I enjoyed this. It had cozy mystery vibes plus an infamous creature hunt. The local history, drama, and relationships was great, and that’s what kept me interested throughout the book. I liked the balance of characters between the entertainment-driven producer and the science-seeking doctors. The climax at the end had some events that we weren’t told the outcome of, and I find myself wondering what happened.

Very cozy mystery-esque, but also with a drop of crytopzoology that I think really helps it to stand out amongst the crowd. I can't wait to read the other books in the series!

Loved the setting for this one! I didn't realize this book was part of a series, so I definitely need to go back and check on that one. Loved the elements of the myth - super fun cryptid read!

I really wanted to love Lake Crescent but it simply wasn’t for me. I’m more of a stereotypical thriller person, this felt a little too sci-fi for me.

Something lurks underneath the watery surface of Lake Crescent and Laura Regan, popular cryptozoology website owner, aims to track down the creature or hoax.

Laura as the main character is resourceful and skeptical, determined to reveal the myths of old to be scientific hoaxes. When she travels to the lake, she teams up with a documentary crew to film and interview villagers. While trying to solve the mystery of the legendary creature, she stumbles upon a murder mystery that adds further intrigue to the sleepy lakeside town.

As a book in the Creature X Mystery series, this one is a bit of letdown as the main “monster” is less exciting than the murder mystery subplot. I’d love to tune back in for more cryptids revealed later in the series.

Lake Crescent is the second book in the Creature X adventure/mystery series by J. J. Dupuis. Released 3rd Aug 2021 by Dundurn, it's 328 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a well written offbeat mystery written around a podcast group of ragtag journalists and scientists who are looking for proof (or disproof) of crypto-zoological creatures like bigfoot and giant eels and the phenomena surrounding them. They investigate local myths and culture and uncover long-buried dangerous secrets along the way.

The plotting is not at all straightforward. There are several intertwining subplots which meander along side paths adding background information and oral history of "Cressie" (a giant eel in Lake Crescent around whose presence the team's podcast centers). The characterisation is adept and well rendered and I found most of the main characters both distinct and believable. As a small-town mystery, it's full of the usual quirky, unsettling, vaguely threatening secondary characters.

The author successfully combines murder, cryptozoology, reality TV, and investigative journalism and even manages to believably toss some lost pirate treasure into the mix. The climax and denouement were fairly heavily telegraphed throughout the book, so for most readers it won't be a race to the finish to figure out whodunnit and why, but the writing is above average and I enjoyed the ride enough to seek out the other books (one previously released, one upcoming) in the series. The author is adept at his craft.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This wasn’t for me. This isn’t what I would personally consider a thriller. At least not what I would have personally picked. I did not finish this, because unfortunately I couldn’t get into it.

I love mythical creatures like Nessie & Big Foot so I thought I would love this one! However, this wasn’t expected. Maybe it got better towards the end?

Lake Crescent by J.J. Dupuis

978-1459746480

328 Pages
Publisher: Dundrun Press
Release Date: August 3, 2021

Fiction, Mystery & Thriller, Suspense, Murder Mystery, Lake Monster

Laura Reagan and her team are in St. John’s, Newfoundland filming a documentary series called Creature X. In this episode, they are searching for Cressie, the eel-like lake monster that has been seen for centuries. While out on the boat, the Darling Mae, the ROV gets snagged and when they pull it up, there is a tarp caught on it. In the tarp is a skeleton with a gold coin in a pouch on a necklace. Then Beave, their local Cressie expert, goes missing. Are the two events connected?

The story is written in first person point of view and takes place over a couple of days. The plot is well paced, and characters are somewhat developed. Since this is the second book in the series, there may have been more information about the characters in that book. I enjoyed this story and the twists within it. Recently I watched a series based in St. John’s, Newfoundland so I was looking forward to reading this book. The author writes in a descriptive style, so you get a feel for the local area. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series and will have to look for the first book, Roanoke Ridge: A Creature X Mystery to see what the crew gets into next.

This book isn't what I was expecting. I was expecting Creature X and I got a fresh water eel, albeit a giant one, but not as exciting or creature-y as I hoped. It was well written. I did enjoy the read, just lackluster. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Dundum Press, J.J. Dupuis and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of Lake Crescent sounded so good but for some reason I just couldn't get into it. I hope to go back to it at some point. For now, DNF.

In Newfoundland to film the latest episode of their cryptozoological documentary series, Laura is ready for a great shoot, without any distractions getting in the way. But things are already starting to fall off the rails even before the dead body turns up.

Cressie, the giant eel Laura and her team are searching for, is very cool and very fascinating. I loved how Dupuis weaved in quotes from other sources at the beginning of every chapter. I also really enjoyed learning about the science behind how and why a creature could grow to such an unusually enormous size, and the mythology that the townspeople had weaved around supposed sightings and experiences.

This is a slower moving book, which actually worked really well for me here. I kind of just got swept up in the minutiae of the search, and the small town cold weather vibe, and let myself enjoy the ride. When the ending happens and events start happening really fast, the previously slower nature just adds to the punch of the final incidents and reveals.

