DEATH IN THE DARK WOODS is the second installment in author Annelise Ryan’s Monster Hunter Mysteries, and it continues the cryptid-hunting adventures of oddity bookstore owner and cryptozoologist Morgan Carter. This time, a bow hunter is torn savagely apart in Wisconsin’s Chequamegon Forest. A witness to the attack says it was Bigfoot, but Morgan needs scientific proof before she believes it. Morgan’s used to hoaxes and fraudsters, but maybe this time it really is Bigfoot. Will Morgan track down the elusive creature, or is someone playing a deadly game in the dark woods?

Morgan is content running her oddities bookstore with her coworkers and dog, Newt. After her last case involving a Lochness-type monster in Lake Michigan, Morgan is enjoying her time in the store and her developing relationship with Chief of Police Jon Flanders. When Jon shows up at Morgan’s door with news of two Bigfoot attacks in the Chequamegon National Forest, he piques her interest. Jon asks if Morgan will consult on the cases with DNR warden Charlie Aberdeen. Morgan agrees and makes the long trip to the Chequamegon National Forest. Once there, Morgan starts to wonder about Charlie’s own past sighting of Bigfoot and her current motives. The young female warden seems overly interested in Jon Flanders. Once Morgan starts to investigate the attacks, she realizes the injuries and circumstances are very different. Is one real and the other fake? When Morgan sees the creature during a walk with Newt, she knows this is not a normal animal that lives in the forest. As she continues to track down clues and interview witnesses, she’s getting closer to the truth. When she decides to take a solo camping trip deep in the dark woods, she soon realizes that she’s the one being hunted. Will Morgan solve the mystery and make it out of the woods alive? Or will she become Bigfoot’s next victim?

DEATH IN THE DARK WOODS is a terrifyingly fun and dark cozy mystery. Morgan has an unusual job and a tragic past. Her parents were killed by her ex-fiance, and now she runs their eccentric oddity bookstore in Wisconsin. She questions her judgment of men, and she is taking her relationship with Jon Flanders very slow, as they each carry a lot of emotional baggage. The Bigfoot attacks are savage and graphic, and they ramp up the ominous atmosphere of terror and suspense in the mystery. Morgan’s past makes her more adept at traversing unusual situations, and her trek into the dark woods to camp alone is admirable as well as scary. In a town full of people she can’t trust and an unpredictable creature stalking the surrounding forests, Morgan is in the middle of a dark and dangerous mystery that only she can solve. Filled with great characters, fast-paced plotting, and scary situations, this cryptid-based cozy is a nice break from the usual and provides readers with a great escape. Highly recommended!