| Title | : | Chasing the Boogeyman |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1982175168 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781982175160 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 322 |
| Publication | : | First published August 17, 2021 |
| Awards | : | Goodreads Choice Award Horror (2021) |
In the summer of 1988, the mutilated bodies of several missing girls begin to turn up in a small Maryland town. The grisly evidence leads police to the terrifying assumption that a serial killer is on the loose in the quiet suburb. But soon a rumor begins to spread that the evil stalking local teens is not entirely human. Law enforcement, as well as members of the FBI are certain that the killer is a living, breathing madman—and he’s playing games with them. For a once peaceful community trapped in the depths of paranoia and suspicion, it feels like a nightmare that will never end.
Recent college graduate Richard Chizmar returns to his hometown just as a curfew is enacted and a neighborhood watch is formed. In the midst of preparing for his wedding and embarking on a writing career, he soon finds himself thrust into the real-life horror story. Inspired by the terrifying events, Richard writes a personal account of the serial killer’s reign of terror, unaware that these events will continue to haunt him for years to come.
A clever, terrifying, and heartrending work of metafiction, Chasing the Boogeyman is the ultimate marriage between horror fiction and true crime. Chizmar’s writing is on full display in this truly unique novel that will haunt you long after you turn the final page.
Chasing the Boogeyman Reviews
-
What is the purpose of fiction? Could it be to pull the wool over our eyes so completely that we forget we are reading something made up and totally false?
Chasing the Boogeyman is a fictional account of the brutal killings that took place in the author's hometown of Edgewood during the late 1980s. Teenage girls would first go missing and then turn up mutilated and posed. Before long, the town is in a frenzy of fear and suspicion. While the police work feverishly to catch the serial killer, Richard Chizmar is drawn to the case and his firsthand account eventually becomes the book we're reading.
Yes, you read that correctly. The author wrote himself into a fictional story. I've only encountered that ploy in one other book series before, and I'm a big fan. It creates a feeling of authenticity that, along with the true crime narrative style used here, makes it hard to dispute or look away from. There are even crime scene photos included with every chapter, which further adds to the real and chilling atmosphere.
Needless to say, I found the whole thing to be absolutely riveting. I got through it in two days—but only because I started late the first day and had to take a break to sleep—and I was so into the story, I ended up with insomnia.
One thing to note: while I inhaled practically the whole book, I did almost abandon it in the beginning because I found the opening to be really dry. This was especially the case with "Chapter One: The Town," which provides a detailed history of the town going back to colonial days and also includes random tidbits from the author's childhood, such as his house, favorite hangout spots, and even how many cracks are in certain sidewalks. I know what the author was trying to do here, but it was all irrelevant and almost did me in.
However, I'm so glad I didn't give up on this book. It turned out to be well worth the effort of the first thirty-five pages. If you're giving this a try, I'm not above suggesting you skim liberally or even skip straight to Chapter Two if you're feeling bogged down with the earlier pages; you won't miss anything.
This is one of the those books where the story is just as important as the format, and both worked together to create that perfect narrative. The blurring of the lines between what is real and what is fiction happens frequently and enthusiastically here. If the goal of fiction is to immerse the reader into a tale so bold and true as to feel authentic, then surely this must be the perfect tale. -
Yay! One of my favorite, smart, mind blowing reads is out today!🥳🥂📚
Wowza! This is..... I cannot find a proper word how this precious gem made me feel!
It’s certainly extraordinary, mind blowing metafiction is written like a true crime fiction! Extremely disturbing, spin tingling, nerve bending, twisty, outrageously surprising and truly explosive!
This book haunted my soul! Its unique writing style, realistic chapters reminds you of documentary scripts, unconventional conclusion are truly haunting your soul and giving you nightmares!
Especially the author’s final notes made me perplexed at the end. I just got numbed! Mouth stayed opened! Eyes are popped out! If someone took my photo at that time and showed to little children: I guess they would suffer from nightmares for years and called me real boogeywoman who can not boogie dance.
I highly truly extremely recommend you to read this freaking fantastic gem if you are addicted to true crime nonfictions, podcasts, perfectly written thriller books! You get all of your needs in one read!
Let me give you quick summary of plot line;
Our disturbing story takes place in small Maryland town: Edgewood where the mutilated bodies of several young teenage girls are found in 1988. Press called the murderer as Van Gogh killer because of his tendencies to cut the pieces of ears of his victims but mostly he’s called Boogeyman!
Rich Chizmar, 22 years old college graduated young man, a fresh journalist candidate returns back to his hometown with his meager belongings to stay with his childhood house on the corner of Hanson and Tupelo roads, before his wedding with his high school sweetheart.
Before arrival of Rich, three days ago, a 15 years old girl: Natasha Gallagher has been snatched from her bedroom in the middle of the night. He already knew the girl and her family who have been attending the same church with his family.
The girl is found strangulated! Everybody asks the same question: what kind of monster does that?
Rich became the witness. He was there when the hell broke loose. He was haunted because somewhat that monster’s story became his own.
The murderer left hopscotch grids in front of the houses where the victims were living. He left missing dog sign, pennies, pumpkins as he took lives of Kacey Robinson, Madeline Wilcox, Cassidy Burch. He never left any DNA residue. He was smart. He was like ghost as if he’d been never there!
Maryland State Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation promised to continue pursuing active leads and testing additional person of interests. But they were chasing a ghost! How could they catch him?
It’s a surprising, original, haunting story you never dare to put it down!
I’m ending my review with John Milton quote Rich Chizmar chose to add which quote fits with the entire soul of this intense, dark story: “Innocence, once lost, can never be regained. Darkness, once gaze upon, can never be lost.”
So many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sharing this fantastic digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts. -
Oh so clever!!
How could I NOT give this 5 stars?
The concept is brilliant!!
And, so was the execution!
Described as part memoir, part fiction that reads like TRUE CRIME, it is so believable that I kept thinking I misread something! I even googled the “crime” halfway through to see if it at least closely resembled an actual event!!
Author Richard Chizmar grew up in Edgewood, Maryland, a town where each generation of children feared the “Rubberband Man” and where the “Phantom Fondler ” found his prey...
Told from his personal perspective, he was 22/years old and living back at home, when all four Murders occurred:
Natasha Gallagher
Kacey Robinson
Madeline Wilcox and
Cassidy Burch
He is privy to the details that the police held back from the Public because of the friendships he formed with Detective Lyle Harper and reporter, Carly Allbright.
But 30 years later, the case remained UNSOLVED.
SO, WHAT ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHS??
At some indistinct point, in this story, the TRUTH becomes FICTION.....but where?
You won’t know until you read the AUTHOR’S NOTE, at the very end.
I read one of the author’s 100 published short stories last year, “The Girl on the Porch” and even commented that I would have loved to see that story fleshed out into a full length mystery so, I was excited to see this full length book being offered and it did NOT disappoint!!
His magazine “Cemetery Dance” is now in its 32nd year of publication, and he also co-wrote Gwendy’s Button Box, with his friend, Stephen King.
Trigger: Again, our killer feels the need to tell us that he started his killing with birds and cats, in the interview granted in the AFTERWORD, so I flipped to the next page as soon as I read “stray dog”..... -
"I was there. I was witness. And, somehow, the monster's story became my own."
Chasing the Boogeyman is an intelligent novel about a serial killer terrifying a small town in Maryland in the 1980s.
What makes this novel standout is the format; this is not your average suspense/horror novel as it is written in the style of a true-crime book.
Told from the first-person point of view of fictional Richard Chizmar, the reader gets to intimately get to know Edgewood, the serene neighborhood setting, and its residents. Chizmar's personal relationship with the town and some of the victims adds another layer, as his first-person account blurs the line between reality and fiction. The inclusion of photographs of Edgewood and the victims added to this dichotomy.
It takes a while for the events to kick off. Chizmar spends time at the beginning of the novel providing a detailed history of Edgewood. This helps the reader develop an intimacy with the small town. When the murders began, I felt a jarring shift as the picture of serenity quickly shifts to terror.
This is a slow-paced yet suspenseful read, especially as the tension between the narrator and the killer builds. Even though I knew I was reading fiction, I couldn't shake the feeling that the events were not real, which made this an intriguing reading experience.
Chasing the Boogeyman is as much about unraveling the mystery behind the killer as it is about the fictional Chizmar finding himself. Props to Chizmar, as this is a tightly plotted, unique read that took me on an intense reading journey. -
Let’s say you’re a Stephen King Constant Reader, and you’ve gone through his entire catalogue. What to do, what to do??? May I offer Richard Chizmar’s Chasing the Boogeyman for your consideration?
Other than picking up a book by Uncle Stevie’s own spawn Owen King or Joe Hill, you can’t get much more King-adjacent than this. Chizmar not only has coauthored a novella with him (Gwendy’s Button Box), but he’s also mentioned ad nauseam throughout the story. Plus, the overall creepy tone and 1980’s small town New England setting emit major SK vibes.
That comparison aside, Chasing the Boogeyman is a high concept serial killer thriller with an intriguing approach to the genre. Although fictional, it’s written in the style of a true crime memoir in which the author weaves his own real life childhood in with the murder mystery he made up. How very meta! Black and white photographs of the crime scenes and key players are even interspersed throughout the pages.
The end result is a very unique reading experience. Many have classified the novel as horror, but this particular Constant Reader needs more than a serial killer nicknamed the Boogeyman to feel any twitches or tingles. I may be a wee bit jaded after reading so many murder stories, and horror (much like humor) can be subjective. Either way, this boogeyman is worth the chase.
My thanks to the author and Gallery Books for providing me with a gifted copy to review via NetGalley.
Blog:
https://www.confettibookshelf.com/ -
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!
An intriguing and unique work of fiction that reads like a true crime novel.
The year is 1988, and Richard Chizmar (the author) has just graduated college and moved back home to his parents house in Edgewood, MD in advance of his upcoming nuptials. After a few teenaged girls are found murdered, it becomes evident that there is a serial killer haunting the streets of Edgewood.
Neighborhood Watch groups are formed, curfews are made mandatory, and everyone is on high alert. Richard is right there in the center of it all as an aspiring writer and someone who is very familiar with the streets, passageways, and history of the town.
As the FBI track down leads, Richard and his journalist friend, Carly, work to find their own discoveries, but Richard needs to be careful. He feels like he’s being watched. He’s getting mysterious calls at his parents home. Chasing the “boogeyman” may not be a safe endeavor.
This is written entirely as a true crime novel, with pictures to boot. Chizmar’s writing is engrossing and compelling as he intersperses parts of his own past and beginnings to his writing career with the overall fictional story of a serial killer in his hometown. It’s clever and unique, fully atmospheric, and intriguing.
There are some moments of unease that caused a slight shiver, but I didn’t find it genuinely terrifying like some of the reviews I’ve seen (I’ve also found that I usually don’t agree with Stephen King’s quoted blurbs). Maybe I would’ve felt differently if I read it on a dark and rainy night. Even so, if the purpose of this book is to entertain, it succeeds.
I imagine readers will have different thoughts about how everything wraps up. I may have wanted a bigger revelation, but all of my outstanding questions were answered.
Chasing The Boogeyman is an engaging and cleverly told suspenseful mystery, and I look forward to reading more of Chizmar’s work.
There is a brief mention of animal harm that’s unsettling, but not overtly graphic or drawn out.
Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Available: 8/17/21.
Review also posted at:
https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com -
Outstanding!!
Who knew Fictional True Crime could even BE a genre, or that it could be SO good?!
I actually stay away from true crime because I can't handle knowing about the ways that real people have suffered.
Plus the cases never really get solved so there's no closure. Police and lawyers can speculate on what happened but only the perp and the victim actually know the truth and one of them is dead and the other isn't talking.
But since 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙮𝙢𝙖𝙣 is fictional those things weren't issues and I enjoyed this brilliant book right down to the last page.
The lines between Chizmar the author and Chizmar the character are blurry and that added to the story's sense of realism.
He wrote with such honesty that I feel like his love for his childhood town and his friends and family is real and that he decided to just drop a serial killer into the mix to see how it would play out 🙂❓💀 -
I'm a little late to this party and I am sure you have all heard the buzz about this book. A fictional serial killer story meant to read like true crime, pictures and all, and partly a memoir.
Unfortunately for me this read more as a memoir rather than a serial killer story or a true crime re-telling which was very disappointing to this reader. Don't misunderstand, the parts of this book that I enjoyed I actually loved. However, the parts that I didn't bored me to tears. And sadly the bad far outweighs the good in my opinion.
All of the chapters that focused on the four murdered teenage girls - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.
All the rest - BORING!
While I think Chizmar is an incredibly talented writer his info dumps come fast and furious in this book. Page after page of unnecessary minutia. I assure you I know ALL the ins and outs of Edgewood, MD after reading this. He leaves out nothing; you get the entire history of the town. I know all of the ways he spent his summers running through his neighborhood as a teen, and I also know how much he really loves his family and fiancé (now wife).
While I think he had a genius idea here I don't feel like it was executed well at all. I can't tell you how many pages I skimmed but it was many! This droned on and on and on with very little excitement or suspense. Again, this felt like a memoir, and even though he was totally obsessed with the murders they still seemed to take a back seat to his reminiscing about his youth.
I should also mention that I don't believe for a minute that the detective in charge of this case would have spilled so much confidential information to a curious 22 year old writer that just happens to be interested. A lot of "If I tell you this you can't say anything, okay?" type of bullshit. THAT. WOULD. NEVER. HAPPEN.
The revelation of the killer was surprising as I never once suspected this person.
I did like that he got to interview the killer in the end but even that left me wanting. There were questions he asked that the killer wouldn't answer but claimed he would at a later time. This led me to believe there would be a second interview but nope, the book ends, and we never do get those answers.
Richard Chizmar seems like a heck of a nice guy. The kind of guy you could watch a football game with and have a beer. He's also an incredibly talented author but this one just didn't tick my boxes as I was hoping. This has a 4.27 average rating on Goodreads and the majority of my friends have all loved this so please know that I am an outlier in my opinion. 3 stars! -
4.5 stars— If you are looking for a different type of book experience than a typical thriller novel, then “Chasing the Boogeyman” is for you. My five minutes of research after finishing this book tells me this type of writing style is called metafiction which interweaves in this case true experiences of the author with fictional events. It is not until the author’s notes at the end when you find out exactly what is real, what is inspired by real events and what is completely fictional. “Boogeyman” is structured as a true crime book written in 1st person perspective of the author, Richard Chizmar. The author tells the story of a serial killer that ravages the town of Edgewood, Maryland in 1988. Chizmar was living there at the time and had spent his whole life as a resident of the city, giving him a unique perspective of the people and locations affected by the murders. As the reader experiences each death form the author’s personal perspective as it happens, it seems to make the book more personal and tragic than a normal thriller. The author includes photos of the victims and the crime scenes after each chapter and is really detailed in describing the events. The book is so different and well written I had to round up to 5 when giving my rating. The small criticisms I had of the book are that 1) there is no resolution to the issue of what certain evidence left at the crime scene and on memorials mean, and 2) the long windedness of Chizmar on some of his personal reflections (especially at the beginning of the book) that have nothing to do with the main storyline of the book.
-
A solid 4 ⭐️!
I loved the uniqueness of this book and the idea of bringing together fiction and non-fiction into the same book. I’ve never seen anything quite like that and it was innovative to say the least! The photos throughout were also a great touch and added more personality to the already individualistic book.
There were parts that got painfully slow, but if you power through, it’s worth the wait.
Although I was hesitant to give Chasing the Boogeyman a go given its peculiar nature, this was an awesome pick for this Halloween season and I’m not disappointed I gave it a try!
I’m looking forward to checking out Chizmar’s other works. -
"It's like the guy sliced open a hole in the night," one state trooper complained off the record, "and disappeared back into it.”
this book is a whole new thing; a gripping metafictional mélange of true crime and crime fiction, memoir and horror, and chizmar pulls off this ambitious undertaking seamlessly.
the phrase one always hears when it comes to popular narrative nonfiction is that "it reads like a novel." this one is just the opposite—it's a novel constructed to read like narrative nonfiction, and it is breathtakingly convincing.
it’s shaped a bit like
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer, blending the elements of the (let's call it) true crime story with memoir, as the author/character becomes more personally invested in the series of murders plaguing his hometown and more involved in their investigation. but it also borrows from the structural conceit of found footage horror movies, incorporating photographs and interviews with key figures involved in the case, suffusing the story with authenticity.
it's framed as a new edition of a book previously published by chizmar in 1990, about the murders of four teenage girls from june-october 1988 in his hometown of edgewater, maryland. at the time, he was a 22-year-old recently-graduated journalism major living back home with his parents waiting for his fiancée to finish her degree before embarking upon their espousèd life together. chizmar used this little limbo period to make a go at becoming a writer of horror and mystery stories, and starting up his own horror 'zine, cemetery dance.
the murders began soon after his return, and when he wasn't writing fictional tales of horror, he became increasingly consumed with the real-life horror-mystery unfolding in his previously-idyllic small town, teaming up with his fiancée's childhood pal courtney; a working journalist unofficially investigating the case.
the 1990 book ended with the crime still unsolved, and this updated version provides closure: an arrest, a confession, and an interview with the killer.*
and that is all well and good, but for me, the closing of a cold case, the serial killer mystery thread, the procedural/amateur sleuthery, that was all background for the more compelling part of the story, which was the tainted nostalgia of a man forced to re-examine his cherished childhood memories as an adult and come to terms with the whole das unheimliche of girls being found savagely murdered in the places that had previously been home to his fondest memories—the formative experiences and locations that made him who he was.
because this book is also a love letter to edgewater, and chizmar knows every inch of this neighborhood; its geographical shortcuts and residents and history, and he brings it all to life down to the smallest details with the insights of someone intimately familiar with the physical terrain and social mores.I believe that most small towns wear two faces: a public one comprised of verifiable facts involving historical timelines, demographics, matters of economy and geography; and a hidden, considerably more private face formed by a fragile spiderweb of stories, memories, rumors, and secrets passed down from generation to generation, whispered by those who know the town best.
chizmar is privy to both, and here, the past encroaches on the present in a truly visceral way:Every time I took a break from the computer screen and glanced outside, I imagined the ghosts of my childhood friends sprinting shirtless across the lawn, whooping with laughter and disappearing into the wavering shadows, beneath the towering weeping willow whose spindly branches had snagged so many of our taped-up Wiffle balls and provided hours of cooling shade in which to play marbles and eat pizza subs and trade baseball cards.
his hometown slowly darkens into a haunted space, supplanting and overwriting these cherished memories with new ones; of strangled girls with bite-marked bodies, search parties, funerals, and memorials to the victims, bearing witness to his neighbors succumbing to suspicion and fearful gossip, to women cutting off their long hair so as not to resemble the killer’s evident type.
drawn by his horror writer sensibilities to investigate the actual horror unfolding, chizmar and carly likewise seem to be drawing the killer to themselves, experiencing creepy phone calls, acts of vandalism, and the feeling of being watched, hunted, in their most private spaces.
