Lizard Man: The True Story of the Bishopville Monster
Posted by: Lyle Blackburn on October 1st, 2013
It’s October 1, so I thought it would be an appropriate time to reveal the cover art for my upcoming book to be released on Halloween. This time I take on the case of the legendary “Lizard Man” from Bishopville, South Carolina to recount the complete, fascinating story and to shine new light on one of the most bizarre and hair-raising encounters with an unknown creature. During my research trip to Bishopville, I discovered that there’s much more to the story than I first realized… and much more than meets the eye regarding the media’s portrayal of this modern-day ‘creature from the black lagoon.’ All in all, it made for a fascinating research trip and resulted in a book that I think everyone will truly enjoy.
The book will be available October 31 from Anomalist Books (who published my previous book, The Beast of Boggy Creek). I’m also honored to have a great foreword by my friend and colleague, Nick Redfern.
Get ready for the Lizard Man!
Synopsis:
From the swamplands near Bishopville, South Carolina, come reports of a seven-foot-tall, scaly humanoid creature the locals call the “Lizard Man.” Over the years, the creature has been seen by numerous witnesses, including a teenager who claimed it attacked him one night near a remote area called Scape Ore Swamp. The young man’s testimony and physical evidence was so compelling, it not only launched a serious investigation by the local sheriff’s office but an all-out monster hunt that drew hundreds of people to the small town.
This real-life “creature from black lagoon” has inspired major national news coverage, even a call from the famous CBS news anchor, Dan Rather, as he and the rest of the world clamored to know more about Bishopville’s elusive monster. The case is often mentioned in books, websites, and television shows, but the full story has never been told… until now. This book provides unprecedented documentation for one of the most bizarre and hair-raising cases of an unknown creature. The witnesses are convinced they’ve seen it, and the local law officials are backing them up. This is their story.
Follow Lyle Blackburn, author of the bestselling book The Beast of Boggy Creek, as he and his partner, Cindy Lee, revisit the sighting locations, speak to the living eyewitnesses, and consider all possible theories in their search for the truth behind the legendary Lizard Man.
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Includes a chronological sighting log and photos of actual eyewitness written testimony and police documents!
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For more information, visit my Lizard Man webpage.
Myself and my research partner, Cindy Lee, at Scape Ore Swamp
About Lyle Blackburn
Lyle Blackburn’s research and writing on the subject of legendary creatures and unexplained phenomenon has been widely recognized as some of the best in the field of cryptozoology. His previous books, including The Beast of Boggy Creek and Momo: The Strange Case of the Missouri Monster, offer a balanced view of the subjects while delivering gripping accounts of real-life mysteries.
Lyle is a frequent guest on radio programs such as Coast To Coast AM, and has appeared on television shows such as Monsters and Mysteries in America, Finding Bigfoot, and Strange Evidence. Lyle has also been featured in several award-winning documentary films, including Boggy Creek Monster and The Mothman of Point Pleasant.
For more information, visit Lyle's website at: www.lyleblackburn.com
Lyle, are you both making fists upon sighting Lizard Man? LM is one of the coolest cryptos out there, I must admit.
Lyle, I am looking forward to reading this, as I remember you telling us about it when at Greer Island, with Craig, this summer. The cover art is cool too. If I go on a crypto-vacation next summer, I may need a map of Bishopville, if you can oblige. I wish you much success with it and future endeavors (I hope one on the Goatman is still planned)!
Lizardman ranks with the Thetis Lake Monster as the most zoologically absurd of alleged cryptids. There is zero evidence of bipedal reptiles in the fossil record. A couple of years ago the original Thetis teenage witnesses admitted it was a hoax based on a movie.
Lizardman was and is all about hoaxed footprints and selling t-shirts. While I don’t have the source in front of me, apparently over ten years ago, Christopher Davis admitted he’d run his parents car off the road causing the roof and fender scrapes and side view mirror damage. To avoid his parents anger he made the entire story up. Davis led a tragic life. In 2009 in Bishopville, he was shot dead in a drug deal gone bad.
As a capitalist I have to admire you, the Nick Redferns, Linda Godfreys etc. It’s a living and it keeps the P.T. Barnum spirit alive.
I’m simply pleased they’re doing the legwork. I can hardly wait to write a book of my own on a Fortean topic. As the aforementioned P. T. Barnum astutely observed (one imagines with an ethereal nod and wink to the authors noted), “Every crowd has a silver lining”!
@ Iceman
I believe P.T. Barnum also observed – and no less truthfully – that, “There’s a sucker born every minute.”
So, go ahead and read whatever you like, just realize the motivation behind it.
AreWeThereYeti:
I am a skeptic, but I enjoy reading all things Fortean, because if one considers the subject carefully, one realizes that it is about psychosocial dynamics as much as anything. Take the anecdote that “corrick” related about Christopher Davis. That is as fascinating to read about, in my opinion, as the supposed cryptid itself. I teach literature, so my leisure reading consists primarily of nonfiction (although some of the works in this field are admittedly closer to fiction). It is the human interest aspect that intrigues me. However I am thankful for the suckers, for if I did write such a book myself, I shall need a crowd with silver-lined pockets, as Barnum intimated.