The Shadowkiller: A Novel [Hardcover]

Matthew Scott Hansen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2007

Every hair on Ty's body, the skin on his neck and arms, everything was clenched in a primeval fear stimulus response. In the thick of the woods not ten yards away stood a creature, manlike, apelike . . . some sort of hairy humanoid, like a gorilla standing upright on long legs. Motionless, it stared at Ty, and Ty froze dead in his tracks.

Jesus Christ, this is Bigfoot.

BIGFOOT IS ANGRY.

When careless campers unleash a raging forest fire, they inadvertently set in motion a blood-drenched spree of revenge. Motivated by the immolation of his family, a nearly eleven-foot-tall, preternaturally strong superprimate begins stalking the mountains northeast of Seattle, hunting the "small two-legs" he blames and leaving an eerie trail of missing people . . . but little else.

As people begin vanishing from nearby forests, former software magnate Ty Greenwood risks everything to find out why. Tormented by his encounter with a Bigfoot three years earlier, Ty's past now collides with what he suspects is happening. But this time he doesn't realize that the stakes are far higher.

In his search for two missing lawyers, Snohomish County Sheriff's Detective Mac Schneider discovers a spectacularly large footprint. Is it another hoax or is there really something to fear in the woods? Despite mounting evidence, Mac fears ridicule and is reluctant to reveal that the myth might in fact be a terrifying reality. Complicating everything for him is Kris Walker, a gorgeous but ruthless television reporter bent on getting the story at any cost.

Joining the quest is an old Native American actor with a troubling secret: Ben Campbell has a mystical connection to the beast. And while Ben's link with this fearsome and intelligent being haunts his dreams and could spell his doom, it may also prove to be the only key to stopping this ferocious, inhuman killing machine. Can they end his deadly rampage before he destroys everything they hold dear?

Just when you thought it was safe to go into the woods . . . The Shadowkiller will give even the most hard-core skeptic a reason to think twice before going camping.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hansen (Confessions of an Enron Executive with Lynn Brewer) makes his fiction debut with a predictable thriller about the legendary North American ape-man Bigfoot. After a fire set by humans claims the lives of a male Bigfoot's family, the creature goes on a rampage of revenge, killing and devouring countless victims in the Pacific Northwest. The authorities first get a sense that something unusual is transpiring when several people disappear, and large, mysterious tracks are found in the vicinity. Three men with different agendas track the beast: Ty Greenwood, a former software mogul shunned after he earlier reported sighting a Bigfoot; Chief Ben Eagleclaw, a Native American actor with a spiritual connection to the creature; and sheriff's detective Mac Schneider, who first finds concrete physical traces of the rampaging animal. Light on science and full of gruesome violence, this isn't in the same league as Jurassic Park, Jaws or Philip Kerr's Esau, an intelligent speculation concerning Bigfoot's Asian cousin, the Abominable Snowman. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

You're forgiven if you think this novel is a spoof. Clearly designed to evoke Jaws-type responses, Hansen's tale of Bigfoot on the rampage features blood, gore, plucky heroes, hapless victims, and a great deal of silliness. First-time novelist Hansen believes in the existence of Bigfoot (although evidently, from his afterword, he does not know that the famous 1967 Patterson Bigfoot footage has been exposed as a hoax), and he really wants us to take the book seriously. Many scenes are well written, but overall the book is more reminiscent of Claws, a murderous-bear movie made a couple of years after Jaws: it has all the same basic ingredients, and it tries to be scary, but you can't really take it seriously. Although a failure as a serious thriller, the book is a rousing success as a campy, brainless, unintentionally humorous blend of adventure and horror--just the sort of thing that kids of an earlier era used to enjoy at the Saturday matinee. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1ST edition (January 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743294734
• ISBN-13: 978-0743294737
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #937,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars vividly grisly Bigfoot thriller, January 6, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Shadowkiller: A Novel (Hardcover)

In the Pacific Northwest people are vanishing with the only clue left behind being giant odd looking footsteps. Authorities are concerned as these disappearances are too many with the seemingly same modus operendi. Unknown to law enforcement is that a patriarchal Bigfoot came home to find his family dead from an inferno set by the uncaring humans; outraged he is on a mission of vengeance.

Sheriff Office detective Mac Schneider found the initial evidence that these abductions were not by Homo sapiens, but that of a large intelligent and angry beast. Two other men seek the creature. Ty Greenwood sees the happenings as a chance to prove his claim to have sighted Bigfoot that led to ridicule and his ruin. Native American Chief Ben Eagleclaw has a spiritual link to the Bigfoot. These three humans with differing reasons to "hunt" the berserker Bigfoot compete more than they team up to capture, kill or free the creature depending on their perspectives.

Fans who appreciate a vividly grisly Bigfoot thriller with little on the social, cultural or science of the species will appreciate this action-packed tale. The story line is fast-paced never pausing for a nanosecond as in graphic detail Bigfoot goes on a rampage that makes the Hulk look like a two year old. Clearly targeting the red meat crowd, readers who demand non-stop adventures will want to join the hunt for Bigfoot; those in the audience who want to know more of the Bigfoot culture should pass.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Does Bigfoot really exist?, February 7, 2007

By 

Christine Shaw "cms246" (Scranton, PA. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Shadowkiller: A Novel (Hardcover)

This is a story of the North American ape-man Bigfoot. This particular merciless, eleven foot, fourteen hundred pound creature is on a mission. A mission of revenge. Humans (keepers of the fire)allowed the fire to escape killing Bigfoot's entire tribe including his mate and cub. His travels take him to the forests of the Pacific Northwest where his reign of terror begins.
Ty Greenwood is employed by the National Forest Service. As a former software exec, Ty had become a very wealthy man and has tried to prove the existence of BF only to made out a fool and laughed at by his friends and the media. They cannot believe his story of BF chasing him three years ago in Idaho while on a camping trip. His wife, Ronnie, loves him very much but his obsession with this creature has got to end if their marriage is to last.
Mac Schneider, a police detective at the Snohomish County Sheriff's Department is another main character in the story. Mac came to this area after living and working as a detective in Los Angeles. He is paired with Det. Karl Carillo, a rough and tough former Marine. At the scene where two lawyers went missing, Mac discovers the largest footprint he has ever seen. Carillo thinks it is a hoax. Mac is not so sure but both agree to keep it quiet for a time.
Another character is Chief Ben Eagleclaw (a.k.a. Ben Campbell). Ben is seventy-nine years old and has been a movie star since returning from the South Pacific in 1946. Ben leaves the set of a movie in L.A. after a disturbing dream, one he has had many times over the years and heads home on a gut feeling. He feels this creature is out there and needs to finally confront it.
As people disappear with no clues left behind, the Sheriff's Office is baffled to say the least. Since Ty, Mac and Ben have all been chased by this monster and were lucky to have lived, they have a clue as to what is happening with those missing souls but who would believe them. They eventually team up and go hunting.
I picked this book up at the library but wasn't sure I would get to read it. After reading Chapter One, I could not put it down. I read the "afterword" section first since I knew next to nothing about Bigfoot. It's chilling to discover that these creatures possibly exist. Although many are said to be shy creatures, the one in this story is out for revenge and is merciless. The murder scenes are gory but well-written as is the remainder of the book. Chills ran down my spine when unsuspecting victims wandered into the woods unaware of the fate that awaited them. The author also allows us into the mind of this intelligent monster and see things from his perspective. Mr. Hansen's fictional debut has done it's job. I will think twice before I take a walk in a forest.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Bigfoot Thriller, October 25, 2011

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365andMe - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Shadowkiller: A Novel (MP3 CD)

Wonder if you were in the woods, camping and ran across Bigfoot. Also wonder if no one believed your story. This is exactly what happened to Tyler "Ty" Greenwood. Ty isn't just anyone either. He's respected, successful--making a fortune in the software industry. Problem is no one on the camping trip saw the creature and Ty like to pull stunts on his co-workers.

To prove he's not insane, Ty embarks on a mission to find this creature exists, which turns into an obsession. Not only is he not successful, the media has crucified him, making him look like a nutcase. Through all of this, his wife has stuck by him.

In time, Ty appears to have put this obsession behind him. He's only hidden it well, that is until the creature returns and the disappearances begin to mount. Ty quits his job to dedicate all of his time to finding this elusive creature, but his wife isn't prepared to go through this again.

Ty's wife might not believe, but he teams up with two who do. Ben Campbell, a native American Indian, who also had an encounter with the creature in his youth and Mac Schneider, who works for the county sheriff's office. He stumbles across evidence that makes him believe this killer isn't human.

Though a bit stereotypical, the cast of characters are life-like and engaging--even the reporter, Kris Walker. I found myself glued to my iPhone listening to the audio version of this book. William Dufris, a phenomenal narrator, added passion to an already gripping story.

I highly recommend this book for fans of the thriller genre who can stand a bit of gore with their action. It's the perfect Halloween read for adults.