Customer Reviews

All Signs Point to Murder: A Willi Gallagher Mystery

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This rating should actually be a 2-and-a-half star rating.

Initially, the characters in this book annoyed me. First of all, the author used names like "Carprithia Feather", "Ozzie Oxhandler" and "Hortense Horsenettle" for some of the secondary characters. That started my eyes rolling. Then the female lead, Willi Gallagher, who is supposed to be about 31 years old, started behaving in a fashion more suited to one of those nosy ladies of "a certain age" in British cozies. After that, characters are thrown at the reader left and right, without ever really giving them a firm place in the story.

Some of the characters were a little too idiosyncratic, but hopefully that will be toned down in future books. Also, Willi really used a lot of non-PC terms in regards to the male lead, Quannah Lassiter, a Native American. Political correctness is not a big bugaboo for me, but even I was surprised that she called him those names, considering that she is supposed to be an English teacher and should know the power of words. The cover states that this is the first in the Willi Gallagher Mysteries, so I'll give the author the benefit of the doubt. The story needed to be tightened up, though. There is one scene where Willi is looking at all the teacher-chaperones' personalized drinking cups; the only problem is, they're all on a students' tour to Galveston. Who brings along their own cup on a trip? Willi was bopping around from one scene to the other, really for no discernable reason. She was also just a little too spunky and foolhardy, which got to be annoying, considering the number of times she was physically harmed in the story. Anyone else hurt that much would be in bed for at least a week.

All in all, even after all that, it was an okay book that shows promise for the future sequels. It's a good book to while away some spare hours. The story did get better further into the book, and I did finish it. I'll probably read the next in the series, too, because I did like Willi and Quannah by the end.

This clunker is not worth your time. The dialogue is clumsy,
the plot transparent, and it's based on totally false premises.
Want an example? Here's an innocuous one--Goldring ascribes
paintings of Tolkien's characters to a "Depression-era" artist,
when the books were written during WWII! Goldring also has
the chutzpah to equate Wiccans with Satanists, and to totally
invent a cult which resembles the real religion in name only.
Even "flavor" materials about Native Americans which are
crucial to her "character development" are wrong and offensive.
"Indian buck", indeed! Stay away from this one.

The back cover copy lured me to buy this book on my lunch-hour. The characters start off well as does the mystery. But then it all goes to pot. The writing style -- while occasionally fresh -- frequently becomes incoherent. Willi Gallagher -- the sleuth/teacher -- is often too stupid to live but like the Energizer Bunny keeps on despite at least 4 unconsciousness-causing belts over the head. The murderer must be one of the most incompetent in all fiction. You know the book is in trouble when you are rooting for the murderer to finish off the slueth.

The author implies that she is from Texas and is, at least partly, of American Indian descent. However, her book is just plain silly. I don't mean it's funny. It isn't! Her dialogue makes fun of Texans, Mexicans, Indians. The author further implies that she is a teacher, or at least knows about teachers. I am a native Texan and a 20+ year teaching veteran and a published writer, and I am insulted at the descriptions and mannerisms she uses in reference to Texas teachers and to her other characters. Also, the surnames and Christian names she gives to her characters are mostly ridiculous. Her writing is immature. I am surprised that Berkley chose to publish her work!

The title is catchy and lured me to select the book. I thought it might be a good read. This book is poorly plotted. It has the same flaw of many American mystery novels today that use the personality traits and character development of the heroine/hero,Willi Gahhagher in this instance, to cover over a thinly plotted novel. Unfortunately, the main character instead of coming across as likable, perky, determined and smart, comes across as irritating, silly, self-absorbed, and ultimately stupid. She has developed a more likeable and worthy character in Quannah Lassiter, a detective who is the nephew of the Sheriff in the County.

This may be the beginning of a series. It can only get better.

Infuriatingly sloppy writing. At one point the main character is thinking about a piece of evidence she doesn't actually find until about twenty pages later. She also manages to confuse a white man with shocking white hair with her dark-haired, Native American love interest. The plot happily skips along to an obvious conclusion that is worth neither the time nor the money.

Usually if I do not enjoy a book I will take it to the local used book store and trade it in, this book went straight into the trash as I am not willing to be party to anyone else reading this inaccurate trash. I would not have given it even one star but Amazon will not allow a ZERO star rating (though truthfully this deserves a NEGATIVE 5 star rating)

I am a Texan, the author obviously is not or she is a new transplant. Her characters' names and dialogue manages to insult across all lines, Native American, Mexican, Texan, Anglo.

Then we get to the real problem - she takes a real religion, Wicca, which is composed of peaceful nature lovers and turns them into Satanists (hint - Wiccans do not believe in the devil so are hardly likely to worship him) and then makes up all sorts of cult activity she ascribes to the Wiccans. Based on that inaccuracy, if the rest of her book is similarly badly researched then all the Native American language she intersperses in her book is just as much a figment of her imagination as the "Wiccan/Satanist/cult" she made up.

To top it off her characters are poorly written and her plot lacks coherency and the book was just plain boring - she is in serious need of an editor and needs to go take a Writing 101 class.

The author owes Wiccans, Texans, Native Americans and Mexicans an apology and she needs to stop writing until she learns how to write and research properly.

I'm not entirely sure why I bought this book in the first place...maybe because I recently read a rather enjoyable book my Shirley Damsgaard that had to do with witches...but this is not my typical type of reading...and this book did not change my mind. The characters are annoying and silly, the plot strange and the witchcraft/mysticism stuff aggravating. If you like mysteries that dabble in the occult, I would recommend Damsgaard, but NOT Goldring. I didn't even finish this book...it was so annoying that I didn't even care "whodunit"...and usually I at least read the end of a mystery I don't plan to finish. I think I will go back to my traditional cozy mysteries.

I so enjoyed All Signs Point to Murder! This first book in the series, as well as the subsequent ones, are well-written, fast-paced and fun to read. Willi, the main character, is the perfect mix of smart, capable and always getting into "situations". A must for all mystery-lovers who appreciate excellent writing!

Kat Goldring spins a chilling yarn, but does it with both imagery (you are there) and a wealth of humor, mostly in the fast-paced exchanges between her heroine Willi Gallagher and the handsome Texas Ranger Quannah Lassiter. The rapport between them is obvious, yet they manage to keep their true feelings from showing and they do so with droll wit. As most writers know, it makes suspense even more thrilling when the reader is taken from the drama of murder to the laughter and comic relief. Kat Goldring has handled this with skill and has given readers a book that will keep them reading until the final words--THE END. The terrific part of this is that Kat Goldring is a new author and we can expect more of the same entertainment in subsequent novels.