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Alec Kerley and the Monster Hunters #1
Alec Kerley and the Terror of Bigfoot
"Alec Kerley and the Terror of Bigfoot" is an upper middle grade/young adult inspirational monster novel. 50,000 words, 22 chapters. Parental guidance is suggested. It is a legitimately scary story and a great read for all ages - middle graders, teens, and adults.
Is the legendary Bigfoot real?
Twelve year-old Alec Kerley finds out, in an adventure he’ll never forget!
Alec’s mom died six months ago, and his world is upside down. Now, it’s just Alec and his dad, alone, together but apart.
Making matters worse, Alec has discovered that his dad works for a secret government agency that investigates monsters – real, living, breathing monsters! When Alec joined his dad and the Gonzalezes, longtime family friends of the Kerleys, on what he thought was a short getaway to the Branson, Missouri area, he and his best friend Ken Gonzalez – along with Ken’s sister Sarah and her pretty friend Emily – expected to stay in cabins with a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi. What they got instead was a close encounter with a wiggly kid named Ethan Elvis Edgar, who breaks wind whenever he gets scared, and a terrifying attack by a group of the fabled Bigfoots, who are not happy the vacationers are there.
And what Alec learns through his experience is that faith and hope and healing can be found in the most unexpected places – even in the midst of the Terror of Bigfoot.
Is the legendary Bigfoot real?
Twelve year-old Alec Kerley finds out, in an adventure he’ll never forget!
Alec’s mom died six months ago, and his world is upside down. Now, it’s just Alec and his dad, alone, together but apart.
Making matters worse, Alec has discovered that his dad works for a secret government agency that investigates monsters – real, living, breathing monsters! When Alec joined his dad and the Gonzalezes, longtime family friends of the Kerleys, on what he thought was a short getaway to the Branson, Missouri area, he and his best friend Ken Gonzalez – along with Ken’s sister Sarah and her pretty friend Emily – expected to stay in cabins with a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi. What they got instead was a close encounter with a wiggly kid named Ethan Elvis Edgar, who breaks wind whenever he gets scared, and a terrifying attack by a group of the fabled Bigfoots, who are not happy the vacationers are there.
And what Alec learns through his experience is that faith and hope and healing can be found in the most unexpected places – even in the midst of the Terror of Bigfoot.
- GenresFantasy
308 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 15, 2013
62 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Tanner
11 books7 followersDouglas Tanner lives in North Carolina with his wife, son, two daughters, and a small Schnoodle named Snuffleupagus (Snuffy for short). He has been writing since fifth grade when he began sharing his stories with friends.
He studied at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri and Labette Community College in Parsons, Kansas, and has been a lead vocalist in rock bands; a radio DJ and news director; and a provisioning analyst and team leader with Sprint in Kansas City.
Doug's first adult novel, "Beyond the Void Darkly", a Christian time travel romance, is now available.
His initial book, a creative non-fiction self-help manual entitled "A Truly Successful Life: Ten Principles for a Life of Meaning and Purpose," was published in 2008. He followed up with a middle grade/young adult series of inspirational horror novels; "Alec Kerley and the Terror of Bigfoot" (2013), "Alec Kerley and the Wrath of the Vampire" (2013), and "Alec Kerley and the Roar of the Dinosaur" (2014). The fourth book in the series, "Alec Kerley and the Revenge of the Werewolf", is due to be published in October 2016.
He studied at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri and Labette Community College in Parsons, Kansas, and has been a lead vocalist in rock bands; a radio DJ and news director; and a provisioning analyst and team leader with Sprint in Kansas City.
Doug's first adult novel, "Beyond the Void Darkly", a Christian time travel romance, is now available.
His initial book, a creative non-fiction self-help manual entitled "A Truly Successful Life: Ten Principles for a Life of Meaning and Purpose," was published in 2008. He followed up with a middle grade/young adult series of inspirational horror novels; "Alec Kerley and the Terror of Bigfoot" (2013), "Alec Kerley and the Wrath of the Vampire" (2013), and "Alec Kerley and the Roar of the Dinosaur" (2014). The fourth book in the series, "Alec Kerley and the Revenge of the Werewolf", is due to be published in October 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 18, 2013
I received this book free in return of an honest review.
The Good...
Even though this book isn't categorized as a mystery, there are some decent misdirections in a couple scenes, which is something I look for in any good story. And there's some good use of tension between civilians and military.
Also, while Part 1 of this book is rather predictable and not as entertaining as I had hoped, in Part 2 the story picks up and gets interesting. Alec's struggle to understand and accept the loss of a parent and the existence of a loving God is woven very well through the story, though it really shines best in Part 2. In fact, the scene between Alec and the old Sasquatch in the second part of the book was wonderfully poignant and well-written.
The Not-so-good...
As I mentioned earlier, the story is rather predictable and often contains too much detail about things that have only a passing need to the story. I'm a firm believer that research should be iceberg-like or it bogs everything down. Also, as so often happens, the prologue was unnecessary. It ended up making the story confusing later.
At times it felt like there was an ensemble cast where everyone must have screen time/dialogue because their contracts dictated it rather than a group of people dealing with a bizarre and terrifying situation. I also wonder if all the characters are necessary. For instance, neither Emily nor Sarah brought any specific skills or information into the story that couldn't have been combined into one character. Also, there were certain characteristics of the cast, such as anxious farting, that ended up being distractions during what would have otherwise been intense, dramatic scenes.
Lastly, the segue into the next book seemed a bit clumsy. The existence of vampires is mentioned a couple times and one character claims, after a particularly intense scene, that she sees a man standing in the distance. This is the only introduction there is to Benjamin the Vampire before he literally drops into the climactic scene. Unfortunately, having the characters suddenly facing a vampire after all the conflict they've had with Sasquatch through the rest of the book, only serves to derail what could have been a fabulous, heart-wrenching climax.
The Overall...
Alec Kerley and the Terror of Bigfoot (Book One of the Monster Hunters Series) by Douglas Tanner is a decent book, but I would suggest skipping the Prologue and skimming Part 1 to get to the better written Part 2. This could be a good book for a child trying to understand the loss of a parent or simply wrestling with the idea that God exists and cares for all of creation.
The Good...
Even though this book isn't categorized as a mystery, there are some decent misdirections in a couple scenes, which is something I look for in any good story. And there's some good use of tension between civilians and military.
Also, while Part 1 of this book is rather predictable and not as entertaining as I had hoped, in Part 2 the story picks up and gets interesting. Alec's struggle to understand and accept the loss of a parent and the existence of a loving God is woven very well through the story, though it really shines best in Part 2. In fact, the scene between Alec and the old Sasquatch in the second part of the book was wonderfully poignant and well-written.
The Not-so-good...
As I mentioned earlier, the story is rather predictable and often contains too much detail about things that have only a passing need to the story. I'm a firm believer that research should be iceberg-like or it bogs everything down. Also, as so often happens, the prologue was unnecessary. It ended up making the story confusing later.
At times it felt like there was an ensemble cast where everyone must have screen time/dialogue because their contracts dictated it rather than a group of people dealing with a bizarre and terrifying situation. I also wonder if all the characters are necessary. For instance, neither Emily nor Sarah brought any specific skills or information into the story that couldn't have been combined into one character. Also, there were certain characteristics of the cast, such as anxious farting, that ended up being distractions during what would have otherwise been intense, dramatic scenes.
Lastly, the segue into the next book seemed a bit clumsy. The existence of vampires is mentioned a couple times and one character claims, after a particularly intense scene, that she sees a man standing in the distance. This is the only introduction there is to Benjamin the Vampire before he literally drops into the climactic scene. Unfortunately, having the characters suddenly facing a vampire after all the conflict they've had with Sasquatch through the rest of the book, only serves to derail what could have been a fabulous, heart-wrenching climax.
The Overall...
