I had Night of the Chupacabra hanging around for a long time and when I finally read it, I wondered why I waited. I loved it. Night of the Chupcabra got my attention early on and really pissed me off about the wagon train.

The story is so sweet, so cute, so savage, so brutal. The past, present and future slam together with good and bad consequences.

I feel really bad for Drake. Will he survive? Will he find what he is looking for? He doesn’t deserve the bad things happening to him and I am hoping he finds what ever he is searching for and finds peace. But, he also surprised me and I didn’t see it coming. I sure want to know more about him, about the chupacabra.

Sheriff Dillmore is not a sheriff you want running your town. To say he is mean is not saying enough. He deserves to be hung up to dry, burned under the jail. I hope he gets his!

I knew the ending…sort of…but won’t know for sure until I meet the Chupacabra in the next story. The series consists of four books and you will need to read them in order and in their entirety to know the complete story.

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Reviewed at The Hungry Monster Book Review

Night of the Chupacabra is a western tale of a demon lurking through the rural southwest U.S.; killing, feeding, and never being seen. Drake is a family man, moving west after the Civil War. His hopes for a prosperous life on the west coast are completely obliterated when his camp is attacked by the Chupacabra. He’s left horribly scarred, physically and emotionally. In the aftermath he finds his wife and daughter missing, his brother dead and everything he owned is burning around him. He’s left with no choice, he must find his family. His search takes him to a small town called Dillmore Valley where the busiest place is the saloon and the townsfolk want nothing more than to keep their quiet town quiet. Drake sets the town on edge when he arrives. His horribly scarred face makes him look like he’s a monster, but the real monster is hiding in the hills and shadows of Dillmore Valley.

Night of the Chupacabra is a well written western fantasy where the characters are easily cut out’s from any western, but they still feel fresh and believable. There’s a subtle bit of humor through the novel that relieves the darker moments. Drake is either; fighting for his life against the townspeople that are convinced he’s a demon, fighting against the Chupacabra or fighting against his own inner demons. It all leaves the novel with rarely a dull moment. The Chupacabra is mix of several animals and is possessed by… well I won’t give it all away, but the description of the Chupacabra is as good as any other explanation that I’ve heard. But I hope in future novels we go farther into the description and origins of the creature. The ending to the novel wasn’t really a surprise, but more of a welcomed twist that keeps the hunt for the Chupacabra alive.
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Reviewed at The Hungry Monster Book Review

Night of the Chupacabra is a western tale of a demon lurking through the rural southwest U.S.; killing, feeding, and never being seen. Drake is a family man, moving west after the Civil War. His hopes for a prosperous life on the west coast are completely obliterated when his camp is attacked by the Chupacabra. He’s left horribly scarred, physically and emotionally. In the aftermath he finds his wife and daughter missing, his brother dead and everything he owned is burning around him. He’s left with no choice, he must find his family. His search takes him to a small town called Dillmore Valley where the busiest place is the saloon and the townsfolk want nothing more than to keep their quiet town quiet. Drake sets the town on edge when he arrives. His horribly scarred face makes him look like he’s a monster, but the real monster is hiding in the hills and shadows of Dillmore Valley.

Night of the Chupacabra is a well written western fantasy where the characters are easily cut out’s from any western, but they still feel fresh and believable. There’s a subtle bit of humor through the novel that relieves the darker moments. Drake is either; fighting for his life against the townspeople that are convinced he’s a demon, fighting against the Chupacabra or fighting against his own inner demons. It all leaves the novel with rarely a dull moment. The Chupacabra is mix of several animals and is possessed by… well I won’t give it all away, but the description of the Chupacabra is as good as any other explanation that I’ve heard. But I hope in future novels we go farther into the description and origins of the creature. The ending to the novel wasn’t really a surprise, but more of a welcomed twist that keeps the hunt for the Chupacabra alive.
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The men huddle around the campire. The glow from the flames refelcts on their faces. A friendly game of poker between the two brothers is interupted by little Jessica, Drake‘s daughter. Gavin grins, knowing Drake still can’t figure out how she is sneaking out of the wagon.

