The Horror Bookshelf

BOOK INFO

Publisher: Kensington/Pinnacle

Length: 347 Pages

Copy provided for an honest review as part of The Montauk Monster blog tour

I have been fascinated with unexplained phenomena of all kinds for as long as I can remember. It started when I was younger, checking out as many books as I could from the library and continuing well into adulthood where I can honestly admit to spending countless hours trawling Wikipedia pages and falling down the rabbit hole of links contained within each article on things like UFO’s, hauntings, “The Bloop” and various cryptids. I honestly don’t know where this fascination came from, but I think these things continue to interest me because we currently live in an age where almost everything mysterious has been debunked and where is the fun in that? Sometimes it is good to suspend your disbelief for a while and hold onto whatever little mysteries are still left. That being said, when I first heard about Hunter Shea’s first thriller novel and that it would be based on the modern cryptid The Montauk Monster, I was instantly hooked and it made my list of most anticipated summer novels based on the strength of the synopsis alone. Now that I have had a chance to read The Montauk Monster, I can definitely say it has been worth the wait!

Shea wastes no time in grabbing the readers’ attention as we are introduced to the horrifying creatures right off the bat. Two Montauk residents head out to Shadmoor State Park to be alone and are confronted by a horrifying creature that quickly attacks them before they even know what is going on. Suffolk County Police Officer Gray Dalton gets a call from dispatch reporting bodies on the beach and when he arrives, he sees a scene of extreme carnage that defies explanation. The police force begin to suspect that the deaths were caused by some sort of animal, and this theory continues to become more plausible as the residents of Montauk begin calling in reports of mysterious animals hanging around their property and even trying to attack them. However, as Dalton begins his investigation and the sightings quickly grow more dangerous, it becomes apparent that this is not the work of an ordinary animal. This is confirmed when Dalton sees the creature with his own eyes after responding to one of the most vicious encounters yet and Montauk’s animal control officer, Anita Banks, is attacked by the creatures. What follows is a descent into chaos where the creatures grow bolder by the day and the town is plummeted into chaos and confusion. Soon, every federal agency imaginable is descending on Montauk in order to control the situation, but it may be too late.

The biggest strength of this novel, in my opinion, is Shea’s creation of the monsters. Their origins have some basis in the real world, but they pretty much stop with the creepy photo of the carcass that washed up on the shores of Montauk back in 2008. Shea uses these factual bits of evidence as a starting point and fleshes them out with a pretty creative and plausible back story to bring these terrifying creatures to life.

The creatures are described as having a large, muscular body similar to a dog or wolf, a face that is a cross between an eagle and a pig and retractable claws. While Shea’s portrayal of the creatures are frightening enough based on their physical description, the creatures themselves don’t hold a candle to the deadly virus they carry in their systems. I don’t want to spoil it for those who have not read the novel, but let me just say the descriptions of the virus’ effects are truly horrific and definitely not for the squeamish!

The Montauk Monster is a white-knuckled thrill ride of a novel and one of the year’s best summer reads. If you are a horror fan who has an interest in cryptids, you will definitely want to add this book to your collection!

Purchase The Montauk Monster on Amazon

Rating: 4/5

Be sure to check out the other stops on Hunter’s blog tour for some other reviews and cool features!

Montauk Monster Truth or Fiction:
Is the Montauk Monster made up for the book or an urban myth? Is there some truth that propels the story? You can find out more about the real Montauk Monster story here

ABOUT HUNTER SHEA

Hunter Shea is the author of paranormal and horror novels Forest of Shadows, Swamp Monster Massacre, Evil Eternal and Sinister Entity, which are all published by Samhain Horror. The June 3, 2014 release of his horrifying thriller Montauk Monster is published by Kensington/Pinnacle.

He has also written a short story to be read prior to Sinister Entity, called The Graveyard Speaks (it’s free, go download!), and a book of stories called Asylum Scrawls. His next book from Samhain Horror, titled Hell Hole, is set to come out in August 2014 and is his first western horror.

His work has appeared in numerous magazines, including Dark Moon Digest, Morpheus Tales, and the upcoming anthology, Shocklines : Fresh Voices in Terror. His obsession with all things horrific has led him to real life exploration of the paranormal, interviews with exorcists, and other things that would keep most people awake with the lights on.

He is also half of the two men show, Monster Men, which is a video podcast that takes a fun look at the world of horror. You can read about his latest travails and communicate with him at www.huntershea.com, on Twitter @HunterShea1, Facebook fan page at Hunter Shea or the Monster Men 13 channel on YouTube.