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

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.

I enjoyed The Beast of the North Woods. It had some fairly significant twists that were a pleasant surprise, but I found certain subplots entered the book relatively late, and I would've appreciated more (real) hints along the way, but that's my preference. Anyone who lives in / appreciates the Midwest will appreciate the references dropped throughout the book.

Annelise Ryan's "Beast of the North Woods" is a quick and easy read. The protagonist is a cryptozoologist - she hunts for legendary creatures (such as yeti, big foot, loc ness monster) that may or may not exist. She is hired by the brother-in-law of an employee. This hunt takes place in the Rhinelander, Wisconsin area and it is the infamous Hodag she needs to locate to show that her employee's nephew did not commit murder. Ryan describes the people and places very well as well as the process used by Morgan Carter, the cryptozoologist and narrator. There are several twists to the plot and I did not expect the ending. The conclusion was as well written and complete as the rest of the book. If you are in the mood for a light read, this book is a good candidate.

This book is a quirky cozy mystery replete with murder, the search for the mythical Hodag in the woods of Wisconsin, and investigation by a crypto zoologist, a study completely new to me. The intellectually eccentric characters bring a lovely level of charm to the story with elevated vocabulary. The narrative is a bit slow at times and the plot has a few holes. Overall, I enjoyed the opportunity to read an advance copy courtesy of BookBrowse and Netgalley.

I was excited to receive this book for early review - thank you BookBrowse and Berkley Publishers! I've had this cozy mystery series on my list to read since I heard about the first book, Death in Door County, at that year's Bouchercon mystery festival.

This is the third book in the cryptozoologist series, and despite my interest and intentions, I have not read the first two. I may have enjoyed the book more had I read the first two, and it's possible this book had spoilers from the first two (not sure, but always a chance), I felt this book read perfectly fine as a stand-alone.

I enjoyed the book, and thought the mystery was well-done. There were a few additional subplots that either supported the main story or kept the momentum going. The mystery is resolved in a satisfactory way. While I initially thought some aspects may have been a bit too far fetched, the author actually has a note addressing the reality of these aspects at the end of the book.

The setting, as with so many cozy mysteries, is a small town, but it wasn't an overly twee version of a small town and it isn't the character's home turf.

The main character's subject matter expertise - cryptozoology - and the fact that she is being hired for her experience make the book stand out a bit from the knitting/baking/bookstore owning amateur sleuths (though don't get me wrong, I do love those kind of cozies, too!). She is an interesting mix of cool-headed practicality and anxiety; I appreciated the nod to mental health, though it wasn't much more than that. She approaches her search for cryptids and her investigation of other aspects of the murder in a logical way, so even though the subject matter is unusual, the character isn't a fraudster or gullible, or otherwise untrustworthy.

Community is what makes cozy mysteries, in my opinion, and this book has a good, if small, supporting cast. I liked the inclusion of a strong older woman and a social media-savvy young man. Her dog is a big part of the draw, so cozy fans who like their series with a pet friend will enjoy Newt.

Two nits for me: I was a little surprised at how gruesome the opening scene was. Normally cozy mystery murders take place off stage, so to speak, but there was a fair amount of gore description. It may have been especially noticeable because I was having dinner while I read. And a lot of chapters ended with heavy handed foreboding. Once, maybe twice is good foreshadowing, but it seemed excessive.

Overall I enjoyed this book and I will definitely return to the first two books in the series. I'll be curious if the main character travels away from home in both of these books as well, or whether there's more focus on developing the character's backstory and her relationships with the secondary characters.

I think traditional cozy readers who are willing to go along for the ride on a search for make believe creatures will enjoy this book.

Beast of the North Woods by Annelise Ryan is a quick, entertaining read that has certainly elevated my interest in the state of Wisconsin and especially the small town of Rhinelander. This real town celebrates a strange spirit creature called a Hodag which was supposedly born from the ashes of abused, cremated oxen, has red eyes, fangs and a dragon's body. Is it really out there in the woods and can it kill people? The residents of the town embrace and protect the reputation of the creature even when a dead body has been found showing signs of a brutal attack. A witness claims to have seen a Hodag at the site of the murder. Can a professional cryptozoologist prove the killing was really committed by the Hodag? This book puts a small Wisconsin town on the map and is bound to increase the number of tourists who visit next summer. I might just go myself.

While not in the cozy mystery genre (which I do enjoy), this book meets my definition of a cozy because it's a perfect snuggle-up read if that's what you are in the mood for. And the story line is one that once it gets going, you are drawn into one of those mysteries where you have to know "who done it" - meaning you can't put it down! More importantly, while this is the third in a monster hunter mystery series, you don't have to have read the previous books to enjoy this one (this was my first read in the series). Set in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, during the winter, Morgan Carter, a cryptozoologist, is hired to help solve a murder to provide a supposedly mythological creature, a hodag, is the killer, not the nephew of Cater's employee, Rita Bosworth. She and Rita arrive to hear a fantastical tale of a creature, Andy Bosworth, the "accused," said he saw and whom he believes killed a former high school rival. As Morgan digs into Andy's story, she uncovers something that is even more fantastical than the idea of a mythological creature being the killer. In doing this, Morgan has to deal with locals who don't want her destroying the image of "friendly" hodag that draws tourist to the area as well as shady people who seem to be following her. Initially clues are hard to come by but through some luck, she uncovers things are going on in the Rhinelander area that are might not bode well. No spoilers here. I would encourage a read to find out what Morgan discovers because it's quite unique - and when you read the author's afterword, is not far from truth or perhaps reality. I enjoyed having the opportunity to read and review this book as well as to becoming acquainted with the author.

I haven't read the other books in the series so wasn't familiar with the main characters. Seemed okay as a standalone though. Loved Newt the dog, he's definitely a good boy. The main female character was a mix of cautious/clever and foolish/gullible at the same time. She was able to figure things out, but then allowed herself to be drawn into situations that put her in serious danger. Totally seemed like she should have known better. In general, I liked the book as it was an easy read. I kept thinking a bit more depth would make a better story.