Death washes ashore

After a major storm sweeps through Wisconsin's Door County, Sheriff Dave Cubiak is summoned to a debris-strewn beach on Lake Michigan, where a rotting rowboat hides the corpse of a man clad in chain mail like a medieval knight, in Skalka's competent sixth series mystery (after 2019's Death by the Bay). Learning that the victim didn't drown, but was killed by a blow to the head, the sheriff soon identifies him as Scott Henley, arrogant owner of Door Camelot, a new local site for "larping": live-action role-playing. It turns out that Henley was surrounded by people with motives to kill him, including the neighboring farmer who objected to the larpers' loud revelry, the "Guinevere" whom King Arthur/Henley rudely dumped, and the son of a man he ruined in a real estate scam. Finding the murderer is complicated by the close-knit neighborhood, since one serious suspect is the godfather of one of the sheriff's assistants and another used to babysit for the Cubiaks. The local color is the book's main attraction. Those happy to settle in with an undemanding, by-the-numbers mystery will be satisfied. (Apr.)

Door County, WI, survives a 36-hour storm that left debris littering the beaches. After several rough shifts, Sheriff Dave Cubiak is awoken by his son, who says there's a body on the beach. Joey is wrong, but the man who calls 911 later is standing by an overturned boat with a hand underneath it. When the two men lift the boat, they discover the body of a man dressed in knight's armor. According to the coroner, the victim was assaulted before being killed by a blow to the head. After questioning theater companies, Cubiak finds Door Camelot, a business that creates scripts and game worlds where participants can physically portray characters, like King Arthur and Lancelot. The corpse is Scott Henley, the company's founder. While it appears the victim is from Chicago, police research uncovers a local Henley family connection. The suspects have Door County connections as well, including an angry farmer who lives next to Door Camelot, as well as spurned lovers and family members. VERDICT The sequel to Death by the Bay is a descriptive mystery with a strong sense of place. Readers who enjoy well-plotted atmospheric stories featuring small-town sheriffs, such as Victoria Houston's "Loon Lake" mysteries, should enjoy this book.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN