Sophia Rose Reviews Death in the Dark Woods by Annelise Ryan

 

Today on the blog Sophia Rose reviews, Death in the Dark Woods by Anneliese Ryan the second in her Monster Hunter Mysteries.
Enjoy!

Death in the Dark Woods by Annelise Ryan

#2 Monster Hunter Mysteries Cozy Mysteries

Publisher:  Berkley

Published: 12.12.23

Pages:  332

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: ebook

Source:  library borrow

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Blurb:

A potential Bigfoot sighting is linked to a vicious murder, but skeptical cryptozoologist Morgan Carter is on the case in this new Monster Hunter Mystery by USA Today bestselling author Annelise Ryan.

Business has been booming since Morgan Carter solved the case of the monster living in Lake Superior. The Odds and Ends bookstore is thriving, of course, but Morgan is most excited by the doors that were opened for her as a cryptid hunter. 

Recently, there have been numerous sightings of a Bigfoot-type creature in the Chequamengon-Nicolet National Forest area of Bayfield County, Wisconsin. After a man is found dead from a vicious throat injury in the forest, the local sheriff asks Morgan to investigate. 

When Morgan and her dog, Newt, go there to investigate, they uncover a trail of lies, deception, and murder. It seems a mysterious creature is, indeed, living in the forest, and Morgan might be its next target.

 

Sophia Rose's Review:

Continuing with the intriguing and mysterious Monster Hunter Mysteries, Death in the Dark Woods finds Morgan and her faithful dog therapy and protector companion, Newt, on the trail of a murderous Big Foot in Wisconsin’s northern forests.  Morgan is open-minded to the possibility of a monster of legend or one bred of human evil even as this latest case tears open barely-healed wounds from her own past.  For me, this latest only cemented my enjoyment of Annelise Ryan’s exciting series.

 

I enjoyed how Morgan was written as a woman of parts.  She has been reared as eccentrically as it gets by a wealthy couple who traversed the globe seeking proof of the bizarre, macabre, and legendary mysteries.  They collected the artifacts and opened a store in Door County, their home territory.  Morgan’s parents and their interests were her own and the family was tight until her parents were murdered.

 

Now, she carries on their work, their store, and her own new work consulting with local law enforcement when they come across the bizarre in their investigations.  I like how Morgan is open-minded, but at the same time, skeptical.  She is parts impulsive and smart as she seeks answers. 

 

With this latest case taking her out of Door County and to the north and working in a small community who are used to winking at the Bigfoot hunters, but are stunned by the recent deaths, Morgan must rely on her own resiliency, distant help from her employees doing research for her, and Newt at her side though her budding new relationship with Jon when his work as Washington Island sheriff allows him time to help.  Their romance is a slow action thing since they both have past grief and guilt to get past before they are in a healthy place for a relationship.

 

As with the first book, I enjoyed the atmosphere of a monster hunt with hints it might be a cryptoid out there, but also evidence of human origin, too.  I was suspicious of almost everyone at some point so I can’t smugly claim to have hit on the solution.  Not even close, really.  It was a good exciting one with the right amount of tension and build to the end.  And, again, I can’t wait to reach for the next installment.  Cozy mystery fans who like it rustic and filled with a mysterious creature of legend should definitely give this series a go.

 

 

Author Bio:

Annelise Ryan is the USA Today bestselling author of the Monster Hunter Mysteries featuring cryptozoologist and bookstore owner, Morgan Carter, and the Mattie Winston mystery series, featuring a wryly cynical nurse-turned-coroner. She has always believed laughter really is the best medicine, and with the Mattie Winston series she hoped to "medicate" the masses. She also believes in a good scare every once in a while, hence the Monster Hunter mysteries, the first of which, A Death in Door County, came out in September of 2022. The second in that series, Death in the Dark Woods, comes out in December 2023.

Annelise Ryan is a pseudonym for author Beth Amos. There were several reasons why she decided to use a pseudonym, not the least of which was that her ER patients might not have been comfortable knowing she spent her spare time thinking up clever ways to kill people. She is also the author of the Mack's Bar Mystery series written as Allyson K. Abbott. Ryan is a retired emergency room RN living in Wisconsin.

Website:  https://www.anneliseryan.com/

 

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose