Mysterious Kentucky (Mysterious Places from Whitechapel ... (ISBN 1892523531)

Book lives up to its title...and then some.:
I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading about scary, mysterious, events...you won't be disappointed. This unassuming looking book is full of some of the most terrifying accounts of every kind of weirdness you can think of (and some you probably can't). Because it seems you can't throw a rock in Kentucky without hitting a Bigfoot, Goatman, Little Person or some other anomaly. The only problem was that eventually I began to wonder why none of the numerous subjects in this book, including the author, ever seemed to have a camera on them, or even think of carrying one, during any encounter, even though some of them, including the author, were described as having so many experiences that they had a good chance of capturing something on film. Instead, there are many very muscular drawings that, while demonstrating the author's talent, are not really adequate when there was photo op after photo op. I have seen some of his drawings before on the internet, having read Jan Thompson's terrifying accounts before. Her presence in the book was definitely a point in its favor. P.S. If you, like me, were wary of ordering another Whitechapel Press book because of the countless typos and non-existent editing that make so many of its books a pain to read, rest assured that this book does not have nearly as many of those types of flaws, though that might be thanks to the author.

Expect no ghosts:
I should have spent my money on another book of Kentucky. There was not one decent story of hauntings by ghosts. In other Whitechapel books, tagged with "Mysterious", you get a well rounded variety of history, mystery, spooks, and then some creapy creatures. One of the drawings of a sea serpent looked suspiciously like Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent from Beany and Cecil. I'm so afraid! For those looking for good stories to tell around a campfire, this is a great book. I wish it were titled more closely to its content. I could have gotten Ghosts of Louiville instead, where I can assume I will read some good paranormal stories. I've been to KY more than any other state than my own. I love the state. This book gave me nothing to look back on, and say... Yes, I yearn to go back there. I would rather give this a 2.5, but that is not possible. Troy Taylor, please visit Kentucky and give us the ghostly lowdown! Please!

Mysteries Magazine review:
Fortean author and field researcher Bart Nunnelly warns us in the introduction that the stories in this book are not mere folklore but eyewitness reports of every conceivable anomaly, except for hauntings. Chapter 1 guides readers on a tour of historic--or prehistoric--Kentucky, examining a catalog of eerie artifacts, strange petroglyphs, supposed remains of Roman legionnaires and Vikings, and giant humanoid skeletons unearthed at various spots between 1792 and 1965. Chapter 2 pursues aquatic cryptids, ranging from a turtle the size of a Volkswagen Beetle to various serpentine creatures reported from various rivers throughout the Bluegrass State. Chapter 3 reviews a range of aerial anomalies, including unexplained rains of stones, dried flesh, cookies, fish, and coins. UFO sightings from 1869 to the present make up the bulk of this fascinating chapter. Chapter 4 brings us back to the realm of cryptozoology, with reports of tiny humanoids from all parts of Kentucky. Chapter 5, by far the longest, draws extensively from Nunnelly's Kentucky Bigfoot web site, presenting both archival and modern eyewitness reports of unidentified humanoid creatures. While Bigfoot remains the most common subject, their competition includes scaly lizardmen, werewolves, dogmen, and an elusive goatman from the 19th century. Chapter 6 completes the crypto roundup with black panthers and hyenas, giant snakes, huge birds of prey, "devil monkeys" that slaughter livestock, and hairy "gravediggers" who will not let the dead rest in peace. Nunnelly rounds off his tour with a brief biography of psychic Edgar Cayce, known to his admirers as "the Kentucky Nostradamus," who was born there in 1877 and lived there until 1920, when he moved to Texas Fact or fiction? Nunnelly wisely leaves readers to judge for themselves. One fact is indisputable, however--fans and students of the paranormal should run, not walk to their nearest bookstore, to obtain a copy of this book. --Michael Newton Mysteries Magazine issue #20

Mysterious Kentucky or Mysterious Nunnelly?:
The books starts well, with a description of a man-made cave he discovered. It really goes downhill from there. Bill does seem to want to follow scientific method in his research, but the focus on his own experiences rob the book of any objective perspective. In addition, his drawings of the cryptids seen by others are disturbing, not from a " we saw a monster" perspective, but from the details he adds that could not possibly have come from a verbal description. They all look like the same thing; a demon-like creature with long claws and a bad attitude. I would not buy the book again. This is not in the same league with books from Lauren Coleman and Jim Brandon.

Interesting book:
BM Nunnelly does an admirable job chronicling the strange and weird creatures that lurk in the hidden places of Kentucky. Although I found some of the reports very hard to believe myself, it is fascinating to read about the unbelievably odd encounters that average people are reported to have experienced in the pursuit of the mundane. Who would have thought that the Bluegrass State had such a rich history of UFO sightings, as well as those of other inexplicable creatures and oddities throughout the state? (I'm waiting for the History Channel to do a documentary about the 1948 UFO chase that resulted in the death of the pilot.) Although there are some typos, misprints and grammatical errors throughout the book, they in no way make the book difficult to read. (The publisher is supposed to catch those things!) Nunnelly is overall a good writer who knows how to tell a story well; however I wish he would have treated the purported accounts in this book with a healthy dose of skepticism; it would have made for more balanced reading. That having been said, I do look forward to learning more about Kentucky's strange creatures and undiscovered mysterious in his next book.