Reviewed by Stephen Fisher for Readers' Favorite

The Sasquatch Murder: A Love Story by Jeffery Viles is a remarkable story that takes place in the quaint town of Aurora, Washington. There is a brief prologue about the migration across the Bering Strait to what is now the Americas by the ancestors of humans and the legendary creatures that eventually became known as Big Foot/Sasquatch. Within sight of Mt. St. Helens, this story begins with Jake Holly out in the nearby forest with Split Log, his horse. Blaming the sudden rainstorm on El Nino, Jake and his horse take refuge under the protection of a huge Douglas Fir to weather out the storm. After nodding off, suddenly Jake is awakened by the sounds of heavy breathing, accompanied by a rustling in the bushes down below. Thinking that it might possibly be a bear, or worse, Jake grabs his rifle and as he points it in the general direction of the ruckus, he accidentally shoots and regrettably kills an animal. He then sees a second one fleeing with a wounded shoulder. When he investigates, he finds out that what he shot and killed was a large female Big Foot. He had interrupted a mating session. So Jake makes a makeshift rig to drag the carcass back to town. He calls his girlfriend Jessica to meet him and together they bring the body to the funeral home. A series of events includes a curious boy being scared by the hairy, wounded giant, while spying on the couple that is delivering the body to the funeral home. Jake and Jess contact her father, and by the next morning, with the help of the local sheriff, Jake is arrested for murder, and Jess makes her father arrest her as an accomplice. Thanks to young Billy, and unbeknownst to the rest of the town, rumors go viral overnight on the internet.

Mr. Viles does a remarkable job of telling this story and is able to bring the entire small town of Aurora to life with a huge cast of characters that frequent "Hee Haws," the local drinking establishment. The writing is precise and flawless. He is able to describe everything that is happening with Mt. St. Helen's volcanic activity ever present during the entire story. The cast of colorful characters, that range from local drunks to college kids, and everyone you can think of, makes this story so believable. They kind of reminded me of the cast of "Cheers!" The dialog from his diverse characters had me laughing out loud, and often. I found myself trying to guess what was going to happen in the next 24 hours as the international media was en route to this small town. I really loved everything about this story. And, yes, it is a love story on top of everything else. I want to read more from Jeffery Viles because The Sasquatch Murder rocks! I give this well told tale two thumbs up! Well done!