SOLVED. Scifi published 2007 or earlier shapeshifting creature in seaside town kills someone takes their place later prefers being a female human. [s]

[Yang]

the title may have been one word

[Andy]

I'm almost positive that this is Camouflage by Joe Haldeman Camouflage. The main character is an alien that lives as a sea creature for centuries, before taking the place of a man (after killing him) in the early years of the 20th century, and later takes the form of a woman.

[Andy]

P.S. Someone else was looking for this one recently https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Andy]

I got an email from Yang confirming that Camouflage was the book being sought.