A Death in Door County by Annelise Ryan

 

From the blurb:  

"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. It's a hobby that cost her parents their lives, but one she'll never give up on. 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."

My thoughts: 

It was the words "fabled lake monster" and "cryptozoologist" that made me want to read this one. I really liked Morgan Carter with her quirky bookstore and her sweet labrador mix, Newt. She's got a very interesting past. And I liked that while she believes in the possibility of the existence of these cryptids, she's skeptical when it comes to this supposed lake monster. She wants proof either way. And her investigation turns up something rather unexpected.

This is a well-written and entertaining mystery with likable characters in Morgan and Jon, and Morgan's co-workers at the bookstore. There are also great descriptions of the islands in Lake Michigan and their history; they make for a fascinating setting. Though the lake monster itself plays less of a role in this one than I originally thought it would. So if you choose to read this book, don't expect a chompfest; this is more of a straightforward murder mystery. But a fun one! I gave it 4 stars. And I'm looking foward to reading the next book in this series. 

Happy Reading!