Tucker was an insignificant townlet located in the middle of a swamp filled with alligators, snakes, Florida panthers, black bears, bobcats and sharks. One longtime citizen called it “the armpit of Louisiana.”

With only 300 full-time residents, Tucker was a sleepy little burg. The surrounding wetlands, however, were known for excellent fishing, birdwatching, frog gigging and gator hunting. 

Among cryptozoologists, the area was somewhat famous for being the home of an eight-foot-tall swamp ape and his alligator sidekick. Together, Swampus and Snapper ruled the bog with unbothered impunity for nearly 40 years. 

Stories of bipedal creatures in the swamps of Louisiana harkened back to the time of the Spanish and the French, said author Jeffrey B. Miley, and all of the stories inevitably contained a hint of voodoo and Cajun witchcraft. 

Was Swampus real? And, if so, was he the result of some kind of deviltry? That’s what Kevin Vince wanted to know. Vince was the executive producer for a popular reality TV show called Misled: Myths, Monsters and Mass Hysteria. It was his job to uncover the truth behind mythical creatures. 

Initially he had doubts about the veracity of the local legend, but that all changed when he caught a glimpse of the monster for himself. Green and spiky, Swampus was an ape-like beast with unexpected reptilian characteristics. There was no way evolution could have produced such an insane creature, he thought. 

Not only did Vince find a monster living in the Tucker swamp, he also found love. The owner of the town’s sole bed and breakfast, Cassie Anderson was a “breathtakingly beautiful southern belle.” Vince was smitten the moment he saw her. 

That’s not to say Ms. Anderson was charmed by the Hollywood producer right away. At first, she kept her distance. She was wary of a West Coast city slicker like Vince. As the two slowly got to know each other, their love story gave Swampus an emotional element often missing in similar monster novels. That’s a good thing in my opinion.

Another relationship worth mentioning was the one between Swampus and his herptile companion Snapper. These two swamp things shared a psychic bond that resembled something akin to friendship. It would have been adorable had the two creatures not ripped apart anything that set foot in their stillwater domain. 

In the end, the legend of Swampus turned out to be true. And yet nobody in Louisiana knew exactly what he was or where he came from. Was he a sasquatch from outer space? Or an overgrown green monkey? Maybe he was the offspring of a bear and an alligator? The author lets the cat out of the bag in the novel’s epilogue. His explanation is perfectly reasonable; but really, any explanation could’ve been possible. 

[ Swampus / By Jeffrey B. Miley / First Printing: June 2024 / ISBN: 9798324405144 ]