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brittbat's review against another edition
I’m in need of escapism right now, so I turned to cozy mysteries, the genre where death only really happens to hateful people and our plucky heroine wraps up all the loose threads and restores us to the safety of the status quo by the end. However, A Death in Door County is not nearly as cozy and comforting as I expected. I loved the setting and the cryptid angle, but I was left wanting more of those elements and less of the romantic subplot. Not bad, but not quite the reading experience I was hoping for right now.
snpf's review
slow-paced
1.5
Had potential, unfortunately, unfulfilled because weighed down by too many deep dives of over explaining the most minutest of character movements, descriptions, explanations of things that were of zero interest and/or not relevant to the story. Also, would have preferred more of a mystery and less of the romance stuff (which was meh/eye rolling, imo). Finally, it looks like I might be the 4th or 5th person to make this point: this character does not sound like/behave like/speak like a 30 year old.
kellycallenm's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lattesnlibros's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ionsquareatkreuzberg's review against another edition
3.0
When I first read the synopsis for ‘A Death in Door County,’ I was super excited to see what it was all about—a mystery set in Door County, one of my favorite spots to visit in my home state, with a touch of cryptozoology mixed in—what could be better? It sounded great, and I dove into it with an open mind, intrigued to see where the story would go and if the author would actually try to make something like a Loch Ness monster real in today’s age of mass surveillance. While the book didn’t quite reach the lofty expectations I had for it, it was still solid nonetheless, and it would make an excellent addition to anyone’s book collection or library.
The story is pretty simple—Morgan Carter, daughter of a deceased shipping magnate, owns an eccentric store in Door County, WI called Odds and Ends. She’s known around the area for being interested in the macabre and unusual, and a detective arrives at her store one day asking for her help in the weird deaths of two men, both of whom were found washed up on shore with strange bite patterns on their bodies. Could this be a case of a real-life lake monster, or are there other sinister actors at work? Were these deaths accidental, or could the two men have been murdered?
Over the course of the rest of the book, readers get filled in on Morgan’s backstory (one that’s extremely dark and tragic at times), the two individuals she employs at her store, the dog she adopted when he wandered onto her property one day, and the detective himself, Jon Flanders, who partially develops into a love interest. Mixed in with the extensive character building is the actual plot itself, which sees Morgan and Jon following all leads and clues that unfold in the days after Flanders hires Morgan to help him crack the case. The book ends in a way that perfectly sets the rest of the series up, as this is the first in a planned multi-book series, and it was good enough that I will definitely be reading the others as they’re published.
There were a few elements to the novel though that brought the book down from a four- or five-star to a three-and-a-half. The pacing is choppy at points, and it drags in the middle. Readers are often told the physical movements of every character, including Newt, Morgan’s dog, to the point where it became excessive, and we get extensive background information through info dumps, with some of it worked into conversations and others just given to us via Morgan’s thoughts. There are whole chapters that are just the history of Morgan’s family, and they slow the pace down compared to the chapters where action and dialogue occur. There are also plot threads left generally unresolved, such as the fate of Morgan’s ex-fiancé or the relationship between Morgan and Flanders, that I hope are answered in coming books in the series. The writing itself can also be a little stilted and basic—for example, on the first page of the novel, two adjectives and two verbs are used in the same paragraph in succeeding sentences, which shows that either the book needed an editor who had a closer eye on its prose, or Ryan needs to expand her vocabulary. This continues throughout, and it got to the point where the reoccurrence of words within the same paragraph pulled me a bit out of the story.
And, the thing that kept bothering me after I finished the book and put it down was that, even though the novel is set in Door County, and the locale of Door County and all its islands and bays are central to the story itself, I never got a full picture and feel of Door County as a whole. In some books where setting is key to the story, the location is another character in and of itself, such as books that are set in Key West or Louisiana or the Boundary Waters of Minnesota. The settings alter the trajectory of the story, and we see characters interacting with their various cultures and people and scenery. That doesn’t really occur in this novel, and I feel like it’s a needed improvement as the series moves forward. Instead of just naming various islands and bays and little towns spread throughout Door County, the setting has to become more distinct and individualized—right now, everything seems to meld together into one amorphous ‘Door County.’ If you’ve ever been to Door County in real life, you know that each of the islands that surround the peninsula, the various parks, and all the small towns spread throughout it have their own distinct flavors and attitudes. As I read through this novel, they all seemed to be one ‘place,’ with Sister Bay and Baileys Harbor and Washington Island seemingly being the same setting despite their geographical and cultural differences. Now, if I’m being honest here, I might be a little biased—I live in Milwaukee and grew up in the area, and I have visited Door County many times over the years, exploring every small city and town and bay of the peninsula for the most part. Door County, in other words, holds a very special place in my heart, which is one of the reasons I was so excited to read this. If I hadn’t been there prior to reading this novel, maybe I wouldn’t have the strong feelings about the lack of distinctive setting/world-building within this story, but it was hard for me by the time I got to the end and realized there didn’t seem to be much characterization of the peninsula and surrounding islands themselves.
At the end of the day though, the story is strong enough to carry the novel through its weaker parts, and the setting of Door County, Morgan’s store, and her individual world has more than enough intrigue to keep readers satisfied and wanting to come back for more. I look forward to the next books in this series, and, hopefully, the world of Morgan Carter continues to flesh out as the series progresses.
Thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Annelise Ryan for the digital ARC of 'A Death in Door County' in exchange for an honest review.
The story is pretty simple—Morgan Carter, daughter of a deceased shipping magnate, owns an eccentric store in Door County, WI called Odds and Ends. She’s known around the area for being interested in the macabre and unusual, and a detective arrives at her store one day asking for her help in the weird deaths of two men, both of whom were found washed up on shore with strange bite patterns on their bodies. Could this be a case of a real-life lake monster, or are there other sinister actors at work? Were these deaths accidental, or could the two men have been murdered?
Over the course of the rest of the book, readers get filled in on Morgan’s backstory (one that’s extremely dark and tragic at times), the two individuals she employs at her store, the dog she adopted when he wandered onto her property one day, and the detective himself, Jon Flanders, who partially develops into a love interest. Mixed in with the extensive character building is the actual plot itself, which sees Morgan and Jon following all leads and clues that unfold in the days after Flanders hires Morgan to help him crack the case. The book ends in a way that perfectly sets the rest of the series up, as this is the first in a planned multi-book series, and it was good enough that I will definitely be reading the others as they’re published.
There were a few elements to the novel though that brought the book down from a four- or five-star to a three-and-a-half. The pacing is choppy at points, and it drags in the middle. Readers are often told the physical movements of every character, including Newt, Morgan’s dog, to the point where it became excessive, and we get extensive background information through info dumps, with some of it worked into conversations and others just given to us via Morgan’s thoughts. There are whole chapters that are just the history of Morgan’s family, and they slow the pace down compared to the chapters where action and dialogue occur. There are also plot threads left generally unresolved, such as the fate of Morgan’s ex-fiancé or the relationship between Morgan and Flanders, that I hope are answered in coming books in the series. The writing itself can also be a little stilted and basic—for example, on the first page of the novel, two adjectives and two verbs are used in the same paragraph in succeeding sentences, which shows that either the book needed an editor who had a closer eye on its prose, or Ryan needs to expand her vocabulary. This continues throughout, and it got to the point where the reoccurrence of words within the same paragraph pulled me a bit out of the story.