Fearing Lucy’s wrath, Drake tucks Jessica back in bed and then stops to talk with his wife. That’s when it starts. The animals are an early warning. They jerk loose and tear off into the desert. Then an unholy roar comes from one of the wagons, soon accompanied by screams of terror.

The brothers race to get their guns, but before they can reach the wagon, something too fast to follow leaps from one wagon to the next and the screaming starts again. The chupacabra easily leaps from wagon to wagon, killing in a blood lust. All goes quite.

Then they get their first look at the creature. It’s the size of a man, but there the resemblance ends. It’s covered in brown fur, it’s spiked tail flicks back and forth, it’s red eyes glow, and it’s stench can be smelled from across the fire.

Then it leaps into Drake’s wagan. He dives in after it. The wagon shakes, rocks and bursts into flames. The creature bursts forth, engulfed in flames, and runs right into Gavin, pinning him to the ground. Gavin is being burned alive.

Impossibly, the thing is alive and leaps up to run off into the darkness, leaving Gavin mortally wounded. Lucy runs away into the night, driven hysterical by the loss of her daughter.

All this Drake sees as he lies helpless on the ground, horribly burned.

I can’t believe this all takes place at the beginning of the book. From the first sentence, you get to meet the Chupacabra and by the second chapter, he gets up close and personal.

If this story didn’t take place in western days, say it took place now, I still don’t know what could have been done. The thing is just too fast.

Drake did survive the attack. He’s horribly disfigured, his face a fright to gaze upon. He has traveled from dusty town to dusty town looking for his Lucy. Each time he thinks he’s found her, it’s a false lead.Then he enters Dillmore Valley, A Fine Community. A strange welcome as the town is hidden in a valley, away from view.

He’s not alone. Something has followed him. He doesn’t want it dead. It has it’s uses.

I just can’t resist this kind of tale. I love scary stories of creatures in the night. I have for as long as I can remember.

Michael Hebler is a fine writer. I can feel the heat of the flames, smell the reek of the Chupacabra, and taste the dust of the trail in my mouth.

When Drake rides into Dillmore Valley it reminded me of Clint Eastwood appearing out of the desert and riding into town in the movie High Plains Drifter. Drake has that same aurora around him. No one in their right mind would mess with him, it’s better to avoid his attention.

I can’t tell you a whole lot about the characters as it would reveal too much of the plot. What I can tell you is they are a diverse lot, just like any small town. You have your nosy parkers, the town drunk, the belligerent bully and then you have the ladies. Each character brings a genuineness to the story, keeping you engrossed and curious. I love character driven stories.

Of course, let’s not forget the Chupacabra. He is something else! You don’t just get a little bit of him here and there. He is very busy, rending, ripping and terrorizing throughtout the book.

Okay. I’ll stop here. I could ramble on and on, but then I’d be telling everything. I don’t want to ruin it for you.

Michael Hebler gave me more than I ever expected. I’m thrilled to know he is making this a series. It will be interesting to see where it goes next. ( )

Night of the Chupacabra
By Michael Hebler

Drake along with his wife and daughter has moved out west to begin a new life. They are a happy family he adores his wife and daughter as much as it is physically possible but one night a monster comes into their camp and ruins his life irrevocably, leading Drake on a search for his missing wife after he has been scarred beyond recognition. But soon he finds that the monster is still out there and thirsty for his blood.

I do not think I have come across another book like this one, not only is it a fun western but no other author has brought to life the mythological Chupacabra in such a way. Michael Hebler has definitely stumbled onto a cast of characters and a villain so exceptional that this is a remarkable and fun horror novel. I am not a fan of westerns in any format, I find most of them boring at best, but the way the author blended a good old fashioned western with a monster that has haunted the west for ages is worth the read.

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