps worrying at all the bones, trying to untangle the mess.
Galligan takes this stew of disparate, not always individually palatable, ingredients and makes a very tasty book. The plot is convoluted enough for all but the most discriminating; the characters are full-blooded. The setting - well, we all know how important presentation is, and Galligan has it down.
November 9, 2008
Ned “ Dog” Oglivie finds himself in Livingston, Montana. The Dog moves around a lot in his motor home, just fishing here and there. He has nothing to go home to right now and has chosen a vagabond life. Livingston seems to be holding him there since he met D’Ontario Sneed and Sneed’s girl friend, Jesse. But the laid back life style of fishing and just hanging out with a couple of friends comes to an end but not the end that Dog imagines.
Dog is beginning to feel like a third wheel and Dog is attempting to write a good-bye note when a couple of skinheads appear at his camp and before he knows it Sneed’s tent is on fire and the skinheads disappear. One of the skinheads has been in Dog’s Cruise Master RV and Dog’s possessions are thrown here and there and his gun is gone.
Dog finally finds his two missing friends but Jesse is dead and Sneed is barely alive. So Dog begins his search for answers as to why and what is really going on in the town of Livingston.
Sneed’s mother arrives in town and sets out to help solve the mystery. Sneed is run out of town more times than you can count but he keeps returning to Livingston to dig as deep as he can until the truth is revealed.
This is a story of greed and corruption set amidst the beautiful scenery of Montana. The characters in the story are interesting and unforgettable. You don’t have to be a fan of fishing to enjoy this story.
Dog is beginning to feel like a third wheel and Dog is attempting to write a good-bye note when a couple of skinheads appear at his camp and before he knows it Sneed’s tent is on fire and the skinheads disappear. One of the skinheads has been in Dog’s Cruise Master RV and Dog’s possessions are thrown here and there and his gun is gone.
Dog finally finds his two missing friends but Jesse is dead and Sneed is barely alive. So Dog begins his search for answers as to why and what is really going on in the town of Livingston.
Sneed’s mother arrives in town and sets out to help solve the mystery. Sneed is run out of town more times than you can count but he keeps returning to Livingston to dig as deep as he can until the truth is revealed.
This is a story of greed and corruption set amidst the beautiful scenery of Montana. The characters in the story are interesting and unforgettable. You don’t have to be a fan of fishing to enjoy this story.
November 24, 2015
I picked up this book and others on a search for a mystery to analyze for a mystery writing class. This one was the only one I read out of the stack... for good reason.
I stopped analyzing it. It was too good.
John Galligan has a way with words. The cast of characters in "The Clinch Knot" were hilarious, real, broken, flawed, just like real life. My favorite Galligan'ism is the Radish. (No spoilers here, just read it)
I don't know a thing about fly fishing, but the author did not disappoint, did not condescend this reader. I'm sure any fly fisherman would enjoy this book. The twists and turns were page turners. There wasn't a social atrocity the author didn't cover. He somehow weaved racism, addiction, foster care system, environmentalism with fly fishing. Well done.
The only negative I would say is the last three chapters seem to have been written after the fact, almost like the whole book was flowing and the last three chapters came and the end of his deadline. I didn't ruin the book, however.
I stopped analyzing it. It was too good.
John Galligan has a way with words. The cast of characters in "The Clinch Knot" were hilarious, real, broken, flawed, just like real life. My favorite Galligan'ism is the Radish. (No spoilers here, just read it)
I don't know a thing about fly fishing, but the author did not disappoint, did not condescend this reader. I'm sure any fly fisherman would enjoy this book. The twists and turns were page turners. There wasn't a social atrocity the author didn't cover. He somehow weaved racism, addiction, foster care system, environmentalism with fly fishing. Well done.
The only negative I would say is the last three chapters seem to have been written after the fact, almost like the whole book was flowing and the last three chapters came and the end of his deadline. I didn't ruin the book, however.
December 10, 2008
This is the third installment in the series that features Ned "Dog" Oglive. The first two novels include - The Nail Knot (2005) and The Blood Knot (2007). The Dog is a trout bum with a difficult past, who lives out of an old RV, and is trying to drink and fly fish away some bad memories. The Clinch Knot leaves the streams of Wisconsin found in the first two installments and heads to Montana. Nice read, wonderful characters, the fishing components are always dead on and the bottom line - I care about what happens to Dog.
August 4, 2012
My third Dog Oglivie murder mystery and I love them the language is a little more rough in this one than the two previous, but if you overlook that, it is a well written story. Dog has finally formed some meaningfully friendship on his travels and that be ones a source of further pain to him. We finally learn all the details of the tragedy in his life that sent him on this 3 year long fishing odyssey. Once again Mr Galligan has come up with PLO twists that keep me off guard and surprised me. Really enjoyed it. This is one of those series that you hate to see end.
April 12, 2020
Just finished my second read of this book. Love the bizarre clues and twists, complicated situations... provides something that feels unique in context but following in the footsteps of the best mystery novels. Love this series.
First read: 2011
Another good read. Many suspects in a complex murder case. Recommend it.
First read: 2011
Another good read. Many suspects in a complex murder case. Recommend it.
January 3, 2012
This book was really good!... I started reading it so that way just to see what might happen... the fly fishing part was completely new to me and not sure if I really like it however the murder mystery part of it was superb!!!! Great Book!!!
October 9, 2014
Wonderful, imperfect real characters. A mystery with detail and interesting relationships.
Want to Read
January 21, 2012This one is either 3rd or 4th in the series. IN any event, it comes after Nail Knot and Blood Knot. I have Nail Knot.
May 1, 2012
Fun, creative, mysterious but not creepy and I really enjoyed the book.
April 6, 2016
This is not a light and fluffy cozy mystery. However, it is good if you can keep with it and get to the end. Very much character and not action driven.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews