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There are currently 25 member reviews
for Beast of the North Woods
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Gary R. (Bolingbrook, IL)
Cryptozoology in wisconsin
I must admit I'm familiar with the authors other two books, having read both, so I was looking forward to Beast of the north woods, when I saw Bookbrowse and the publisher were offering this for review. Well I jumped at the chance to try for a copy and lucked out, and it did not disappoint! This one takes place in Rhinelander Wisconsin and involves the relative of an employee of Morgan's bookstore who asks her to take a look at the case. Andy is accused of murdering a once rival of his but swears it was a hodag, a fictional monster made up long before that brings in tourist dollars for the town. intrigued? It was another excellent read with hints of the supernatural, mystery, with plenty of twists and turns, and a little hint of romance. Recommended read, and while your at it give the other two a look, thanks to Bookbrowse and the publisher for the advance copy!
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Cheryl R. (Jeannette, PA)
Hodag's town
In the prologue, Andy describes a beautiful scene in nature. It didn't take long for the beauty to turn ugly. Before Chapter 1 began, I was caught up in the story. Every time I thought I was closing in on the killer another possibility appeared. The storyline had a lot of twists and turns, but the story flowed smoothly. The people of Rhinelander built their livelihood around a dark legend that couldn't come to light. I didn't want to stop reading. I have the first two books in this series on my "must read" list.
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Brenda W. (Wilkes Barre, PA)
A thrilling read
I loved Beast of the North Woods by Anne lose Ryan.
The writing was very good. She was very descriptive in explaining the hodag..
The prologue was a great start to this story.A monster called a hodag. A creepy creature.
By the end of the second chapter ,there would be 2 mysteries. The first one was for Morgan to help her friends it's and Site's steps brother in-laws Roger and Roger's son,Andy.
Andy was arrested for the murder of an enemy. Andy denied it. Roger and Rita asked Morgan to help look into Andy's story.. Unfortunately for Andy, things don't look good for him, because he had history with the victim.
The second mystery will be who is sending Morgan messages letting her know she is being watched. There is a story there. Morgan had a suspicion as to whom it may be.
This story is a fast and interesting read.
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Mari A. (Grand Junction, CO)
Whimsical Thriller
The Author's use of obscure words is tantalizing! The mystery of the Beast in the North Woods kept me intrigued from the beginning to the end. I fell in love with the main characters and I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series. I can't wait to read and see where the Author takes me on the next adventure!
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Alex Malm
A fun, quirky, cozy mystery!
Beast of the North Woods was a wonderful cozy mystery that kept me entertained throughout! This was my first novel by Annelise Ryan, but I enjoyed her writing style and the midwestern setting.
Morgan is a no-nonsense cryptozoologist (though I initially had no idea what that was!) who is up for any challenge. I enjoyed her mystery-solving alongside her cute pup Newt, and how he protected her during some sketchy situations. This book checked a lot of boxes for me: mystery, crime-solving, and a bit of quirkiness. The romance was a bit bland, though it wasn't a focus of the story. I found parts of the big reveal a bit too complicated, but overall enjoyed how everything unfolded.
Reading Beast of the North Woods inspired me to pick up the other books in the series, as I want the backstory about what happened to Morgan's parents and the deal with her ex, David. I flew through this one and look forward to reading Ryan's backlog!
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Jennie W. (Denver, CO)
Beast of the North Woods-Fun Read
This was such a fun and unique story. It is a murder mystery wrapped in a mythical creature hunt. The characters were well rounded and realistic. The story was not predictable which can be the case with so many murder mysteries. The creature, a hodag, is specific to Rhinelander, Wisconsin and the locale was almost a character itself. This was the first Annelise Ryan book I Have read, and I will definitely be picking up another.
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Sandi W
OH NO! A Hodag...
4 stars Thank you to BookBrowse and Berkley for letting me read this ARC. Publication is January 28, 2025.
A man is found dead and gutted in a field. Andy, having found the man, and it being his well known rival, is accused of the murder. He swears that he saw a Hodag and that that was the killer. But Hodags are mythical and never seen.
A Hodag is a knock off of a Big Foot in a spiny form with large claws. And this Wisconsin town billed itself as having friendly Hodags - sculptures all over town, a festival in summer and most businesses using it as a logo. So when Andy accuses the Hodag of the murder the town revolts. Just so happens that Andy's aunt works for a cryptozoologist. And Morgan flies into town to prove it was not Andy but was a Hodag.
Interesting? Yes. But that is just the start. This investigation brings more and more problems into view. One thing leads to another and Morgan has more problems to solve than she could ever have wished for.
This is actually the third book of a series, but it reads like a stand alone. I had no problem getting into the story. The description makes it sound humorous, but it is not. There is tension, mystery, suspense and a loving dog.
Probably not the kind of book that I would choose to read, however I found it relatively good and a nice change of pace. I liked it well enough to back up and add books one and two to my reading list.
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