And, the thing that kept bothering me after I finished the book and put it down was that, even though the novel is set in Door County, and the locale of Door County and all its islands and bays are central to the story itself, I never got a full picture and feel of Door County as a whole. In some books where setting is key to the story, the location is another character in and of itself, such as books that are set in Key West or Louisiana or the Boundary Waters of Minnesota. The settings alter the trajectory of the story, and we see characters interacting with their various cultures and people and scenery. That doesn’t really occur in this novel, and I feel like it’s a needed improvement as the series moves forward. Instead of just naming various islands and bays and little towns spread throughout Door County, the setting has to become more distinct and individualized—right now, everything seems to meld together into one amorphous ‘Door County.’ If you’ve ever been to Door County in real life, you know that each of the islands that surround the peninsula, the various parks, and all the small towns spread throughout it have their own distinct flavors and attitudes. As I read through this novel, they all seemed to be one ‘place,’ with Sister Bay and Baileys Harbor and Washington Island seemingly being the same setting despite their geographical and cultural differences. Now, if I’m being honest here, I might be a little biased—I live in Milwaukee and grew up in the area, and I have visited Door County many times over the years, exploring every small city and town and bay of the peninsula for the most part. Door County, in other words, holds a very special place in my heart, which is one of the reasons I was so excited to read this. If I hadn’t been there prior to reading this novel, maybe I wouldn’t have the strong feelings about the lack of distinctive setting/world-building within this story, but it was hard for me by the time I got to the end and realized there didn’t seem to be much characterization of the peninsula and surrounding islands themselves.
At the end of the day though, the story is strong enough to carry the novel through its weaker parts, and the setting of Door County, Morgan’s store, and her individual world has more than enough intrigue to keep readers satisfied and wanting to come back for more. I look forward to the next books in this series, and, hopefully, the world of Morgan Carter continues to flesh out as the series progresses.
Thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Annelise Ryan for the digital ARC of 'A Death in Door County' in exchange for an honest review.
amartin48's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
books_in_badgerland's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
This was a pick for a Wisconsin-based, thriller-focused book club, and it's always exciting to pick up a book by a local author. I'm happy to report good things from A Death in Door County, and I'm excited to discuss it at our next meeting.
Morgan Carter is a quirky bookstore owner and cryptozoologist (studying creatures whose identities are rumored, ex: the Loch Ness Monster) in Door County, WI. She is hired to aide in investigating two mysterious deaths. Could they be the result of a rumored sea monster in Lake Michigan? Morgan and her beloved dog, Newt, are determined to figure it out.
This may be a good fit if you enjoy:
- learning about local legends
- cozy mysteries with some intense moments
- awesome canine companions
I'll be honest, I went into this book with zero expectations. I assumed it was a cozier mystery which typically are *ok* for me, and I had never felt drawn to books about mysterious creatures. I was pleasantly surprised by A Death in Door County! While this was indeed a cozier mystery, I was shocked at some spots. For example, my jaw dropped learning about Morgan's past. I appreciated how thorough and fearless she could be in her efforts to find the truth, and she had a great team surrounding her. I will be keeping the rest of the books in this series on my radar!
I listened to the audiobook, and I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much if I had read the physical copy. I think Morgan's analytical ways and the amount of history included in the book were more digestible via audio for me and bumped it to a 4-star rating.
Rating: I really liked this, especially via audio! (4)
Morgan Carter is a quirky bookstore owner and cryptozoologist (studying creatures whose identities are rumored, ex: the Loch Ness Monster) in Door County, WI. She is hired to aide in investigating two mysterious deaths. Could they be the result of a rumored sea monster in Lake Michigan? Morgan and her beloved dog, Newt, are determined to figure it out.
This may be a good fit if you enjoy:
- learning about local legends
- cozy mysteries with some intense moments
- awesome canine companions
I'll be honest, I went into this book with zero expectations. I assumed it was a cozier mystery which typically are *ok* for me, and I had never felt drawn to books about mysterious creatures. I was pleasantly surprised by A Death in Door County! While this was indeed a cozier mystery, I was shocked at some spots. For example, my jaw dropped learning about Morgan's past. I appreciated how thorough and fearless she could be in her efforts to find the truth, and she had a great team surrounding her. I will be keeping the rest of the books in this series on my radar!
I listened to the audiobook, and I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much if I had read the physical copy. I think Morgan's analytical ways and the amount of history included in the book were more digestible via audio for me and bumped it to a 4-star rating.
Rating: I really liked this, especially via audio! (4)
readwithhugo's review against another edition
4.0
It’s cute, it’s interesting, it’s original, it’s campy without being annoying. Cryptids meet cozy mysteries in this solidly-written introduction to a series.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.
elliemaple87's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nina_e's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5