Maryland Sasquatch Massacre

by Ethan Richards

Ebenezer "Eerie Eb" Edwards is ready to hang up his rifle. After years in the military and security contracting, he's set on leaving his tactical profession behind and focusing full-time on podcasting. But when a lucrative final contract crosses his path, Eb agrees to one last mission—a search deep into the heart of Savage River State Forest for the missing sister of Cora Rhodes, a wealthy heiress with a fierce determination.

Cora's sister has disappeared into the remote, abandoned forest, and Cora will stop at nothing to find her. With Eb leading the way, they're joined by a band of mercenaries—each with their own specialties and reasons for taking on the job. Together, the team must navigate treacherous terrain, but it's not just the wilderness they have to survive. Something brutal and ancient lurks in the shadows—something far worse than they could have imagined.

This isn't just a search-and-rescue mission. It's a battle for survival against a creature long thought to be myth. As the team members fall one by one, Eb and Cora must rely on each other, pushing their limits as they confront a force of nature no one was prepared for.

In this action-packed thriller, will Eb's final mission be the one that costs him everything? Or will he and Cora survive The Maryland Sasquatch Massacre and uncover the truth about the horrors lurking in the forest?

164 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 27, 2024

Reviews

[Regina the Constant Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Kindle Unlimited

I’m definitely going into my monster 👹 era where books are concerned. My list on Kindle looks like B-Movie heaven. I’m hoping my future reads are better than this one though. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great either. The storyline was good, but because the book was broken up by chapters that were podcast interviews it didn’t flow seamlessly. I’d just start getting back into the story and it would go to an interview. I am open to trying another book by the author.

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read sooo many sasquatch/bigfoot/yeti books to date that I should probably be consulted on the cryptids by the scientific community. I think Ethan Richards really took his time here and crafted something that was a unique blend of plot and action. Most of these military-based stories are just nonstop firefights with the monsters and, again, this particular subgenre of horror is so oversaturated with similar ideas, that it's very rare to find one that stands out. But, again, I really enjoyed the story being broken up with our lead, Eerier Eb, and his podcast interviews. It gave some wonderful depth to the bigfoot and defined their behaviors using scientific evidence with experts weighing in. Despite them appearing as just bloodthirsty savages during the present-day moments of the book, the podcasts gave all of it well-defined purpose, not making them just these careless, dangerous things lurking in the woods. Aside from the evolved apes, Eb, also had some good depth to him and kept my interest throughout. Ultimately, this stood out a bit more than other similar concepts, but if you removed the podcasts, it was still just a basic military expedition into the wilderness that went awry. A good effort by the author that will win over anyone in need of a good bigfoot story.

[ExtraGravy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had just driven through this part of Maryland the week before I read a review by a GR friend, so the timing was good. The book sounded fun and light and worth a try. I got what I expected, so I wasn't disappointed. The writing quality was about what I expected. I liked the premise and wish the author had done more with the main character. He was supposed to be an expert on Sasquatch and his presence was because of his knowledge and skills, yet when the shit hit the fan his skills and knowledge were both absolutely useless. The character acted like he never knew what to do, at all. So all the build up of his knowledge of Sasquatch was pointless, since it did nothing.

I wasn't disappointed in the quality of the writing, I got what I expected, but I'm frustrated that the story itself didn't make use of the setup. Because of this I don't recommend this book for a palette cleanser or a fun action read - it serves neither purpose well.

[Leon Scheppink · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a bit getting used to this book. The main character divides his life between his job at a private security company and his true passion: making podcasts about everything weird. Sent out on a job to retrieve a missing girl, his group soon discovers there are indeed things out there that are inherently weird. The first part, getting to know the characters was a bit bland: I figured it was going to be a typical tale of the typical broad shouldered supermen, out on a mission. Then, the characters start to evolve, in a good way, and so does the story. At the end of almost each chapter, there is a short snippet of a radio interview or a part of the main character's broadcast, discussing topics close to the storyline, whether it's about animal behaviour in general, or more specifically about great apes. I actually found that quite original and it worked. There's also a certain backstory which, in my opinion, is left floating around a bit. There's a suggestion that it ties into the story, but the reader is kept wondering a bit. Still, it's an interesting and original approach I certainly can appreciate.

[Military Writers Society of America (MWSA)]

MWSA Review

In The Maryland Sasquatch Massacre, author Ethan Richards has given us a new look into the Sasquatch. Unbeknown to the outside world, a herd of these mythical creatures have found a home in the Savage River State Forest. Eerie Eb, our protagonist, and his team have been hired to find a young woman who has gone missing there.

Author Richards leads the reader along on the search while creating the most formidable environment. Bad weather, thick forests, and ominous sounds would have me dropping out of the search, but Eb and his team carry on. As the title suggests, the climax comes with multiple man versus Sasquatch battles. Who is really hunting who and who will survive become the obvious questions as the reader nears the end of the story. This is a book the avid horror reader or Sasquatch fan should enjoy.

Review by Bob Doerr (March 2025)

[Angie Page-Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I gave this 3.25 ⭐️. It’s a novella but took me 2 days to read. The author’s writing style was off for me. This could have been a great story if there was more character development and a better plan. Was the rich guy purposefully adding Sasquatch to this area? But then that plot line dropped. The main character Eb was grouchy but then fell into love and had a purpose? Just too flip flopping for me.

[Dana Wilkes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts are tedious to read

I did actually enjoy the story. The parts that were mostly at the beginning. A couple of times, some sentences were actually repeated. The flipping back and forth from present time to previous podcasts episodes was annoying. The main was interesting but simple. It's another unfriendly sasquatch that kills people. The main character did improve a lot through the story

[Robert Ruck · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good Bigfoot story

Very enjoyable story. A unique look at Bigfoot and really interesting philosophy of human evolution.

The story is exciting, scary, gory and believable. The hero and heroine are likable people.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves Bigfoot and cryptids.

[Tim Frost · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok

The story was ok. The characters were good. However, there were large gaps in the story. There just was not a sense of continuity. Several sections I had to read a couple times just to try to figure out what the author was trying to say.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a tough story for the sasquatch. Interesting characters fighting them. Some inconsistencies in the story, but nothing that interferes with the story. If you can withstand some blood and gore, I can recommend it.

[KATHLEEN CORTE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maryland Sasquatch

A fantastic, excellent book, the protagonist fantastic. The plot was exceptional. Had to read the very end could not put the book down. Please continue to write more books like this.

[henry smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good plenty of action. Not any of the super mocha crap that’s in a lot of these. I enjoyed it and couldn’t sop reading

[Norm S · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was all right, the encounters with the Sasguatch were good but far and in between. And jumping to excerpts from the podcast between chapters slowed the story down.

[Colleen Olestad · Rating 1 out of 5]

total garbage. waste of time.

I like reading about cryptids but this book stinks so bad it’s pathetic. Complete rubbish and a waste of time.

[Kara Bosher · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t get past the first chapter

Unfortunately, this book just seems to be a cut and paste AI story. Disappointing that little to no effort was made.