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Dave Cubiak #6
Death Washes Ashore
In the wake of a brutal storm that lashed the Door County peninsula, Sheriff Dave Cubiak assesses the broken windows, downed trees, and piles of mysterious debris along the shoreline. He leaves the comfort of his home and heads out into the aftermath, checking in with folks along the way to offer help. His assistant, marooned at the justice center overnight, calls with an ominous message about a body discovered on the beach. When the medical examiner discovers the man didn’t simply drown during the storm, Cubiak searches for answers.
Chasing leads, the sheriff learns the victim directed a troupe of live-action role players living in an ersatz Camelot. In a setting where pretense in the norm, Cubiak must determine if suspects are who they say they are or if their made-up identities conceal a ruthless killer. As tensions escalate among neighbors unhappy about the noise and commotion, the sheriff discovers that more than one person on the peninsula has a motive for murder.
Chasing leads, the sheriff learns the victim directed a troupe of live-action role players living in an ersatz Camelot. In a setting where pretense in the norm, Cubiak must determine if suspects are who they say they are or if their made-up identities conceal a ruthless killer. As tensions escalate among neighbors unhappy about the noise and commotion, the sheriff discovers that more than one person on the peninsula has a motive for murder.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published April 20, 2021
26 people are currently reading
223 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 27, 2025
Never heard of larping.
May 30, 2021
Mediocre , My favorite was Death At Gills Rock.
July 16, 2021
Another great mystery! And I love how each mystery I learn something new I never heard about. This one was LARPing. Look it up, you can always learn something new. And I loved how this twisted to a direction I wasn't expecting. Can't wait for the next Dave Cubiak mystery
January 29, 2022
How did a medieval knight end up dead on a beach in Door County, Wisconsin? Well, that is an unusual question, isn’t it? Yet, that is the question, or rather mystery, in the book, Death Washes Ashore by Patricia Skalka.
In brief, after a fierce 36-hour storm, a body is found on a beach in Door County. It is determined that the man didn’t die as the result of the storm. Rather he was killed by a blow to the head, making it a murder case.
However, before he could solve the crime, the County Sheriff, Dave Cubiak, first needed to identify the victim. Since there was no ID found on the victim, the only thing that the sheriff had to go on was how the victim was dressed—which was as a medieval knight.
As it turned out, the victim ran a local larping company called Door Camelot. I have to admit that I didn’t know what larping was until I read this book. But it is essentially fantasy role-playing in which participants act out characters.
I won’t divulge any more of the plot, except to say that it was a fairly classic whodunnit. So, was the murderer the fired worker, the ex-girlfriend, a jealous husband, a local farmer, or one of the larpers? I wasn’t able to guess who until the very end of the book. This, of course, is a good thing when reading a mystery.
As a note, Door County is a real location—a beautiful, touristy peninsula in Wisconsin. I felt the author effectively mixed the flavor of the area and its local residents into the plot, adding an extra layer to the story. The backstory of the sheriff also adds texture to the story—namely, the loss of his first wife and child.
The only negative thing that I can say is that the suspects seemed pretty run-of-the-mill—i.e., a jealous husband, an ex-girlfriend, etc. Unfortunately, this made the book a little less interesting.
Also, this book is part of a series. Since I had not read any of the other books in the series, I wondered if I would be able to understand / follow the plot. Without a doubt, this book stood on its own. I might read another book out of the series at some point, but it isn’t necessary in order to read this one.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. If you like reading mysteries, I think you will enjoy this book as well.
In brief, after a fierce 36-hour storm, a body is found on a beach in Door County. It is determined that the man didn’t die as the result of the storm. Rather he was killed by a blow to the head, making it a murder case.
However, before he could solve the crime, the County Sheriff, Dave Cubiak, first needed to identify the victim. Since there was no ID found on the victim, the only thing that the sheriff had to go on was how the victim was dressed—which was as a medieval knight.
As it turned out, the victim ran a local larping company called Door Camelot. I have to admit that I didn’t know what larping was until I read this book. But it is essentially fantasy role-playing in which participants act out characters.