This is the second of the Creature X mystery series featuring documentary maker Laura Reagan, a cryptozoological investigator who hunts for infamous creatures. This time the team ventures to a lake in Newfoundland, Canada to find Cressie a legendary giant eel. Whilst little scientific evidence is found, the discovery of a dead body in the lake leads to the team once again being caught up in a local police investigation. As a mystery thriller, it was somewhat disappointing, as it was more cosy crime and so only a two-star rating. Having not read the first book by J J Dupis, The Lake Crescent is not likely to necessitate follow up of Laura’s team search for bigfoot. With thanks to Dundurn Press and the author for an uncorrected proof copy for review purposes.

Lake Crescent was such a mixed bag that it's hard to compose a thoughtful review. There was an interesting premise, and there were characters with potential. There was a judicious blend of scientific language and methods with laypersons' thinking. (Important when you have a team of scientists making a documentary that investigates a mythical water creature.)

But the writing seemed so amateurish or at least poorly edited that at first I thought this was a self-published book (where editing often suffers) -- but it's not, according to the website of Dundurn Press, its publisher. I read about hydro poles like grave markers on the rocky hillside and then evergreen trees like fenceposts, holding back the untamed wilderness; about an uneven row of black spruce (which) sat like softball trophies; and about a person who, "like a border collie, (had) rounded up all the living eyewitnesses to the creature"; and others who "careened at a gentle pace."

Awkward phrasing aside, the book passed the "standalone" test -- I hadn't read the first book in the series, Roanoke Ridge, and yet I followed the story and the character interactions quite easily. After enduring this frigid assignment in Newfoundland, the group promised one another that their next gig would be in a warm climate.The publisher's website tells us that the third volume of the Creature X series will be set in New Guinea.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for an advance readers copy.

Science fiction, mystery and reality TV combine in the fun read that is Lake Crescent. Cryptozoologist (Love this word. It means someone who studies legendary animals that may or may not exist) Laura Reagan and her production team arrive in Newfoundland, planning to document their search for Cressie, a giant eel rumored to live in the otherwise peaceful Lake Crescent.

They begin with interviews with the town residents who have seen Cressie. While many have heard stories, only a few have witnessed Cressie in action. Several sightings were related to a tragic skimobile accident which took the lives of two young people. Then a not-so-funny fake eel incident leads to the discovery of a body. Who is she and is she connected to the accident?

What follows is more mystery than thriller. J.J. Dupuis is a talented writer. Suspense builds and the exciting conclusion is one you won’t see coming. I hope this will be a series so I’m looking forward to the next story which, as Laura says, will be in “someplace tropical”. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dundurn Press and J.J. Dupuis for this ARC.

What i thought would be an investigating of a cold case/mysterious creatures turned out to be mostly a monologue about mysterious creatures and how to chase them.
It was of course rather interesting but then the story felt soulless, it felt stuck and didn't move forward and the investigation.. well to be honest it didn't feel like any investigation at all, merely stumbling upon facts.
I felt like i was reading two books in one: the legendary creatures and how they shaped the culture of the village and the mystery of the body found in the lake. Two books that didn't feel really connected.
It could have been interesting but for me i simply couldn't get into the story.

Laura and her team are in Newfoundland looking for and/or debunking that there's a giant eel, called Cressie, in the waters. Turns out, of course, that it isn't an eel they find but the skeleton of a woman. Those hoping for a tale of sea monsters should know that this turns into a mystery with the residents of Roberts Point all suspects in a murder. I thought the first book was too short; this one is longer and better paced. That said, there are some unfollowed threads, such as Laura's relationship with her father, that would add to the story. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

Okay I really want to looooove this book. The premise of sweeping the waters for a monster and what that could be really intrigued me. Unfortunately, the bulk of this book focused on human drama instead of any kind of abnormal monsters. Still a good read if you like murder mystery type books. It reminded me a lot of The Lost Village that came out this year too.

Thank you to Net Galley and Dundurn Press for this advanced readers copy.

Laura is a documentarian who specializes in cryptozoology, and is shooting an episode of her series Creature X in Newfoundland. After a harrowing experience shooting a previous episode, they're hoping that the mystery surrounded Cressie, a giant legendary eel, will be a breeze.

The town is eager to accept them, as this is a chance to boost tourism. However, when a chance encounter with a planted decoy dregs up a real human body, they're brought into the middle of a scandal that no one wanted to see unearthed.

Did I realize that this was a series when I requested this book? Absolutely not, but I will say that it definitely works as a stand alone.

For a short book, I did find it to drag a bit, and think it would've been more fun if it really leaned into the monster angle instead of debunking cryptozoology.

Lake Crescent is an adventure mystery novel which I normally like. Unfortunately, I had a rough time reading this book since I didn't find the plot and the characters interesting enough. The mystery-solving case was cliché at some times and the ending was not at all surprising. It was well-written but my the story fell flat for me.

Thanks to the author, Dundurn Press and NetGalley for this advance copy. .

I enjoyed the first volume in the series, even if I didn’t connect with the characters that much. This time, all the kinks have been worked out and it was easier to get involved with this story. The plot is so much fun! After searching for Bigfoot, Laura and her crew of cryptozoologists are now looking for Cressie, a giant sea monster in the Canadian Lake Crescent. Almost at the start of their hunt they find something, but not what they were expecting… a dead body. What started as the search for a mythological creature quickly turns into a whodunit, with a varied cast of suspects. I was convinced that I knew who the baddie was but I wasn’t even close. It was fun tracking all the clues along with Laura. This time, the supporting characters are more fleshed out. That was the part that I hadn’t liked about the first volume, so I’m hopeful that the series will keep improving.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Dundurn Press!