REVIEW: Death in Door County by Annelise Ryan

Summary


Morgan Carter runs a quirky bookstore in Door County, Wisconsin. It’s filled with all sorts of odd things Morgan has bought or found along with things her parents had put in the store when it was theirs and they were on the trail of various cryptids and other mysterious happenings.

When two bodies with mysterious markings wash up in the area, a local police chief seeks out Morgan’s expertise as a cryptozoologist. Because the “markings” look like teeth marks from an enormous, unknown sea creature.

 

Review


This was outstanding! My husband got this book when we first discovered it because the mystery sounded good and the cryptid angle fit with his hobbies. But, like me, he added it to his TBR where it sat for months.

When our local library picked it up, I suggested we team read it like we did My Roommate Is a Vampire. Unfortunately, this was so fantastic, I plowed through it before he was even able to pull it off the shelf. So we didn’t get to team read, but he did pick it up shortly after I finished so we were both able to enjoy it. I immediately pre-ordered book two, A Death in Dark Woods, once I finished, so we both have that waiting for us to read in 2024. The Monster Hunter Mystery series is now a must-read for me.

The voice for this book is great. That was the first thing I noticed. It was so easy to fall into the flow of the story, I didn’t want to put the book down. Then, the characters were great. I loved Morgan – she’s got a fascinating backstory, interesting job, and she’s had tons of unusual life experiences. She has an Andy Carpenter-esque philosophy about money and charity that I loved. Morgan’s friends and co-workers are terrific as well, and I got a kick out of the potential love interest.

Finally, the story is amazing. I had some solid ideas as I read that turned out to be on target, but I could not have predicted how it would all come together. I really enjoyed the wrap up of this one. If you are a mystery fan, I say carve out a quiet weekend and pick this one up. Once you start, you won’t want to put it down.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

 

REVIEW: The Art of Getting Noticed by Campbell/Knetzger

Summary


Bigfoot Littletoe III isn’t sure he fits in with his family. No matter how hard he tries, he never gets captured on film The rest of his family members are regularly part of Bigfoot sightings.

Bigfoot stumbles across a new friend named Nessie who is in town on vacation. And she encourages Bigfoot to stop trying to be who he thinks he’s supposed to be and instead have fun and find out who he really is.

But when Nessie is discovered, she has to go back home. And Bigfoot struggles to find joy in his new activities without his new friend.

Review


This is a cute and colorful early chapter book for kids between 7 and 10. At its core, it’s a friendship story. It also introduces the idea of trying to fit in vs finding your own path. And it touches on the question of where our satisfaction should come from – an audience of fickle strangers or from yourself and those who really care about you? That’s a lot to pack into an early chapter book!

I think the cryptid characters – mainly Bigfoot, Nessie, and an unexpected surprise appearance – give this a fun, unique take on a friendship story. Cryptid fans should give this a try. I would read more adventures with these characters.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+