Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World's Most Elusive Creatures

by Benjamin Radford, Joe Nickell

Winner of the 2007 Gray's Lake FCBC Book Award

For centuries, eyewitnesses around the world―from America to Africa, Argentina to Scotland―have reported sightings of dark, mysterious creatures in area lakes that surface briefly, only to quickly disappear. While the most famous lake monsters of Loch Ness and Lake Champlain have gained international notoriety, hundreds of lakes around the world are said to shelter these shadowy creatures. Lake Monster Mysteries is the first book to examine these widespread mysteries from a scientific perspective. By using exhaustive research and results from firsthand investigations to help separate truth from myth, the authors foster our understanding of what really lurks in the cold, murky depths.

Benjamin Radford and Joe Nickell are considered to be among the top lake monster authorities in the world. Here they share unique insights into many of the world's best-known lake monsters. They interview witnesses and local experts and discuss the different types of lake monster sightings, delve into possible explanations for those sightings, and examine hoaxes, evidence claims, and legends surrounding the monsters. The authors have also conducted groundbreaking fieldwork and experiments at the lakes and have examined recent photographic and sonar evidence. Incorporating newly-revealed information and up-to-date developments in the cases they present, professional monster hunters Radford and Nickell plunge into both the cultural histories of these creatures and the scientific inquiries that may hold the key to these mysteries.

Genres: Cryptozoology, Nonfiction, Science, Cryptids

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Benjamin Radford is deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer science magazine and a Research Fellow with the non-profit educational organization the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He has written thousands of articles on a wide variety of topics, including urban legends, the paranormal, critical thinking, and media literacy. He is author of nine books: Hoaxes, Myths, and Manias: Why We Need Critical Thinking (with sociologist Robert E. Bartholomew); Media Mythmakers: How Journalists, Activists, and Advertisers Mislead Us, examining the ways in which deception is used in various media to influence decision making and public policy; Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World’s Most Elusive Creatures (with Joe Nickell), a scientific examination of lake monsters around the world; Scientific Paranormal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries; and Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore; The Martians Have Landed! A History of Media-Driven Panics and Hoaxes (with Bob Bartholomew); Mysterious New Mexico: Miracles, Magic, and Monsters in the Land of Enchantment (Winner of the 2015 Southwest Book Award); and Bad Clowns, as well as a novel titled The Merchant of Dust. His newest book is "Investigating Ghosts: The Scientific Search for Spirits." It is the first book to examine the history, culture, methods, and folklore of ghost investigation, from Victorian-era Spiritualists to modern-day TV ghost hunters.

Radford has an undergraduate degree in psychology and a graduate degree in education. He is a regular columnist for LiveScience.com, Discovery News, Skeptical Inquirer magazine, and the Skeptical Briefs newsletter. Radford regularly speaks at universities, colleges, and conferences across the country and has appeared on the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, the National Geographic Channel, the Learning Channel, CBC, BBC, CNN, and other networks with three letters. He also served as a consultant for the MTV series The Big Urban Myth Show and an episode of the CBS crime drama CSI.

Reviews

[Cody Zeller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. The audio version was kind of dry, but easy to follow. The authors went out and researched and interviewed many eyewitnesses. They tried to attack these legends with science and it was very well done. This book doesn't try to make you believe it just looks at these myths and tries to give a scientific explanation. Overall a good read and a good history lesson on lake monster phenomena.

[Seraphical · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated reading a book on lake monsters that didn't fall into either extreme of "unknown creatures and the people who believe in them are stupid" or "anything ANYONE says about lake monsters must be true." Approaching various creatures from the perspective of genuine scientific inquiry was great!

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

The oddest book about otters I have ever read. I'm almost certain the word otter appears more in the book than lake monster. The examination is done well, but it is clear early that otter is going to be the answer to everything. This made the book a dull read.

[Miles Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really worthwhile book that’s both scholarly and willing to deal with the cryptid community in good faith.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In summary, it's never a lake monster. It's always otters.

[Jewels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usually I'm the type of person who likes to believe that there's still a bit of mystery to the world. However, I can definitely see the worth of skeptics. Following the evidence and not swaying to either side of believers or non-believers, Mr. Radford and his co-hunters did a credible job of going over the accumulated stories, photos, and other proof given towards the physical existence of these cryptids. I also like how they rebuffed some of the less credible evidence with class. They gave credit to the people that believed they had seen something. They also gave high praise to other writers/investigators that they called out on items that didn't make sense to them, stating that they held them to a higher standard. It was a good volume of research into a phenomenon that draws a lot of tourist dollars and hoaxers, and hopefully it will open some eyes so that research can be properly done to either prove or disprove the existence of the lake monsters in a credible manner.

[Chanchal · Rating 2 out of 5]

An honest look into the monster myths across the globe. The book is a bit of a lag and can be boring at times.