Night of the Chupacabra is a western tale of a demon lurking through the rural southwestern 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.

Pages: 300
Published October 17th 2012
ISBN: 0983388407

Find out more about Michael Hebler