Alec Kerley and the Terror of Bigfoot (Book One of the Monster Hunters Series) by Douglas Tanner is a decent book, but I would suggest skipping the Prologue and skimming Part 1 to get to the better written Part 2. This could be a good book for a child trying to understand the loss of a parent or simply wrestling with the idea that God exists and cares for all of creation.
April 29, 2018
Excellent
I enjoyed this book very, very much. I may be an old lady and this story is for young folks, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend it to and for all ages. I hope you like it too. Happy Reading.
I enjoyed this book very, very much. I may be an old lady and this story is for young folks, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend it to and for all ages. I hope you like it too. Happy Reading.
September 14, 2025
About:
Three families and their kids go out for camping in the Ozark Mountains, where they encounter territorial Bigfoot and something more sinister
Review:
I've been wanting to read a book about cryptids for a while now and saw this for free on Amazon. It reads about middle grade level and is fast-paced. I liked the bigfoot encounters. They were thrilling, fun, and interesting. I didn't like that there were so many characters, though, especially one where his personality is just to toot... I know the book is for kids, but it really annoyed me.
The twist towards the end felt like it came out of nowhere, and I had to stop reading to let out my frustration. I thought I was going to be reading only about Bigfoot, not something else that kinda jumped in at the last second.
*slight spoiler* I would have preferred an ending where they encounter the bigfoot that was seriously injured in the eye and have some closure.
Overall, the book was an alright read, and I might go on to read the next one.
Notes:
- contains some violence
- be ready for much flatulence
- some religious talk
Three families and their kids go out for camping in the Ozark Mountains, where they encounter territorial Bigfoot and something more sinister
Review:
I've been wanting to read a book about cryptids for a while now and saw this for free on Amazon. It reads about middle grade level and is fast-paced. I liked the bigfoot encounters. They were thrilling, fun, and interesting. I didn't like that there were so many characters, though, especially one where his personality is just to toot... I know the book is for kids, but it really annoyed me.
The twist towards the end felt like it came out of nowhere, and I had to stop reading to let out my frustration. I thought I was going to be reading only about Bigfoot, not something else that kinda jumped in at the last second.
*slight spoiler* I would have preferred an ending where they encounter the bigfoot that was seriously injured in the eye and have some closure.
Overall, the book was an alright read, and I might go on to read the next one.
Notes:
- contains some violence
- be ready for much flatulence
- some religious talk
October 1, 2018
Great story about Bigfoot. Couldn't put it down. Loved the details of the foot print. Very well written.
I would recommend this book for the young and old! Great story line! Grips you until the very last page!!
I would recommend this book for the young and old! Great story line! Grips you until the very last page!!
August 19, 2019
Enjoyed it!
I really enjoyed the book! Can't wait to read more of Alec's adventures and any other .books by Douglas Tanner
I really enjoyed the book! Can't wait to read more of Alec's adventures and any other .books by Douglas Tanner
September 2, 2019
This was a great start to a series! It was entertaining and threw new light on Bigfoot theories.
May 21, 2013
ALEC KERLEY AND THE TERROR OF BIGFOOT by Douglas Tanner is an interesting children's books/science fiction/fantasy/magic. #1 of "The Monster Hunters" series. Fast paced story of Bigfoot,grief,loss,friendship,faith,hope and most of all love. Oh yeah,a vampire too. Young and old readers alike are sure to enjoy this tale of monsters,and healing. Follow,Alex Kerley,his father,and their friends the Gonzalezes to
Branson, Missouri. What a delightful story. I can hardly wait to see what Alex and his friends get up to next. I would recommend this title to anyone who enjoys tales of monsters,family and friendship. Received for an honest review from the author.
RATING: 4.5
HEAT RATING: NONE(CHILDREN'S)
REVIEWED BY: AprilR,Review courtesy of My Book Addiction and More
Branson, Missouri. What a delightful story. I can hardly wait to see what Alex and his friends get up to next. I would recommend this title to anyone who enjoys tales of monsters,family and friendship. Received for an honest review from the author.
RATING: 4.5
HEAT RATING: NONE(CHILDREN'S)
REVIEWED BY: AprilR,Review courtesy of My Book Addiction and More
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews