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Hunting Snipe: and Other Notes on the East Texas Cattle Mutilations
"A series of strange cattle deaths forever change the lives of a private investigator, a married paranormal podcast duo, and a struggling father on a path to redemption. Hunting Snipe uses news articles, podcast transcripts, text message threads, a private investigator’s burned journal, and more to tell the story of true events that occurred across multiple East Texas counties in 2023. But don’t go hunting for the truth if you ain’t ready to find it."
"Paul Avery Tindol is working with some strong magic in his book Hunting Snipe. Is it true crime? Not really. It’s truer than that. Is it horror? Not exactly. It’s more horrific. If you read it to the end, you can close the book and put it away, but it will get beneath your skin and live there. You won’t even be able to cut it out."
-Tim Bryant, author of Dutch Curridge and Bywater
"Paul Avery Tindol is working with some strong magic in his book Hunting Snipe. Is it true crime? Not really. It’s truer than that. Is it horror? Not exactly. It’s more horrific. If you read it to the end, you can close the book and put it away, but it will get beneath your skin and live there. You won’t even be able to cut it out."
-Tim Bryant, author of Dutch Curridge and Bywater
- GenresHorror
207 pages, ebook
Published April 30, 2024
16 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
About the author
Paul Avery Tindol
8 books47 followersPaul Avery Tindol is an East Texas horror author. Paul has been writing stories since he could pick up a pencil, and obsessed with all things spooky since his babysitter showed him A Nightmare on Elm Street. His known works include Hunting Snipe: and Other Notes on the East Texas Cattle Mutilations, This House Will Never Be Warm, There's Something Upstairs, and In The Pines, as well as multiple short stories that's have also been featured on podcasts like Creepy, NoSleep, and Someone Just Like You.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
July 15, 2024
I bought this one on a whim after seeing someone post about it online, and it ended up being a super enjoyable book.
Hunting Snipe is a fictional story that takes place during the real life events of the East Texas Cattle Mutilations in 2023. I love the X-Files but have a terrible time finding a decent Alien book. This one, however, really hit the spot!
Hunting Snipe is well written with interesting, flawed characters and lots of creepy happenings. I'll be on the look out for more from this author.
5 flayed cow heads.
Hunting Snipe is a fictional story that takes place during the real life events of the East Texas Cattle Mutilations in 2023. I love the X-Files but have a terrible time finding a decent Alien book. This one, however, really hit the spot!
Hunting Snipe is well written with interesting, flawed characters and lots of creepy happenings. I'll be on the look out for more from this author.
5 flayed cow heads.
January 20, 2025
Can you imagine being attacked by hay bales? No? Well, you can after reading this one. Cows turning up dead left and right with inexplicable wounds. That can only mean one thing, right? Unless..
Right, one of those stories and not a bad one either. It quickly gains momentum when different storylines meet each other early on, short chapters and epistolary segments (a podcast, PI reports, newspaper clippings, etc.) keep it going and the build-up and timing of the eerie stuff, well, I thought it was quite effective.
Granted, it doesn't have a punch or anything like that, not really, but it doesn't have dead pages either. I enjoyed it all the way through. And, you know, attacking hay bales. Hay bales. Attacking.
Right, one of those stories and not a bad one either. It quickly gains momentum when different storylines meet each other early on, short chapters and epistolary segments (a podcast, PI reports, newspaper clippings, etc.) keep it going and the build-up and timing of the eerie stuff, well, I thought it was quite effective.
Granted, it doesn't have a punch or anything like that, not really, but it doesn't have dead pages either. I enjoyed it all the way through. And, you know, attacking hay bales. Hay bales. Attacking.
June 22, 2024
Wow! Talk about a story that will give you nightmares! This was so well put together, it truly felt at times like I was reading a nonfiction account of the events that occurred.
Tindol’s book outlines a series of animal mutilations and human disappearances in Texas through first hand interviews, police and news reports, podcasts, and more. Spliced amongst these is the realtime POV of some of the main characters.
This story made me so tense the whole time I was reading. It was certainly creepy and many of the bizarre encounters gave me goosebumps. Malevolent Aliens definitely rank in the top scariest things that go bump in the night in my opinion. This is a must-read tale for anyone who feels the same way.
Tindol’s book outlines a series of animal mutilations and human disappearances in Texas through first hand interviews, police and news reports, podcasts, and more. Spliced amongst these is the realtime POV of some of the main characters.
This story made me so tense the whole time I was reading. It was certainly creepy and many of the bizarre encounters gave me goosebumps. Malevolent Aliens definitely rank in the top scariest things that go bump in the night in my opinion. This is a must-read tale for anyone who feels the same way.
July 3, 2025
A great idea, blending non-fic and fiction together, with a mix of media used. But it is poorly executed. Corny dialogue, a confusing amount of bad sex scenes and sex-obsessed characters,and a bit of a mess of an ending. I think the author is going for less-is-more, but gives us too much of some things and not nearly enough of others. Some good scenes and moments but too few and far between.
May 21, 2024
This book was a super wild ride from start to finish. And I loved every bit of it.
From gross descriptions of cow mutilations to conspiracy theories, this book is chocked full of horror and sci-fi.
I love how the book consisted of more than just your average chapters. It had text conversations, podcast excerpts, newspaper articles, etc in it which made it that much more intriguing to see that side of things, too.
I enjoyed the writing tremendously. Paul’s ability to write a phenomenal story and pull you in with his eye for details and descriptions will truly get you invested into this book.
Being able to follow different characters was one of my favorite things about this. I always love to see different sides of the story. It deepens the experience for me as a reader and Paul did a fantastic job writing them.
If you love a book with horrific alien invasions and some good old fashioned conspiracy theories, I cannot recommend this book enough.
From gross descriptions of cow mutilations to conspiracy theories, this book is chocked full of horror and sci-fi.
I love how the book consisted of more than just your average chapters. It had text conversations, podcast excerpts, newspaper articles, etc in it which made it that much more intriguing to see that side of things, too.
I enjoyed the writing tremendously. Paul’s ability to write a phenomenal story and pull you in with his eye for details and descriptions will truly get you invested into this book.
Being able to follow different characters was one of my favorite things about this. I always love to see different sides of the story. It deepens the experience for me as a reader and Paul did a fantastic job writing them.
If you love a book with horrific alien invasions and some good old fashioned conspiracy theories, I cannot recommend this book enough.
July 21, 2025
I had so much fun with this book. It really creeped me out and brought some much needed fresh air into alien horror. Did a buddy read of this with my sister and we both had a great time talking about this together.
March 9, 2025
This ‘are-they-really-out-there-no-they’re-here (maybe)’ kind of X-files horror story was absolutely compelling right from the start and didn’t let up. Written in a kind of ‘dossier’ format (podcasts, damaged journals, news articles) paired with narrative, the format keeps you fully engaged and entirely guessing. The plot seems like a good old fashioned x-files episode but thoroughly modernized.
Mutilated cattle are being found in very disparate places in east Texas, precisely defaced and defiled. A child goes missing, comes back, goes missing again. Perfectly normal people suddenly erupt into the most violent behaviour… Podcasters theorize and the MiB are creeping on the periphery… all of these pieces perfectly dovetail into a cohesive whole.
And just when you think the wild ride is really “out there” you dig a bit and find out that it’s based on actual, real events from 2023.
Tindol does such a good job of bringing fictional characters to authentic life that it’s easy to believe they are ALL real people. He skillfully blurs the lines between fiction and actual reported events that I was absolutely thrilled to be so completely unsure (and therefore so Very Very Uneasy) and thoroughly beguiled by what I was reading.
Mutilated cattle are being found in very disparate places in east Texas, precisely defaced and defiled. A child goes missing, comes back, goes missing again. Perfectly normal people suddenly erupt into the most violent behaviour… Podcasters theorize and the MiB are creeping on the periphery… all of these pieces perfectly dovetail into a cohesive whole.
And just when you think the wild ride is really “out there” you dig a bit and find out that it’s based on actual, real events from 2023.
Tindol does such a good job of bringing fictional characters to authentic life that it’s easy to believe they are ALL real people. He skillfully blurs the lines between fiction and actual reported events that I was absolutely thrilled to be so completely unsure (and therefore so Very Very Uneasy) and thoroughly beguiled by what I was reading.
October 19, 2024
I of course had to check this out aftet having read This House Will Never be Warm.
Which was fire 😂 if you read my review of it.
And while this was on my tbr, i saw Paul has some absolutely killer merch for this one, and I cannot wear merch for something I have not enjoyed, so clearly off I go.
So glad I did.
This was horror scifi at ita absolute freaking best, this cover in my own mind is Mulder and Sculley and I do not care to change my mind lol.
I really enjoyed the different media, podcasts, news journals, even burned items, it was just a little like an adventure for me too, I wasn't just rereading it, I was also a Private Eye, which is a secret dream of mine.
This was fun but I don't mean not scary, I mean I just enjoyed how this story rolled out and it was very different from everything else that seems to be out there.
What will my next Paul book be next?
Not sure but I need a shirt now.
Which was fire 😂 if you read my review of it.
And while this was on my tbr, i saw Paul has some absolutely killer merch for this one, and I cannot wear merch for something I have not enjoyed, so clearly off I go.
So glad I did.
This was horror scifi at ita absolute freaking best, this cover in my own mind is Mulder and Sculley and I do not care to change my mind lol.
I really enjoyed the different media, podcasts, news journals, even burned items, it was just a little like an adventure for me too, I wasn't just rereading it, I was also a Private Eye, which is a secret dream of mine.
This was fun but I don't mean not scary, I mean I just enjoyed how this story rolled out and it was very different from everything else that seems to be out there.
What will my next Paul book be next?
Not sure but I need a shirt now.
October 20, 2024
Hunting Snipe scratched a serious itch on two fronts, elements of horror that I can’t seem to find enough of: extra terrestrials, and epistolary (podcast transcripts, journals, text messages). It’s a deceptively complex and immersive story too, masterfully weaving multiple povs, seemingly unrelated events, genuinely creepy moments, and multi-dimensional characters, then tying it all together to deliver a satisfying ending. All in about 200 pages. I loved it.
January 31, 2025
This book is so well done. The found footage format, interspersed with the narrative, worked very well. The book is creepy from the jump, with some genuinely unsettling moments sprinkled throughout. It should be obvious from the title, but massive trigger warning for animal harm. 4.25 stars
December 22, 2024
Thank you to the author and the publisher or publishers for all your hard work! I'm leaving this review voluntarily and happily! Take a look!
I enjoyed this book more than most of the books i have this year, and I'll tell you why. This kind, KIND right here when it's got media and more involved in the book, is what really gets me going in a book. Not only that, this was actually based on real events, and that's so much scarier. Of course, I'm not saying the characters and all that happens in this book. No, but some of the information is actually true, and it's scary. Another thing that i love is all the conspiracy and what ifs. With the government telling us aliens are, in fact, real now, what's to say things like this aren't actually happening and the government isn't covering it all up? It's definitely something I'm thinking about.
Filled with different media types and such, we are sent on a journey through cow mutilations and different individual disappearances. Not only that, we go through the tale of different lives and how they are affected by how strange things go on in their lives and with a possible killer on the loose? No one really knows what's going on out there. What's really going on, and will you be able to handle the truth once you find out?
I wish there were more books out there like this as I absolutely love them. They are unique, and I just love reading them to explore the different kinds of way the author uses media in their books. Take a look at this if you love atmospheric, chills, and definitely a terror of the mind.
I enjoyed this book more than most of the books i have this year, and I'll tell you why. This kind, KIND right here when it's got media and more involved in the book, is what really gets me going in a book. Not only that, this was actually based on real events, and that's so much scarier. Of course, I'm not saying the characters and all that happens in this book. No, but some of the information is actually true, and it's scary. Another thing that i love is all the conspiracy and what ifs. With the government telling us aliens are, in fact, real now, what's to say things like this aren't actually happening and the government isn't covering it all up? It's definitely something I'm thinking about.
Filled with different media types and such, we are sent on a journey through cow mutilations and different individual disappearances. Not only that, we go through the tale of different lives and how they are affected by how strange things go on in their lives and with a possible killer on the loose? No one really knows what's going on out there. What's really going on, and will you be able to handle the truth once you find out?
I wish there were more books out there like this as I absolutely love them. They are unique, and I just love reading them to explore the different kinds of way the author uses media in their books. Take a look at this if you love atmospheric, chills, and definitely a terror of the mind.
January 6, 2025
Wow. This quick read was an absolutely enthralling, unique, horrifying experience from the first page (no, quite literally, from the prologue).
Truly filled with all the best horror has to offer: an underlying disturbing eerieness that never seems to lift, spindly shadow forms that move unnaturally in peripheral, gory descriptions of sick mutilations and brain matter on steel bats, and ultimately the all-encompassing fear of the unknown.
The characters were all built lovingly by the author - carefully constructed with their own unique personalities, paranoias, flaws, fears - which really made this story shine. Too often do authors in the horror genre copy/paste characters, resulting in a group of 10 people blindly running and screaming when scared, rather than 10 who all react differently because humans are… different.
Also, that end was insane.
Honestly a banger. I loved it. 5/5
Truly filled with all the best horror has to offer: an underlying disturbing eerieness that never seems to lift, spindly shadow forms that move unnaturally in peripheral, gory descriptions of sick mutilations and brain matter on steel bats, and ultimately the all-encompassing fear of the unknown.
The characters were all built lovingly by the author - carefully constructed with their own unique personalities, paranoias, flaws, fears - which really made this story shine. Too often do authors in the horror genre copy/paste characters, resulting in a group of 10 people blindly running and screaming when scared, rather than 10 who all react differently because humans are… different.
Also, that end was insane.
Honestly a banger. I loved it. 5/5
April 29, 2025
When I saw the cover to this story, I just knew I had to read it. So I did, hehe. I don't regret it at all. I enjoyed all the podcasts and news articles that helped build the story. This had the feeling of an episode of the X-Files. It's a fictional story based on true events.
Lots of creepiness in this one. However, the ending was easily the most thrilling part of the story. Despite the gruesome nature of cow mutilations, this story is well beyond just murdered cattle. It's one heck of a conspiracy theory with many rabbit holes. The characters were flawed but fun to follow. Overall, just a fun alien/conspiracy horror story. The crazy part is that this is based on real events that actually occurred giving the idea that reality is sometimes stranger than fiction.
Overall, I enjoyed this one! I give this a 4.5/5 stars.
Lots of creepiness in this one. However, the ending was easily the most thrilling part of the story. Despite the gruesome nature of cow mutilations, this story is well beyond just murdered cattle. It's one heck of a conspiracy theory with many rabbit holes. The characters were flawed but fun to follow. Overall, just a fun alien/conspiracy horror story. The crazy part is that this is based on real events that actually occurred giving the idea that reality is sometimes stranger than fiction.
Overall, I enjoyed this one! I give this a 4.5/5 stars.
December 18, 2024
Loved this one! I’m a sucker for mixed media books anyhow but this author is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.
Cattle mutilations across deep east Texas that no natural predator could accomplish. No tracks, no interest from scavenger wildlife.
Then it starts effecting humans. People are driven to madness-by whatever lurks in the dark.
The author has taken true accounts in this story which is a collection of text messages, podcast scripts, investigator journals, and a mix of fiction thrown in to connect the pieces.
I only have one more to go from this author and am so excited to get my hands on it.
Cattle mutilations across deep east Texas that no natural predator could accomplish. No tracks, no interest from scavenger wildlife.
Then it starts effecting humans. People are driven to madness-by whatever lurks in the dark.
The author has taken true accounts in this story which is a collection of text messages, podcast scripts, investigator journals, and a mix of fiction thrown in to connect the pieces.
I only have one more to go from this author and am so excited to get my hands on it.
April 18, 2024
This book was very intriguing. When Paul sent me a message about reading the book, I wasn’t sure it was for me. I’m usually not a huge alien/sci-fi book type person, so I assumed that this would not be up my alley. I was wrong. The story kept my attention throughout and I enjoyed how it was written with not only regular book manuscript, but included news articles, podcast transcripts, text message threads, journal entries, etc. The ending really brought this story to a magnificent close. Well done, Paul!
August 16, 2024
Hunting Snipe is not the book that I was expecting, it was incredibly more than I could have anticipated.
This book is told through some fun and original methods. There was transcripts and deliciously burned records and even interviews and podcasts. It kept the pace of this story flying. Additionally, the writing style here is something that I think readers are going to gush over (clearly here I am gushing). It’s just so much fun and told in a compelling and thrilling way.
All I will say about the climax of this novel is….. good luck guessing what happens. I never saw it coming and WOW!
This book is told through some fun and original methods. There was transcripts and deliciously burned records and even interviews and podcasts. It kept the pace of this story flying. Additionally, the writing style here is something that I think readers are going to gush over (clearly here I am gushing). It’s just so much fun and told in a compelling and thrilling way.
All I will say about the climax of this novel is….. good luck guessing what happens. I never saw it coming and WOW!
July 21, 2025
I'm a true crime junkie and cryptid nerd. I love learning about cold cases and unsolved mysteries. I spend my time listening to podcasts and reading material much like what was sourced/incorporated into the book (shout out Expedition Bigfoot!). Already being familiar with the "mutes" phenomena, I've been wanting to bust into this one for a while. Today was finally the day!
I was not disappointed and I couldn't put it down. I previously said Paul's particular brand of horror was quickly becoming a favorite of mine. This was the third book of his I've read. I can now say with confidence his future releases will be an auto-buy from me.
I was not disappointed and I couldn't put it down. I previously said Paul's particular brand of horror was quickly becoming a favorite of mine. This was the third book of his I've read. I can now say with confidence his future releases will be an auto-buy from me.
June 29, 2024
This is a fantastic book! I enjoyed the story so much! It’s very unique, intense and exciting! There’s, horror, thrills and suspense! It is very well written and is a fast read. I enjoyed the different facets in the story, from the podcasts, news reports to journals. It kept the story extra exciting. The ending is a fun treat too, that I didn’t see coming. The way the story all came together at the end was great!
Thank you to Paul Avery Tindol for a copy of this amazing book!
Thank you to Paul Avery Tindol for a copy of this amazing book!
July 31, 2024
I already posted this review to Amazon, but oh well. It’s worth rating twice.
No slow burn here. Hunting Snipe sends its readers screaming down a rabbit hole of occult twists and turns that read like a love letter to John Carpenter and come to a beautiful, horrifying head in the last chapter. The mental trip down memory lane to my college town and the area I grew up in was also quite pleasant. I read this in one sitting and plan on reading it again in the near future.
No slow burn here. Hunting Snipe sends its readers screaming down a rabbit hole of occult twists and turns that read like a love letter to John Carpenter and come to a beautiful, horrifying head in the last chapter. The mental trip down memory lane to my college town and the area I grew up in was also quite pleasant. I read this in one sitting and plan on reading it again in the near future.
January 13, 2025
My first 5 star read of the year, and what a stellar one it was!
It was the standout bad**s cover that first drew my attention on a BOH (FB group) book review. The reverencing review and back cover blurb had me intrigued...
I had a great deal of other books waiting in order to be read but this one jumped the line and wow! What a ride! The mystery and intrigue had me glued to every page!
I highly recommend to all horror fans and can't wait to read more from this author.
It was the standout bad**s cover that first drew my attention on a BOH (FB group) book review. The reverencing review and back cover blurb had me intrigued...
I had a great deal of other books waiting in order to be read but this one jumped the line and wow! What a ride! The mystery and intrigue had me glued to every page!
I highly recommend to all horror fans and can't wait to read more from this author.
January 4, 2025
Haunting. Through the use of texts messages, podcast transcripts, news articles and a journal, Tindol expertly weaves an intense dark and twisty tale rooted in true events of cattle mutilations in East Texas. The X files,Monster Quest, Ancient Alien vibes kept me entranced until the last page. This book had me googling, researching and questioning mysterious true happenings in East Texas and beyond! The ending?!..chef’s kiss. Perfectly creepy, fast paced, paranoia evoking read!
5 🌟
March 13, 2025
Growing up in East Texas.. Nacadoches/Lufkin, to be exact. This book brought back so many memories of sitting around bon fires telling creepy stories. When a Snipe hunting trip goes sideways, things start to take a horrible turn. Mutilated cows and missing townspeople are just the beginning. This was a face-paced and thrilling story. Small-town horror is one of my favorite tropes, and this book was fabulous.
April 18, 2025
I love this rise in epistolary horror in recent years. I love Found Footage films, and I guess this is the book version!
I'm going to be honest, I have no idea what snipe is or what the whole plan was at the start, so I could have done with a little context re the black bags and weird sounding birds. However, I really enjoyed this book. It's not too long so the mixed media feel of it doesn't outstay its welcome, and it focuses on a couple of characters so we don't feel lost.
I'm not usually that interested in alien-related books, but this one kept me interested with it's true crime feel, and the general unsettling nature of the events (hauntings? abductions?). The ending was great.
Very much enjoyed this book.
I'm going to be honest, I have no idea what snipe is or what the whole plan was at the start, so I could have done with a little context re the black bags and weird sounding birds. However, I really enjoyed this book. It's not too long so the mixed media feel of it doesn't outstay its welcome, and it focuses on a couple of characters so we don't feel lost.
I'm not usually that interested in alien-related books, but this one kept me interested with it's true crime feel, and the general unsettling nature of the events (hauntings? abductions?). The ending was great.
Very much enjoyed this book.
April 28, 2025
This was a great book! Gave me x-files vibes! I loved the mixed media format used to tell the story. It really added another layer to the events and made it very engaging. This was well written and all the characters were very different and added their own piece to the story. The atmosphere throughout is eerie and unsettling.
July 23, 2025
I read it in two days after a very long hiatus from reading. The characters are believable. The media that used flowed well with the story to create a visual in the modern world.
I feel like the ending is a bit rushed for my taste. I loved the last few pages after the story was completed.
I feel like the ending is a bit rushed for my taste. I loved the last few pages after the story was completed.
July 31, 2025
in a Texas town there is a string of cow mutil@tions happening.
All the cows were found in very bizarre circumstances. 😳
I loved how eerie it was. Paul did such a great job of balancing the plot so it was creepy but also had reactions and responses that real people would have.
I also loved how the story was layered between articles, and a podcast, text message threads as well as a journal.
Blending a bit of truth within this story made it very creative and an interesting read. Because these cow mutil@tions did happen in texas.
The entire book i was guessing what could be causing everything and the parts people played.
I highly recommend it if this kind of stuff peaks your interest 🤠 🐄
All the cows were found in very bizarre circumstances. 😳
I loved how eerie it was. Paul did such a great job of balancing the plot so it was creepy but also had reactions and responses that real people would have.
I also loved how the story was layered between articles, and a podcast, text message threads as well as a journal.
Blending a bit of truth within this story made it very creative and an interesting read. Because these cow mutil@tions did happen in texas.
The entire book i was guessing what could be causing everything and the parts people played.
I highly recommend it if this kind of stuff peaks your interest 🤠 🐄
January 26, 2025
This wasn't quite what I expected. I really enjoyed how the story progressed from different documents and prospectives. Although it got a little confusing towards the end there. The story within a story was well done, and the characters all worked well together. This is the third book from this author that I have read and look forward to many more tales in the future.
March 2, 2025
This was a great read. Really loved the found footage approach to a lot of it, being a favorite horror sub-genre of mine. The story is well paced, great characters, just works from start to finish. Highly recommend for anyone looking for something a bit different to check out.
April 7, 2025
This was a fun one! I really enjoyed how this was a spin on some truly bizarre but real-life events. It definitely gave me some X-Files vibes at times! If you’re a fan of found footage/documents, piecing together a mystery, ominous otherworldly horror, and hidden forces at play, this one is for you. There are lots of characters that I did have some trouble initially keeping up with at first, but it was necessary to show how everything was connected.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews