Beast: Werewolves, Serial Killers, and Man-Eaters; The Mystery of the Monsters of the Gevaudan

Examining of one of France's great unsolved mysteries, S%C3%A1nchez Romero and Schwalb seek who or what was responsible for attacking more than 200 people, killing 90, between 1764 and 1767. The first victim was savaged while herding sheep, two months after a local had escaped from a creature that was "like a wolf, yet not a wolf." As the killings continued, some regarded them as a punishment from God for sinfulness. Significant bounties were posted, including one from King Louis XV, but whomever or whatever was responsible for the onslaught remained elusive. Following a final spree in 1767, the deaths stopped after a wolf-like beast was gunned down. The authors scrutinize the many theories as to what was actually responsible for the beast's rampage; some people speculated that a human agency was behind the killings%E2%80%94either a man disguised as a wolf who wanted to collect human heads, or someone acting in furtherance of a religious struggle%E2%80%94while the bulk of the latter sections of the book logically analyze animal suspects. This gripping and suspenseful account, which conjures up the intense fear of the period, is fascinating enough without embellishment, which makes the authors' choice to dramatize some of the encounters a puzzling one. (Feb.)