What do readers think of Beast of the North Woods by Annelise Ryan? Write your own review.

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.

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.

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!

I keep waffling on this rating. It's not a three star but not exactly a four star.

I thought it would be cozier, which is my problem jumping into the middle of the series. The first 3/4 of the book was interesting and I liked the natural interaction of the characters. It wasn't a fast read for me but it was well written. (It's also not my "usual" genre so, again, a me problem).

Then we got to the love interest that's no interest at all. He's a bit hovery and she's a bit dense about how she interacts with MURDERY PEOPLE ON THE LOOSE. But, I get it, I didn't hate it but it was getting to be a lot towards the end.

The thing that made me a bit manic about the rating is all of the new information that seems to pick up at the end. I just don't think there were enough bread crumbs leading up to it? I'm trying not to be spoilery but it just felt left fieldish.

I did love the cryptid information, that really enticed me to pick this up in the first place. I really do want to try another book because I like the idea of them.

I received this title as an ARC and am leaving my review voluntarily and honestly.

Usually, I avoid books described as fantasy or horror. This book turned out to be a mystery whose main warning was be careful what you wish for or don't mess with DNA. A murder occurs in an apocryphal town in Wisconsin whose total economic success depends on the story of a creature created early in the town history that is supposedly nice. Since I committed to reading and reviewing this, I kept reading and was pleasantly surprised. Although simple to follow, the story was interesting and suspenseful. Learn about a Hodag, what people think DNA can do, and how you never mess with a town's income without severe consequences.

I thank the publishers and Bookbrowse for providing me the book for a thoughtful review and apologize for taking so long to review.

This book starts off with a bang -- a murder that appears to be by a mythological creature, as if a Bigfoot had turned violent. Morgan Carter, a "cryptozoologist" is brought in to solve the mystery because of her knowledge of creatures like this one and apparently she has been brought in to solve crimes involving similar suspects.

What follows is an entertaining mystery as Morgan meets a large cast of characters from the small town where the murder takes place, but unlike many "small town" murder books, this one has realistic people and it is not played for laughs but is a serious mystery. The book doesn't shy away from violence but it isn't dark enough to turn off sensitive readers. I enjoyed it and my tastes often run towards dark Scandinavian mysteries.

While I had not read the previous books in the series I didn't find that I needed to since enough background information was given that I could easily follow this story. I would consider reading one of the earlier books based on this one.

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!

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.