All Signs Point to Murder: First in the New Series!

Willi Gallagher Mystery #1

by Kat Goldring

Schoolteacher Willi Gallagher is a regular kind of gal in a not-so-regular town. The next-door neighbors read palms and hold seances, and the town investigator haunts her with cryptic riddles. All the education in the world couldn't prepare this teacher for the mysterious things she's about to encounter... — Willi Gallagher loves to eavesdrop -- ... more »though she prefers to call it curiosity. While sandwiched between books in the school library, she really gets an earful... two students are whispering about witchcraft and murder! Of course, Willi can't help but jump to conclusions. And it's not until one of her students is found dead that the town starts listening. Now, along with her psychic neighbors and Sheriff Tucker, Willi must sift through celestial and earthly clues to put the rumors -- and the killer -- to rest...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

277 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

Kat Goldring, a member of The Writerie, JCCW, WWA and DFWWW, resides in Cleburne, Texas, along with various wildlife including albino skunks, squirrels, and raccoons. All of her interests seem to find their way into her novels: family ties, guitar playing and singing, piano, art, wildlife, travel, good food and friends.

Series:
* Willi Gallagher Mystery

Reviews

[Nupur Vanderlick · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a childishly written book. It did not offer much in the form of a mystery. I was foolishly taken by the cover and will always mention this book when I am trying to relay the saying "Never judge a book by its cover".

[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written, poorly plotted. Ever wonder how some books get published?

[Jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Signs Point to Murder, by Kat Goldring, Is billed as the first in the "Willi Gallagher" mystery series, but it seems maybe only one or two more books were added later.

Willi teaches English at the high school in the small Texas town of Nickleberry. In the school library one day, Willi overhears two of her students gossiping about blood and rituals. Later, when two small animals are found sacrificed near the school, she can't help but wonder if some of her students are caught up in a cult. After two students die under mysterious circumstances on a class trip, Willi is convinced they were murdered. The local sheriff chalks the deaths up to accidents, and his nephew, visiting Texas Ranger Quannah Lassiter, advises Willi to stay out of it. Willi, however, is nothing if not curious and persistent. Not even the warnings from her neighbors, who practice palmistry and read Tarot cards, can convince Willi to let it go. Unfortunately, her meddling not only puts her in danger, but it endangers the lives of those around her.

Reading this book was like experiencing a dream. It was oddly disjointed and bizarre. I'm not sure as that I enjoyed it, but the story was strangely compelling. While I admired Willi's pluck, her persistence delved into stupidity. Other things that baffled me:

SPOILERS!!!

- The book was copyrighted in 2001, but it read like it was written in 1951, considering the attitude of the menfolk toward the wimmin. Good grief.
- There were more oddball names than common ones. I don't mind a unique name or two in a book or story, but virtually ALL of them?! No. That's purely subjective on my part, blah blah blah.
- Not one of the chaperons did a head count as their group was leaving the ferry?
- Why were two students roaming the corridors of the hotel in search of their missing classmate? The chaperons should have been doing that, while ensuring the rest of the kids were in lockdown in their rooms.
- The second time that Willi visited her Aunt Minnie at the hospital, she remarked that Minnie sounded better than she had the day before. Um, Willi visited her twice in one day. I even went back and double-checked to make sure I wasn't the crazy one.
- How many times can one person get bashed over the head or clipped on the chin and knocked unconscious in the space of a few days?! Willi should have been in a coma by the end of it.
- SPOILER!!! How was the killer able to truss other adults up, multiple times in some cases?

I find myself stymied. I really did not like this story, yet I was utterly engrossed with it. This is a case where half-stars would come in handy, because I'd like to award this 3 1/2 stars. Hm, hm, hm...I'll be generous and give it a four.

[Scottie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book looked promising but disappointed from the first few chapters. The main character is barely upset at the deaths of two of her students! She was heartless. And also there was a lot of racist and sexist language, not to mention clear prejudice against other people's religions. How in the heck did this pass in 2001? I was excited to start it but the plot was all over the place, the writing was immature and the characters were very unrealistic.

[Danielle Godlevsky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quite possibly one of the worse books I've ever read

[Kim Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

You have no idea of what's going on from one moment to the next. The outside of my book says "first in a new series". How about an introduction to the characters and the setting? Very confusing.

[LJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

ALL SIGNS POINT TO MURDER-NR
Goldring, Kat

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