The only time Pirelli had ever heard the swamplands so deathly still was just before a fire had raged through the area — the animals, by some curious instinct, seemed to know something was wrong.

Caleb Burns, a portly man, was hunting in the forests of Florida with his friend, Jeff Smith.

The manatee, the largest aquatic species of mammal in the swamp country, was highly prized by hunters but for the last twenty years state law had made it illegal to shoot it.

In the sweltering heat, they get more than they bargained for…

A few yards away from them the black, dank waters suddenly began to erupt in a swirling torrent of froth, dwarfing them with its gigantic size.

It gazed at them for a moment from angry, red-veined eyes. An awesome cry echoed deep in its throat from behind razor-sharp incisor teeth, teeth that glinted like a row of stilettos.

For what seemed an eternity it stood like a malevolent statue. Then it swooped, its jaws gnashing viciously…

Where does this blood-thirsty, other-worldly beast come from?

Peter Pirelli, and Everglades National Park Ranger, is trying to discover what this mysterious beast truly is.

With more innocent lives on the line, will he be able to find out before it’s too late?

Praise for Peter Tremayne:

“Mesmeric stuff.” – The Times

“Tremayne is bloody good!” – Penthouse

“Peter Tremayne is established as one of Britain’s leading horror fantasy writers.” – Retail Newsagent

“He brings to the writing of fantasy detail and dedication…scrupulous skill…” – Space Voyager

“Tremayne weaves no less engrossing tales than Edgar Allan Poe.” – Ashbury Park Press

Peter Tremayne is the fiction writing pseudonym of the Celtic scholar and author Peter Berresford Ellis. Peter Berresford Ellis is a historian, literary biographer and novelist who has published over 90 books to date under his own name and that of his pseudonyms Peter Tremayne and Peter MacAlan. He has also published 95 short stories. His non-fiction books, articles and academic papers have made him acknowledged as one of the foremost authorities on Celtic history and culture. His other works with Venture Press include Nicor!, The Ants Are Coming!, and The Morgow Rises!