Let’s get this out of the way: this is a novel, a thriller, about Bigfoot. Sasquatch. That great cryptozooigraphical phenomena/legend of the Pacific Northwest. This may dissuade many from reading this book and leave the rest a very tough audience. First time novelist and three-time biography co-author Matthew Scott Hansen approaches the subject as writers can and do approach their “fictional” subjects. He did research and suppositioned the rest based on this research. The book opinions that those that believe in Bigfoot will welcome this books portrayal of the creature. Those that don’t are, frankly, in for a good chuckle. The essence of this book brings us man (the two legs) vs. nature. It is a story of revenge and of the hunter being hunted. The antagonist (if one is pro-humanity), the crazed and avenging Bigfoot, is pushed to his limits by the fiery death of his “family” at the hands of clumsy humans. Driven by rage, he begins to systematically hunt down wayward humans and develops a taste for their flesh. The humans, despite living in an area that is rampant with sightings and history, are slow on the uptake when it comes to the party responsible for the mutilated and half-consumed bodies stumbled across by wary hikers and the like. And this possible missing link does not have just mere brute strength, a bi-pedal body designed for climbing and foraging and a cunning mind on its side. It can sense the “mind voices” of these Keepers of the Fire. He feels their fear as he chases them down and he revels in it. Will the innocent and yet not guiltless humans that grow to understand their foe turn the tables before Bigfoot’s revenge is sated? This was a gutsy premise for any writer to undertake. Marketing to the crime fiction/mystery community is also gutsy. All the elements of a good thriller are in place, including fast pace and putting the “bad guy” squarely into the minds of the reader. Using italics to let the reader know the antagonists’ narrative was taking place was clumsy and unnecessary. But the dialogue is good and the story a fun one, especially if one has a taste for dark humor and gore.

Jennifer Jordan