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Chupacabra Road Trip: One Man’s Hunt for Vampires
In 1995, the island nation of Puerto Rico was seized with mass hysteria over a new menace lurking in the rainforests gruesomely killing livestock, leaving strange holes in their necks and draining their bodies of blood. Described by eyewitnesses as a devilish creature three feet tall with spikes along its back and a mouth full of razor-sharp fangs, the strange animal was given the name Chupacabra—Spanish for "goat-sucker."
Join noted monster hunter Nick Redfern as he traverses the rugged backcountry of Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Texas, and together with his spirited crew, investigates the continuing legacy of this fearsome beast. Whether he's interviewing locals, analyzing physical evidence, or sorting out the facts from the legends, Nick's journey into the realm of the Chupacabra will make you wonder just what’s out there sucking blood in the night.
Join noted monster hunter Nick Redfern as he traverses the rugged backcountry of Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Texas, and together with his spirited crew, investigates the continuing legacy of this fearsome beast. Whether he's interviewing locals, analyzing physical evidence, or sorting out the facts from the legends, Nick's journey into the realm of the Chupacabra will make you wonder just what’s out there sucking blood in the night.
260 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2015
About the author
Nick Redfern
175 books231 followersNick Redfern is a British best-selling author, Ufologist and Cryptozoologist who has been an active advocate of official disclosure, and has worked to uncover thousands of pages of previously-classified Royal Air Force, Air Ministry and Ministry of Defence files on UFOs dating from the Second World War from the Public Record Office.
He has has appeared on a variety of television programmes in the UK and works on the lecture circuit, both in the UK and overseas, and has appeared in internationally syndicated shows discussing the UFO phenomenon. He is also a regular on the History Channel programs Monster Quest and UFO Hunters as well as National Geographic Channels's Paranormal and the SyFY channel's Proof Positive.
Redfern now lives in Texas and is currently working as a full-time author and journalist specializing in a wide range of unsolved mysteries, including Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, UFO sightings, government conspiracies, alien abductions and paranormal phenomena, and also works as a feature writer and contributing editor for Phenomena magazine and writes regularly for other magazines and websites.
In 2007 Universal Studios bought the rights to Redfern's book: "Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monster, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs and Ape-Men" in the hopes of making a movie from it.
He has has appeared on a variety of television programmes in the UK and works on the lecture circuit, both in the UK and overseas, and has appeared in internationally syndicated shows discussing the UFO phenomenon. He is also a regular on the History Channel programs Monster Quest and UFO Hunters as well as National Geographic Channels's Paranormal and the SyFY channel's Proof Positive.
Redfern now lives in Texas and is currently working as a full-time author and journalist specializing in a wide range of unsolved mysteries, including Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, UFO sightings, government conspiracies, alien abductions and paranormal phenomena, and also works as a feature writer and contributing editor for Phenomena magazine and writes regularly for other magazines and websites.
In 2007 Universal Studios bought the rights to Redfern's book: "Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monster, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs and Ape-Men" in the hopes of making a movie from it.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 27, 2019
Do chupacabra actually exist? I still have no clue after listening to this, but it's an interesting travelogue of one person's fascination with a notorious killer of goats and, even more so, chickens.
Mr. Redfern has visited Puerto Rico a number of times while on the trail of the goatsucker, especially to the El Yunque Rain Forest, the only true rain forest under the management of the US Forest Service. Why Puerto Rico? Because that's where the original reports of chupacabra came from and they're a very different type from those which have been reported on here in places like Texas and other parts of the SW. Puerto Rican chupacabras can have wings, unlike those reported upon in Texas, which look like hairless coyotes (or coyotes suffering from mange), short front limbs, spikes along their backs, long sharp teeth, and the ability to hop along on their hind legs like a kangaroo.
Cryptidz: Puerto Rican Chupacabra
A bit rambling and drawn out, full of conjecture and ponderings on things which no one can actually verify or prove, this is a nice diversion and I might listen to it again.
Mr. Redfern has visited Puerto Rico a number of times while on the trail of the goatsucker, especially to the El Yunque Rain Forest, the only true rain forest under the management of the US Forest Service. Why Puerto Rico? Because that's where the original reports of chupacabra came from and they're a very different type from those which have been reported on here in places like Texas and other parts of the SW. Puerto Rican chupacabras can have wings, unlike those reported upon in Texas, which look like hairless coyotes (or coyotes suffering from mange), short front limbs, spikes along their backs, long sharp teeth, and the ability to hop along on their hind legs like a kangaroo.
Cryptidz: Puerto Rican Chupacabra
A bit rambling and drawn out, full of conjecture and ponderings on things which no one can actually verify or prove, this is a nice diversion and I might listen to it again.
May 19, 2020
Get in, we’re headed out on a road trip with Nick Redfern in search of the legendary chupacabra. First stop is the rainforests of Puerto Rico where the mystery first started after that we’ll head over to Mexico and then up to the fields and pastures of Texas and Oklahoma. Prepare yourself we may be coming face to face with the before mentioned blood suckers but we will also meet up with jungle drug lords, fanatic blood cultists and all manners of the fringes of humanity but I promise you this will be one trip you won’t forget. Now sit back and let Nick take the wheel, we have a goat sucker to track down.
February 14, 2020
I really enjoyed this book at first. Then it got kinda hit and miss. After reading a few cryptozoology books I think I've realized the difference between the ones I liked the most and the others. I prefer more stories of the actual encounters. The stories of sightings or attacks in more detail. What they saw, where, how they reacted, how the creature reacted..... etc. I'm not as interested in the "my search for" whatever style books. They have more theory involved and a lot of the reading is their travels and the things done to solve the mystery of reality or other. I just prefer the actual stories as told by the people that witnessed these unexplained encounters. And I'm definitely NOT into the paranormal aspects constantly mentioned in some books. Overall this is a good book. Enjoyable, probably more so to some. It gives a good account of the authors personal experiences attempting to shed light on the subject. So if you're interested in Chupacabra, go for it. I'm going to search for a book that concentrates more on the actual accounts of attacks and sightings, if there's one to be found.
March 8, 2018
When I first started reading this I couldn't tell if the author was being serious or extremely facetious. The book starts off with the author stating Puerto Rico is infested with vampires, which is news to me since I didn't come across many when I was last on the island.
I remember my dad telling me weird stories on the chupacabra legend when I was growing up so I did appreciate the author actually traveling to the island to investigate the claims further and immersing into the culture. The book drags a little bit here and there, which is why I deducted two stars and it took him a while to get to the point. Some of the author's claims are really out there and a bit absurd, but I will give him this- his theories/conclusions on the chupacabra are fascinating
I definitely would recommend the book, but don't expect to be reading Pulitzer or Newbury award material. It was a fun read for entertainment and again his conclusions certainly did make me wonder further on the legend...it just took a while to get there.
I remember my dad telling me weird stories on the chupacabra legend when I was growing up so I did appreciate the author actually traveling to the island to investigate the claims further and immersing into the culture. The book drags a little bit here and there, which is why I deducted two stars and it took him a while to get to the point. Some of the author's claims are really out there and a bit absurd, but I will give him this- his theories/conclusions on the chupacabra are fascinating
I definitely would recommend the book, but don't expect to be reading Pulitzer or Newbury award material. It was a fun read for entertainment and again his conclusions certainly did make me wonder further on the legend...it just took a while to get there.
January 31, 2019
A fun adventure through the cryptozoological world of the chupacabra and what it might actually be. Whether or not you give any credence to any sort of unknown creature will probably influence how you enjoy this book but if you go in with an open mind, you will undoubtedly get swept up in Nick Redfern's enthusiasm for his favourite subject. He details his various road trips in search of the elusive beast and analyses the many and varied theories that seek to explain the mystery. Personally for me, considering the DNA evidence, a form of genetically mutated coyote (caused by pollution) makes a lot of sense - for the Texas chupacabra at least. It's anyone's guess what the heck is going on in Puerto Rico!!!
August 25, 2023
Nick Redfern is a great writer, I have several of his books. Like his others, this book is factual of the evidence, and the mysteries, and Nick always has his own interviews and travel experiences to add to the entertainment. And it has chupacabras!
October 5, 2017
Very interesting book that explored many of the sightings and theories of the Chupacabra.
October 24, 2025
I enjoyed this book when it was about eyewitness accounts and actual theories, not so much when it started talking about aliens and shapeshifters as if they were true possibilities.
May 2, 2026
Great book, thanks Nick!
September 29, 2020
A trip that takes many back roads and sidewinding paths through theories of the Chupacabra, along with plenty of drinking tales thrown in for good measure. As much of travel narrative as a working paranormal researcher as it is cryptozoological treatise on the folkloristic origins of the goat sucker. I appreciate Redfern’s open-minded yet skeptical approach.
July 16, 2015
Many thanks to NetGalley and Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my review.
Flipping through my digital copy before diving in, I'm already pleased to see: a mysterious sepia-toned cover, good typography with a fitting decorative text, photos throughout to give us a sense of the locations visited, a detailed Table of Contents, and an extensive bibliography. The book is divided into six parts: The Puerto Rican Monster, The Goat Sucker in the United States and Mexico, Chupacabra Conspiracies, Hunting Vampires, Hoaxes and Misidentification, & Theories and Final Words. Lest you think these headings too broad, beyond what the title promises, Redfern reminds us in the introduction that Chupacabra is Spanish for "goat sucker," named for the mysterious beast's ability to drain goats and other livestock of their blood. In other words, a type of vampire.
If you saw Syfy's episode of Proof Positive where Redfern and his colleague, Jon Downnes, were featured, this give you a behind-the scenes look.
Interesting historical facts and anecdotes are interspersed with the road-trip story. I hadn't known, for instance, that "In ancient Babylonian, Greek, and Persian lore, the peacock was seen as an immortal creature, on whose flesh was rumored never to decay, even after death." Readers familiar with Redfern will get to know more about his journeys and investigations. Readers interested in Chupacabra stories will learn about the beast in stories from around the world. If you're not already a Redfern fan, I expect you will be before reaching the end of this road trip.
Flipping through my digital copy before diving in, I'm already pleased to see: a mysterious sepia-toned cover, good typography with a fitting decorative text, photos throughout to give us a sense of the locations visited, a detailed Table of Contents, and an extensive bibliography. The book is divided into six parts: The Puerto Rican Monster, The Goat Sucker in the United States and Mexico, Chupacabra Conspiracies, Hunting Vampires, Hoaxes and Misidentification, & Theories and Final Words. Lest you think these headings too broad, beyond what the title promises, Redfern reminds us in the introduction that Chupacabra is Spanish for "goat sucker," named for the mysterious beast's ability to drain goats and other livestock of their blood. In other words, a type of vampire.
If you saw Syfy's episode of Proof Positive where Redfern and his colleague, Jon Downnes, were featured, this give you a behind-the scenes look.
Interesting historical facts and anecdotes are interspersed with the road-trip story. I hadn't known, for instance, that "In ancient Babylonian, Greek, and Persian lore, the peacock was seen as an immortal creature, on whose flesh was rumored never to decay, even after death." Readers familiar with Redfern will get to know more about his journeys and investigations. Readers interested in Chupacabra stories will learn about the beast in stories from around the world. If you're not already a Redfern fan, I expect you will be before reaching the end of this road trip.
September 30, 2015
Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/reviews/...
Although an avid fan of monsters, hauntings, and just about anything paranormal, I have to admit my knowledge of the chupacabra has always been limited. So when I was presented with the opportunity to read and review a book focusing on this mysterious beast, I immediately jumped at the opportunity.
Nick Redfern starred in several TV shows and documentaries and has now written a book about the chupacabra. He spent over ten years looking for the creature, and collected several eye witness accounts for documentaries, as well as investigated several theories. Since reading the book I’ve been planning to look up some of his documentaries but didn’t get around to it yet. Either way, the writing style is fluent and easy to read. The author details ten years of investigation chronologically and then expands upon several theories. Is the chupacabra an alien? A mythological creature? A diseased version of an animal we know? A dinosaur that survived? A genetic mutation by the government? A genetic mutation that happened purely by accident? Or is it something else? All theories are explored and investigated.
The author also provided some photographs, and makes the distinction between the Texas chupacabra and the Puerto Rico chupacabra, which I thought was a good insight. Chupacabra Road Trip had some humor too, and overall it was a pleasant read on the topic and I learned a lot about chupacabras (maybe even more than I had ever hoped to learn!).
Although an avid fan of monsters, hauntings, and just about anything paranormal, I have to admit my knowledge of the chupacabra has always been limited. So when I was presented with the opportunity to read and review a book focusing on this mysterious beast, I immediately jumped at the opportunity.
Nick Redfern starred in several TV shows and documentaries and has now written a book about the chupacabra. He spent over ten years looking for the creature, and collected several eye witness accounts for documentaries, as well as investigated several theories. Since reading the book I’ve been planning to look up some of his documentaries but didn’t get around to it yet. Either way, the writing style is fluent and easy to read. The author details ten years of investigation chronologically and then expands upon several theories. Is the chupacabra an alien? A mythological creature? A diseased version of an animal we know? A dinosaur that survived? A genetic mutation by the government? A genetic mutation that happened purely by accident? Or is it something else? All theories are explored and investigated.
The author also provided some photographs, and makes the distinction between the Texas chupacabra and the Puerto Rico chupacabra, which I thought was a good insight. Chupacabra Road Trip had some humor too, and overall it was a pleasant read on the topic and I learned a lot about chupacabras (maybe even more than I had ever hoped to learn!).
February 1, 2016
I met Nick many years ago right after he'd returned from a Chupacabra excursion and have been waiting for this book since. I'm not disappointed. It truly is a road trip account of one man's hunt for a mysterious creature and all that goes with such a quest. There is action, adventure, danger and, yes, some weird goings-on that may or may not be the result of some strange creature lurking in the darkness.
It's a good time and highly recommended.
It's a good time and highly recommended.
May 19, 2016
Interesting Read
Mr. Redfern is well known for his books on the paranormal and Fortean and he is so prolific that it is hard to keep track of what his newest work is. This book is a great introduction to the chupacabra subject and Mr. Redfern's extensive field work gives the reader a chance to explore this curious subject in some depth.
Mr. Redfern is well known for his books on the paranormal and Fortean and he is so prolific that it is hard to keep track of what his newest work is. This book is a great introduction to the chupacabra subject and Mr. Redfern's extensive field work gives the reader a chance to explore this curious subject in some depth.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews