Normally I steer clear of fiction books when it comes to topics like history and even Cryptozoology. But I have to admit, that sometimes even I get fooled. “The Florida Key Skunkape Files” by Brad Bertelli is one of those books. It’s written as a sort of casebook highlighting numerous different accounts with the Skunkape, primarily from the Florida Keys, the Island chain on the southern tip of Florida made famous by Jimmy Buffet. When I first saw the book I said to myself “this can’t be real, Skunkape in the KEYS? Those are just spits of land connected by highway!” I read through the stories and was entertained by them and how interesting many of them were, and some of them were very convincing as well! Eventually I figured out that this book was primarily the skunkape equivalent of “Ghost stories” and not the more serious analysis of sightings and reports I was expecting. Many of these stories were so convincing that I was double checking on them, and even emailed the author to get clarification! (Mr. Bertelli is great by the way, he was very gracious and answered all my questions.) So, while this book may not be the traditional “serious” inquiry into the Florida Skunkape, I still found it to be a fun and worthwhile read. It’s a fun jaunt through the history of the keys that seamlessly blends fact with fiction and will keep even the most knowledgeable readers guessing. Bertelli’ s storytelling is so convincing that you find yourself questioning what you think you know about the fauna of Florida and wondering what sound you heard in the woods behind your house was, or what that shadow you saw on the side of the road just before sunset was. This is certainly a fun read and a worthy addition to any Cryptozoology/ Florida history enthusiast’s library.
“The Florida Keys Skunkape Files” By Brad Bertelli is available at sellers like Amazon.com and where all fine Cryptozoology themed books are sold.
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