I enjoyed this book! It took me a bit to really get into the story but once I did I flew through it. I liked Morgan and thought that her strange little store was rather interesting. The fact that the book dealt with cryptozoology was a huge draw for me and I wondered if a sea monster could really be behind the recent deaths that Morgan is investigating.

This book was a solid start to a promising new series. Morgan owns a bookstore that not only sells books but also an assortment of strange items. Because of her knowledge as a cryptozoologist, she is asked to help on a case by the local police chief, Jon Flanders. There have been a couple of deaths where the victims appear to have been bitten by a large animal and some are wondering if a lake monster is responsible.

I really liked the characters in this book. Morgan was easy to like and Her backstory grabbed my attention right away. I was eager to learn more about the things that had happened in her life. Jon was equally likable. He was patient with Morgan even when she crossed lines in her investigation. I liked the budding romance between the pair and hope to see that further explored in future installments. Morgan’s dog, Newt, was her constant companion in this story. I love how fleshed out the dog’s character was and how important he was to Morgan.

I would not hesitate to recommend this book to others. I found this to be a very entertaining mystery that kept me guessing throughout the book. The characters were the best part of the book for me. I cannot wait to read more of this promising new series.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

What lies deep in the waters of the Great Lakes? Could there be a monster or two? Morgan Carter is determined to find out. Her hobby is hunting cryptids—creatures whose existence is rumored but never proven to be real.

Police Chief Jon Flanders has learned of Morgan’s hobby and has asked her for help when bodies, human and animal, have washed up on the shores of Lake Michigan with unusual bites from an unknown animal. Morgan cannot turn the man down so she and her rescue dog, Newt take on the case of the “monster” in the Death’s Door strait. Will they survive or be the next victims of the monster lurking beneath the surface?

As a Wisconsin resident and a fan of Annelise Ryan, I was not sure where she was going with the Monster Hunter theme but was pleasantly surprised when I started reading this story.

Morgan Carter is a unique protagonist that has a sad backstory, her parents were killed a couple of years ago, an unusual hobby, hunting cryptids, and is the owner of the Odds and Ends bookstore which is filled with some really peculiar items. She is smart and driven especially when she is on a hunt. Her best friend is her rescue dog Newt. He goes along with her everywhere she goes. We also meet Police Chief Jon Flanders. He also has a painful past. Morgan’s employees, Devon and Rita, bring a lot to this story too. All these characters are well-developed, especially for the first book in the series.

The mystery was captivating. The weather on the lake was haunting most of the time. The search really drew me in. So much so that I physically jumped back in my seat more than once. Ms. Ryan paced the entire story perfectly. Near the end, I finally had some clues fall into place but I loved the final reveal. When I turned the last page I felt like I had been on a real adventure.

Setting this book in Door County was fun. I recognized the places Morgan traveled and those I was unfamiliar with were described perfectly to create the images in my mind.

The author adds some worthy themes into this story, like building trust and coping with past traumatic events. She also made the idea of cryptids actually believable, even though I have lived here my whole life and never heard of any such thing in any of the Great Lakes. The truth is you never know what you may find in those waters. Hear my diabolical laugh here.

A Death in Door County was a Perfect Escape. Ms. Ryan has given this series a great start. I am eager to see where she takes her characters next.

Author Annelise Ryan has infused her latest book, A Death in Door County , with unique characters, danger, and suspense. This cozy mystery with a twist features Odds and Ends bookstore owner and cryptozoologist Morgan Carter and is set in Door County, Wisconsin. This is the first book in the Monster Hunter Mystery series.

When human and animal bodies are found onshore over the course of a few months with unusual bite marks, Washington Island police chief Jon Flanders turns to Morgan for help. While Morgan is a skeptic, the thrill of hunting cryptids (creatures whose existence is rumored, but never proven real) has her accepting the job. She and her dog, Newt, along with Jon, her employees Rita and Devon, and a variety of others embark on a journey to determine who or what the killer is.
Morgan has unusual tastes in items for her shop. It’s not just a mystery bookstore, but contains odd and obscure items too. She has degrees in biology and zoology, with minors in religion and mysticism and loves exploring the plausible existability of mythical creatures. Both she and Jon are likeable characters, but both have some secrets. Morgan also has trust issues that affect new relationships. Both care about others and want to give back to those in need.

This book has a solid plot with some twists and turns, an unusual mystery to solve, and a unique sleuth working with the police. When you add in the search for a potential lake creature from legends and myths, great atmosphere and world-building, lots of suspense, and a bit of romance, you have a winner. The geographical details of the setting added to the atmosphere of the story. My one quibble is that the pace occasionally slowed down.

This novel is creative and exciting, and it will keep readers guessing. High stakes and an all-too-real situation kept me engaged throughout the story. The people in the story came to life and Lake Michigan almost became another character. Themes include friendship, loyalty, trust, betrayal, attraction, greed, domestic abuse, death, grief, helping others, and much more. The author’s note at the end of the book tells how her novel plays with factual history.

Overall, this intriguing mystery has great characters and danger, as well as intense moments and action that kept me turning the pages. Those who enjoy cozy mysteries with unique characters and a subplot of a budding romance will likely enjoy this book, as well as those that enjoy the unusual. This is an excellent start to the series.

Berkley Publishing Group and Annelise Ryan provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for September 13, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

A unique & interesting mysyery, setting and main character. It did remind me of an old Nancy Drew mystery that had a submarine in the river. A lot of explanation from the bad guy at the end. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

** “Sometimes I think there are threads that connect all living things on the planet, maybe even in the universe. And sometimes those threads affect our hearts and souls in ways we don’t fully understand.” **

Annelise Ryan offers a fun murder mystery with a cryptozoology twist in “A Death in Door County.”

After two men mysteriously wash up on the Lake Michigan shores with strange bite-like markings, Washington Island Police Chief Jon Flanders approaches Morgan Carter, whose parents were acclaimed cryptozoologists, for assistance. Does their community really have some sort of lake monster, or is something more sinister going on?

Ryan offers a fun and zany tale filled with twists and turns and just a little touch of romance. She creates great characters, including Morgan and Jon who both have painful pasts, as well as Morgan’s quirky employees Devon and Rita and her delightful dog Newt.

She takes the reader on an exciting adventure, all while reminding us of some good concepts, like the importance of trust; forgiveness; overcoming past trauma; seize the moments when they happen; and, of course, when it comes to cryptids — plausible existability.

Fans of cozy mysteries and stories about creatures like the Loch Ness Monster will love “A Death in Door County,” which is due out Sept. 13.

This book does contain some occasional mild curse words, just so you know.

Five stars out of five.

Berkley provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

I'm a sucker for anything set on Lake Michigan, even if it is the wrong state (kidding), and this was super fun - Morgan Carter runs an oddities shop and is the daughter of two deceased famous cryptid hunters, hired on by a new police chief to help investigate some mysterious deaths happening in the area. Certainly check trigger warnings if you feel like they're something you appreciate: both Morgan and Flanders have experienced personal situations that are relevant and well-done but not something you'd necessarily expect in a murder mystery.

I think there's some stylistic choices in the cozy mystery genre as a whole that I don't love - some information is definitely repeated to ensure the reader picks up on clues, and Morgan is 32 but talks like she's 82 (I'm not that much younger than her and I would never refer to a group of men as "fellows"), but the more I read them, the less I care as long as the story is good. And this is well-plotted and fairly well-paced, with an ending that's surprising but still believable.

Shockingly, I'm very interested in a budding romance subplot, but I'd still pick up the next one in this series even without it! I can't wait to see what mysterious creature Morgan investigates next.

It’s cute, it’s interesting, it’s original, it’s campy without being annoying. Cryptids meet cozy mysteries in this solidly-written introduction to a series.

When bodies with strange bite marks wash up on the usually quiet shores of Door County, Wisconsin, cryptozoologist and bookstore owner Morgan is enlisted to help find what may be lurking beneath Lake Michigan. The first in a planned series, Ryan’s cozy mystery has a captivating atmosphere, and introduces a world of myths and monster hunters.

A Wisconsin bookstore owner and cryptozoologist is asked to investigate a series of deaths that just might be proof of a fabled lake monster in this first installment of a new mystery series.

Morgan Carter, owner of the Odds and Ends bookstore in Door County, Wisconsin, has a hobby. When she's not tending the store, she's hunting cryptids--creatures whose existence is rumored, but never proven to be real.

So when a number of bodies turn up on the shores of Lake Michigan with injuries that look like bites from a giant unknown animal, police chief Jon Flanders turns to Morgan for help. A skeptic at heart, Morgan can't turn down the opportunity to find proof of an entity whose existence she can't definitively rule out. She and her beloved rescue dog, Newt, journey to the Death's Door strait to hunt for a homicidal monster in the lake--but if they're not careful, they just might be its next victims.

For a first in a series, this is a solid entry. Our cast is quirky, life on the lake is easy to imagine, the plot moves pretty quickly, and the idea of an unknown Nessie-like animal in the Great Lakes is fun. Jon, Morgan, and Morgan's staff at Odds and Ends are interesting enough that I look forward to the next in the series. I may also read another series by the author.

This is not what I expected when I downloaded this book. I was pleasantly surprised by the story, plot, and characters. This is about a bookshop owner and cryptozoologist Morgan Carter. She is tasked with hunting creatures that we all thought were rumors. This is a must-read for any lock ness monster/bigfoot enthusiast.

I enjoyed the original, unusual and exciting plot of this new cosy series and already looking forward to the next. I liked the characters, especially the main character and the origin behind her back story. The writing was a little repetitive, and a little slow at times but overall a good read.
When Ryan is describing a man who is bald she has the main character keep referring to him as baldy, which I thought was stupid, mean and not necessary, especially in this day and age.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this novel. I am rating this book based the stars due to lack of time to leave a full review. #NetGalley #ADeathinDoorCounty

While there were times when the writing style came off as more routine than anything else, this lent the book a vaguely campy quality without making it particularly campy. It was like...wafts of camp, if you will. A surprisingly fun read.

A lovely cozy mystery with the fun twist that the main sleuth is a cryptozoologist. I found this book delightful and I loved the interwoven facts about different cryptids and the Great Lakes!
There were a few sections that I think could have benefited from a bit more editing (revealing backstory in different spots, repeats of information, some Checkov's gun moments that could have been a bit more subtle), but overall well written with a great cast of characters (including the lovable dog Newt).
I can't wait to read more in this series, it looks like a Sasquatch book was alluded to next? Sounds great to me!

After her folks are brutally murdered, Morgan Carter returns to Wisconsin near Lake Michigan to run their bookstore/paranormal artifacts store. She too is a cryptozoologist and is hired by Chief of police Jon Flanders, when a second person is drowned and found with mysterious bite marks. Is there an ancient plesiosaurus living in the Great Lakes? If the eerie and unexplained appeal to you or treasure hunting and shipwrecks, this is a fun read with a kind, interesting main character. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved Annelise Ryan since her very first cozy mystery and I'm still hooked on her! "A Death in Door County" was a great read!

Great new series and I am looking forward to more, there is much still to uncover. Well done Annelise.📖📖

Megan Carter isn’t just a bookstore owner. on her time off, she’s a cryptid hunter. Looking for those elusive, bizarre creatures only seen in myth and legend. Most people think she’s a little strange, but when several people are found dead beside a local lake with strange bite marks all over them, local police chief Jon Flanders turns to Megan for help. So Megan and her trusty dog Newt travel to Death’s Door to go monster hunting in the lake, hoping that they aren’t the next victims. A fun and enjoyable change for Ryan