Book Review: Beasts Between the Rivers

Title: Beasts Between the Rivers

Author: Martin Groves

Published 2022

Amazon Purchase Information

Back in October, Theresa’s Haunted History and Spectral Research and Investigations both set up tables at the annual Wild and Weird Con, hosted by Joe Perdue, Ron Lanham, and the rest of the team over at Wild and Weird WV. The event, which was held at the Chief Logan State Park Lodge in Logan County, WV, was an absolutely stellar event full of awesome workshops, vendors, and of course, speakers.

During the presentation by the Hellbent Holler team, the audience got a special treat. Martin Groves, a retired police officer,  took the podium and shared his personal experience. I regret that I missed the first part of his talk, but I sat fascinated and heard the rest of his tale from his own perspective. He had a whole room packed full of enthralled guests hanging on his every word, as he told the story of an encounter with a group of Dogmen in the Land Between the Lakes region, back in the 1990′s. 

After the presentation, he handed out some free copies of his book, Beasts Between the Rivers and I am so grateful that I was able to receive a copy to add to my paranormal library. 

Beasts Between the Rivers is Martin’s account of the strange and horrifying events that he and his friend experienced while out turkey hunting in a secluded spot in the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in the 1990′s. I don’t want to share much of the story because I don’t want to give it away…but OMG. I had first heard Martin’s story earlier in the year when he was featured on the Small Town Monsters documentary, American Werewolves. Even in the documentary, it was apparent that Martin was sincere, and that this experience really affected him on a personal level. That sincerity also comes across in this book. It’s not a long book, but it’s an honest and thorough eyewitness account of what happened to Martin and his friend. 

Even if you’re on the skeptical side of encounters like this, I’d definitely recommend the book as it is a very personable, page-turning read. There are also plenty of full-colored photographs to help the reader really get a feel for where this happened. There’s also sketches, digital art, and diagrams as well, giving a nice, finished product that anyone in the cryptozoology field should read. 

I absolutely love this book, and I really applaud Martin for getting his story out there and making it accessible to so many people. While many of us will read this encounter and enjoy it as a spooky story, I think it’s important to remember that sharing this story and getting this information out there is important to understanding these obviously dangerous creatures. Yeah, it’s a fun read…but it could also save someone’s life. 

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