I won’t divulge any more of the plot, except to say that it was a fairly classic whodunnit. So, was the murderer the fired worker, the ex-girlfriend, a jealous husband, a local farmer, or one of the larpers? I wasn’t able to guess who until the very end of the book. This, of course, is a good thing when reading a mystery.
As a note, Door County is a real location—a beautiful, touristy peninsula in Wisconsin. I felt the author effectively mixed the flavor of the area and its local residents into the plot, adding an extra layer to the story. The backstory of the sheriff also adds texture to the story—namely, the loss of his first wife and child.
The only negative thing that I can say is that the suspects seemed pretty run-of-the-mill—i.e., a jealous husband, an ex-girlfriend, etc. Unfortunately, this made the book a little less interesting.
Also, this book is part of a series. Since I had not read any of the other books in the series, I wondered if I would be able to understand / follow the plot. Without a doubt, this book stood on its own. I might read another book out of the series at some point, but it isn’t necessary in order to read this one.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. If you like reading mysteries, I think you will enjoy this book as well.
June 11, 2021
I'll admit it, I didn't figure out who murdered Scott Henley any quicker than Dave Cubiak did. And when I knew who did it I was at first upset that the person hadn't been a suspect all along... and then I realized that actually Dave was onto something that very first morning, but had to chase a lot of other clues before he could go back to his original witness to get some clarity.... A crazy mystery complete with a victim dressed like a knight, larping (which I had never heard of before), and the backdrop of Door County. (I've been there and could picture everything again with the author's descriptive writing.)
August 16, 2024
Police procedural. After a massive storm, a body is found beneath an overturned boat. Was it an accident or was it murder? Even more curious is why the dead man was dressed in mail and a helmet. Sheriff Dave Kubiak traces the few clues, discovering that the victim ran a larping center specializing in Arthurian reenactments. Several potential suspects emerged, but evidence was slim against all of them. So Dave returns to the beginning.
Fast-paced, atmospheric, and believable.
Fast-paced, atmospheric, and believable.
May 20, 2021
After tragedy struck him while he was working as a big city cop, Dave Cubiak moved to Door County and gradually healed, with a wife and son to help him. After one of the biggest storms on record, a man finds a dead body on a beach. But wait--the dead man was wearing armor, and Dave also finds out that he was afraid of the water and avoided the beach, certainly during the approach to a storm. As he investigates, he finds a number of people who disliked the dead man.
September 16, 2021
another good mystery. I stil question why the author is aging Cubiak so quickly. In a few more books he will be too old. Having wife and child not really adding to the plot and story. would have been better for time to pass more slowly.
December 1, 2021
Set in Door County, Wisconsin, Sheriff Dave Cubiak investigates the murder of a man, whose body washed ashore after a Lake Michigan storm. The dead man's attire causes a stir and the investigation is afoot. Great series, but good to start at the beginning with "Death Stalks Door County"
January 27, 2022
I really enjoyed this series mainly because my husband grew up in Door County and graduated from Sturgeon Bay high school. We’ve owned numerous vacation homes in Door County, and I enjoyed all the area references.
August 3, 2023
This was another good addition to the series- never heard of larking do I learned something new. It was nice to see a lot of the action on the east shore of Door County. A good twist at the end- lots of police work for Dave this time.
April 11, 2021
Another book I read in one sitting! Can't wait for the next book!
July 21, 2021
Another great Skalka mystery! I learned all about larpers and the elaborate scripts they follow. The story takes you from a stormy night into their world....a great summer read!
March 4, 2023
Another in the Dave Cubiak series, set in Door County. Kept me guessing as I read through the murder investigation. Quick, easy read that kept my attention from start to finish.
September 13, 2024
I love a little local who-done-it. Having visited Door Cty I have enjoyed the crimes in cities I visited and being near Lake Michigan.
Great read.
Great read.
September 1, 2025
Yet another unexpected twist. Loved this!
May 2, 2021
I’m already anxiously waiting for the next installment in the series.
March 21, 2022
I hsve enjoyed this series featuring Door County -- was a favorite place to visit -- and I learned something new -- larping.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews