Audiobook Review: A Death in Door County by Annelise Ryan

A Death in Door County
Author: Annelise Ryan

Narrator: Susan Bennett
Series: Monster Hunter Mysteries (Book 1)
Publication: Berkley (July 18, 2023); Penguin Audio (September 30, 2022)

Length: 10 hours and 20 minutes

Description: A Wisconsin bookstore owner and cryptozoologist is asked to investigate a series of deaths that just might be proof of a fabled lake monster in this first installment of a new mystery series by USA Today bestselling author Annelise Ryan.

Morgan Carter, owner of the Odds and Ends bookstore in Door County, Wisconsin, has a hobby. When she’s not tending the store, she’s hunting cryptids—creatures whose existence is rumored, but never proven to be real. It’s a hobby that cost her parents their lives, but one she’ll never give up on.

So when a number of bodies turn up on the shores of Lake Michigan with injuries that look like bites from a giant unknown animal, police chief Jon Flanders turns to Morgan for help. A skeptic at heart, Morgan can’t turn down the opportunity to find proof of an entity whose existence she can’t definitively rule out. She and her beloved rescue dog, Newt, journey to the strait known as Death’s Door to hunt for a homicidal monster in the lake—but if they’re not careful, she just might be its next victim.

My Thoughts: Police Chief Jon Flanders comes to Morgan Carter to hire her because he has a problem. There have been some strange deaths both human and animal that look to be caused by some sort of large, unknown creature. 

Morgan is a cryptozoologist who also runs an eccentric bookstore in Door County, Wisconsin. She is a professional skeptic who searches for cryptids despite not being at all sure she believes in them. Morgan takes the job. She and Jon and Morgan's rescue dog Newt begin to investigate what is going on near the strait known as Death's Door. 

The story was action packed, and information packed too. I learned a lot about cryptids and the numerous shipwrecks that litter the lake bottom near Door County. Morgan is an interesting character who is wary of human relationships especially romantic relationships. She recently lost her parents who were murdered. She was briefly accused of the crime since she couldn't convince the cops that her boyfriend was the likely suspect. He was romancing Morgan for her substantial riches and, it turns out, flying under an assumed name and identity. 

This was a fun story that is the first in a series. 

I bought the Kindle copy July 23 and the audiobook August 18. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: A Death in Door County by Annelise Ryan

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:

I had just wiped some dust from Henry's hat (dusting him was a regular Saturday chore) and was cursing my decision to move his corpse closer to the entrance when the bell over the door tinkled.

Friday 56:

"But why?" I said, a mostly rhetorical question. I was merely thinking aloud. "If the men weren't killed for food, why were they killed? It doesn't fit with typical animal behavior."

This week I am spotlighting A Death in Door County by Annelise Ryan. This is a recent addition to my TBR pile. Here is the description from Amazon:

A Wisconsin bookstore owner and cryptozoologist is asked to investigate a series of deaths that just might be proof of a fabled lake monster in this first installment of a new mystery series by USA Today bestselling author Annelise Ryan.

Morgan Carter, owner of the Odds and Ends bookstore in Door County, Wisconsin, has a hobby. When she’s not tending the store, she’s hunting cryptids—creatures whose existence is rumored, but never proven to be real. It’s a hobby that cost her parents their lives, but one she’ll never give up on.

So when a number of bodies turn up on the shores of Lake Michigan with injuries that look like bites from a giant unknown animal, police chief Jon Flanders turns to Morgan for help. A skeptic at heart, Morgan can’t turn down the opportunity to find proof of an entity whose existence she can’t definitively rule out. She and her beloved rescue dog, Newt, journey to the the strait known as Death’s Door to hunt for a homicidal monster in the lake—but if they’re not careful, she just might be its next victim.

ARC Review: The Seven Rings by Nora Roberts

The Seven Rings
Author: Nora Roberts 
Series: The Lost Brides Trilogy (Book 3)
Publication: St. Martins Press (November 18, 2025)

Description: The #1 New York Times-bestselling author Nora Roberts concludes her compelling Lost Bride trilogy as two women—one dead, one alive—prepare for a terrifying final showdown....

Long ago, Arthur Poole built a grand house overlooking the turbulent ocean, in a Maine village that bore his name. Today, Sonya MacTavish lives in that house—a manor that has been cursed for generations. Within its walls, she has witnessed the deaths of seven brides and the thefts of seven wedding rings. And now, to break the curse and banish a malevolent spirit once and for all, a difficult task must be completed.

After Sonya, her boyfriend, Trey, and their friends are forced to hear, see—and feel—the suffering of the house’s many ghosts as their torment is reenacted by the evil presence, their bond only strengthens and their anger is renewed. Refusing to let her spirit be broken, Sonya searches each room for clues to her ancestors’ hidden story, putting the picture together, unearthing small treasures, and uncovering the moments of joy that existed among the sorrows. She’s determined to bring light to this haunted place—to fill it with people, with life and hope, once again.

But the enemy in the black dress continues to hover, to come at her in frightening forms. They may be illusions—but illusions can be powerful enough to wound and kill. She feeds on fear, and lies are her weapon. This dark-hearted witch wants to be mistress of Poole Manor, at any cost. And Sonya will need to fight a battle across two realms to finally take possession of the house on the clifftop—and of her own future....

My Thoughts: The finale of the Lost Brides trilogy was a satisfying conclusion to the series. Sonya MacTavish and her best friend Cleo along with their boyfriends Trey and Owen need to find a way to defeat the evil witch who has caused the deaths of seven past brides. They need to find a way to recover the wedding rings the witch stole as a start to defeating her.

This episode was much less about the romances between the two couples and much more about their quest to defeat the witch who is escalating her manifestations. Sonya and Cleo are assisted by a number of ghosts who have been part of the mansion since it was built from some of the various brides to some of the household staff. 

Sonya is determined to claim the house from the witch one room at a time by filling the house with light and love. The descriptions of the house, the furniture, and gardens and the mementos of the previous residents are frequent and touching. 

This book was downright scary! The witch's attempts to force Sonya out of the house were very spookily described in great and scary detail. The love between the characters was the underlying foundation that gave them all the strength to battle the evil. 

I love the way the characters interact. I love the respect and love that permeates the story. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: At Midnight Comes the Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming

At Midnight Comes the Cry
Author: Julia Spencer-Fleming
Series: Clare Ferguson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries (Book 10)
Publication: Minotaur Books (November 18, 2025)

Description: New York Times bestseller Julia Spencer-Fleming returns to her beloved Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series

It’s Christmas time in Millers Kill, and Reverend Clare Fergusson and her husband Russ van Alstyne - newly resigned from his position as chief of police – plan to enjoy it with their baby boy. On their list: visiting Santa, decorating the tree, and attending the church Christmas pageant. But when a beloved holiday parade is crashed by white supremacists, Clare and Russ find themselves sucked into a parallel world of militias, machinations and murder.

Meanwhile, single mom and officer Hadley Knox has her hands full juggling her kids and her police work. She doesn’t want to worry about her former partner – and sometimes lover – Kevin Flynn, but when he takes leave from the Syracuse PD and disappears, she can’t help her growing panic that something has gone very wrong.

Novice lawyer Joy Zhào is keeping secrets from her superiors at the state Attorney General’s Office. She knows they wouldn’t condone her off-the-books investigation, but she’s convinced a threatening alt-right conspiracy is brewing – and catching the perpetrators could jump start her career.

NYS Forest Ranger Paul Terrance is looking for his uncle, a veteran of the park service gone inexplicably missing. He doesn’t think much of an ex-cop and out-of-town officer showing up in his patch of the woods, but he’s heard the disturbing rumors of dangerous men in the mountains.

In New York Times Julia Spencer-Fleming's latest novel, as Christmas approaches, these five people will discover their suspicions hang on a single twisting thread, leading to the forbidding High Peaks of the Adirondacks. As the December days shorten and the nights grow long, a disparate group of would-be heroes need to unwind a murderous plot before time runs out.

My Thoughts: The tenth book in the Clare Ferguson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series begins at a Thanksgiving parade and winds its way through the Advent season as the pair gets involved with white supremacists. Newly resigned from his position as Millers Kill Chief of Police Russ is eager to spend time with his wife and 8-month-year-old son Ethan while thinking about what he wants for his future. Meanwhile, Clare is busy with the Christmas season at her church.

Neither Clare nor Russ expects to see white supremacists driving a decorated tractor at the Thanksgiving parade. Nor does Russ expect to need to break up the fight that ensues when one of the spectators takes exception. And Clare befriends the wife despite her radical views and befriends the wife of another supremacist when she meets her.

Meanwhile, Officer Hadley Knox is trying to manage her kids and grandfather while trying to find out what happened to Kevin Flynn who went off to the Syracuse police force and disappeared off the radar after taking part in an undercover operation. She enlists Russ to try to find Kevin who discovers that Kevin might have continued the undercover operation along with novice lawyer Joy Zhao. 

Clues lead to the Adirondacks where Forest Ranger Paul Terrance is searching for his missing uncle who is also a ranger. He, Russ and Hadley meet and search and discover more than they had expected.

All of these characters converge on the Adirondacks and discover plans for a terror attack that will take all their skills to stop. 

I enjoyed this story which managed to showcase a large cast of characters as they each make decisions for their future. I liked the way the various threads were woven together. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Midnight in Memphis by Thomas Dann

Midnight in Memphis
Author: Thomas Dann
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (November 18, 2025)

Description: In this Southern noir, two detectives forge an unlikely alliance as they strive to bridge the racial divide and catch a killer hell bent on revenge.

Set against a historical backdrop of mid-century racial inequality and political turmoil, this thriller is perfect for fans of William Kent Krueger and Greg Iles.

1955, Memphis. Homicide detective Burdett Vance is trying to outrun his past, but working in the homicide division always ends up bringing in new waves of horror. Now an unknown killer is reaping retribution for decades of lynching by targeting the daughters of rich white families in Memphis. When Vance is assigned to the case, he’s also put in charge of a new trainee, Officer Eustace Johnson.

Eustace Johnson has been recently "promoted" and as one of the few Black men on the force this is the latest publicity stunt of the police department. Forced to work together, Vance and Johnson must catch the rampaging killer in a city roiling with racial injustice and a fight to control the crumbling local politics.

Then Emmeline Bryce, Vance’s old flame, becomes the killer’s next target. With Emme’s life on the line, Vance and Johnson must confront their deepest fears and darkest desires before the city ignites into chaos and the blissful vision of a better future disappears forever.

Readers of James Lee Burke will delight in this bitingly smart thriller full of intrigue and age-old animosities.

My Thoughts: It's 1955 in Memphis, Tennessee, and homicide detective Burdett Vance is dealing with a case of white women being discovered floating. They have nylons tied around their necks holding a beer bottle and a note which seems to indicate they were killed in tribute to the many lynchings of Black men. The note is signed the Mound Builder.

The death of the local kingpin has resulted in a new scramble for power. Burdett's captain wants his share. To claim the Negro vote, he has advanced Eustace Johnson, one of the few Negro cops on the force, to be Burdett's partner in the investigation. He's pulled Burdett's former partner into his own squad supposedly hunting down Communists but actually looking for the kingpin's cash stache. 

Eustace has his own agenda. He joined the police force after his World War II stint as a Tuskegee airman in order to track down the men who murdered his younger brother Caleb. He has been working on unsolved Negro murders in his free time since he joined the force. He did tip off Burdett about one of the two men who killed his brother resulting in the man's imprisonment. He has his eye on the second man and is hoping to maneuver Burdett into arresting him too.

As Burdett and Eustace hunt for the killer, it soon becomes apparent that Burdett's old girlfriend Emme is in the middle of things. After dumping Burdett, she took up with the kingpin and then was shunned by all her cronies when the kingpin died. Now she's back and hoping to rekindle things with Burdett.

This was an engaging historical mystery. I liked the Memphis setting. Burdett was an interesting character: a lover of the Blues, a man with a strong sense of justice, and a man with secrets and heartaches as a big part of his past. I also liked Eustace who was willing to take all the abuse by White officers in order to get justice for his brother. 

Fans of historical mysteries set in the deep, dark South will enjoy this one. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Blood Oath by Steve Urszenyi

Blood Oath
Author: Steve Urszenyi
Series: Special Agent Alexandra Martel (Book 3)
Publication: Minotaur Books (November 18, 2025)

Description: In this action-packed thriller, Special Agent Alex Martel's fight becomes personal when her father is abducted by rebel forces.

In the heart of Africa, CIA Special Agent Alexandra Martel’s safari with her father spirals into a deadly game of betrayal when he is kidnapped by rebels. Suddenly, her peaceful Serengeti vacation transforms into a desperate race against time. As the general is held by local rebels, Russian mercenaries and Chinese MSS operatives descend on East Africa, all hunting the military secrets locked in her father’s mind.

Alex assembles an elite team to navigate the treacherous terrain, but complications arise when her CIA boss, Caleb, shows up unexpectedly, stirring feelings she’s tried to bury since her husband’s death. As competing forces close in, Alex uncovers betrayals stretching from the Serengeti to the highest levels of global intelligence. Trust becomes as scarce as water in the African savanna.

With enemies converging from all sides, Alex must embrace her darkest instincts to save her father. But in a world where allies become enemies, and nothing is as it seems, how much of herself is she willing to sacrifice to honor the bonds of blood?

My Thoughts: CIA Special Agent Alexandra Martel is on safari with her father in Africa when he is kidnapped. David Martel is a retired four-star general who has been working a on secret project for the United States. Alex will do anything to get him back. 

General Martel is being held by a group of local rebels. He was kidnapped at the request of the Russians who want him out of the way of their attempts to claim more and more of Africa. He should have been killed, but the rebels see an opportunity to sell him to the Chinese who want information about the project he is working on. 

A variety of US intelligence forces are mobilized to get General Martel back, but Alex resents every moment they are collecting data and making plans. She wants to take a small group to get her father back. She doesn't know that US intelligence is willing to, and planning to, kill General Martel rather than let the information in his head get to the country's enemies. 

This series is a combination of Ian Fleming's James Bond for its action hero and Tom Clancy's technothrillers with its gadgets. It is alternate history but set in the current day. I enjoy Alex who is a real action hero with a clear knowledge of herself and her abilities. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Queen Who Came in from the Cold by S. J. Bennett

The Queen Who Came in from the Cold
Author: S. J. Bennett
Series: Her Majesty the Queen Investigates (Book 5)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (November 11, 2025)

Description: Amateur sleuth Queen Elizabeth II is back on the case in 1960s England in the fifth installment of this historical mystery series the New York Times Book Review calls “sheer entertainment,” perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Richard Osman.

1961, England.

The Queen is spending a night on board the royal train with her entourage and her sister, Princess Margaret. But before they reach their destination, an unreliable witness claims to have seen a brutal murder from one of the carriages.

The Queen and her assistant private secretary, Joan McGraw, get to work on their second joint investigation. No one else saw the crime. If there is a victim, could he be the missing photographer friend of Margaret’s new husband, Tony Armstrong Jones?

This time, the Cold War threatens to undermine the Queen’s upcoming visit to Italy. She and Joan must tackle dark forces that follow them all the way, in a tale of spies, lies, and treachery.

This charming mystery will be perfect for fans of The Crown and Miss Marple.

My Thoughts: It is 1961. The Queen is on the Royal train when Princess Margaret's temporary lady in waiting claims she sees a murder from the windows of the train. No one else saw the crime and Sandra Pole isn't the most reliable of witnesses. 

However, Her Majesty recruits her Assistant Private Secretary Joan McGraw to look into the case. Joan has to fit it in between a Royal visit to Italy and the upcoming visit of the new American President John F. Kennedy to England. 

The victim turns out to be a friend of Margaret's new husband Tony Armstrong-Jones. The victim seems to be involved in espionage as he seems to have been planning to get a Soviet defector into England using the Royal yacht as an escape vehicle.

I loved the way the Queen and Joan work around other members of the Royal Household and the intelligence services to keep Her Majesty's name out of the investigation despite her substantial help in solving the case. 

I loved the historical detail in the story. The Space Race is heating up with the Soviets putting a man in space before the Americans can and, incidentally, leaving the Brits well behind.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.