the creepy parts’ll get under your readerskin, but equally praiseworthy are chizmar’s recollections of the carefree americana childhood spent knocking around this small town. it’s sweetly-encapsulated boylife at its finest; all wholesome rambling and gentle mischief, the details of which are presented with the vivid perfection found in the works of his literary influences ray bradbury and stephen king, whom he invokes both by name and in the style of his prose:Ever since I was a child, it was my favorite time of year—a season of absolute magic. The air smelled of ripe apples and dying leaves and wood smoke. The wind made you ache in some place deeper than your bones. The sky overhead was layered with rich shades of orange and yellow and purple and red and a host of swirling colors too beautiful to be named. The harvest moon—swollen and magnificent, and so close on the horizon you could almost reach out and touch it—paid its annual visit and left you yearning for more. Clouds drifted by, peeking over their shoulders, reluctant to make way for winter's footfalls. Naked tree branches reached out as you walked past, skeletal fingers hungering for your touch, and packs of fallen leaves crunched beneath your wandering feet, their boundless brethren skittering past you in the chill autumn breeze like miniature ghosts haunting the landscape. Dusks and twilights lingered. Midnights stayed forever. Fat jack-o'-lanterns flashed jagged grins from porch railings and windows, flickering orange eyes tracking your every move.
it’s a successful genre mashup and brilliant tonal chimera, by turns lovely and unsettling, intense and meditative. and james renner, master of both of these balancing-act skills, is the perfect fellow to virgil a reader into its pages.
* whose identity probably would have surprised me if, when i was only about three chapters in, i hadn't stuffed my goddamned mail into the book in the foyer on my way up to my apartment, inadvertently bookmarking the page where the killer's photo appeared and, upon retrieving my stupid bills, my fast eyes tractor-beamed to the caption and ruined it for me.
**************************************
when i first heard about this genre-blendy true crime/crime fiction mash-up, my first thought was "i wonder if james renner knows about this book?" since that's his whole wheelhouse. i forgot to email him to put it on his radar, which oversight worked out just fine, because once i finally got my hands on a copy, i opened it up to discover that james renner wrote the dang introduction!
begging the question, why didn't he tell ME about this book, hmmmm?
come to my blog! -
In the summer of 1988 several girls go missing, and their dead bodies found posed in a small Maryland town. Richard Chizmar aspiring writer returns to his hometown right before the second murder. Drawn into figuring out who is terrorizing his town, Richard writes his personal account of the serial killer's reign of terror. Also, the killer seems to be taking an interest in him. Mysterious hangup calls and someone seems to be following him. Will they find out who the Boogeyman is before he kills again?
I usually loathe books that are fiction but try to be nonfiction. However, I loved it in this form. Basically, it is a fiction true-crime book. The pictures at the end of each chapter really enhanced the story. It made me feel for the characters. I highly recommend this one! -
Finishing out 2021 with a fiction book that reads like a true crime book. Takes me back to my younger years in many ways: I was totally obsessed with true crime when in middle/high school and this book was set during those years. I could feel the time period and the setting.
Chizmar takes a very unique approach to this book. He sets the book in his hometown during the late 1980s, where a number of young girls are abducted and murdered. This is a fast paced novel that follows the few months where these incidents took place. It's written with Chizmar as one of the main characters in the book, a recent journalism graduate living at home for a few months before getting married and moving to another city. He and another journalist are invested in helping to figure out who committed these atrocious acts.
Sprinkled throughout, as with most true crime books, are photographs of the different players and locations. It gives such a real feel to the book, and although I've heard that the audiobook contains PDF files of these photos, I think that in this case the print book is the way to go in order to get the real "true crime" experience.
As with a real true crime book, there are some unanswered questions in the end, and although it gives authenticity to the story, it was frustrating to me. It's fiction, so give me all of the answers! Overall, this is a creepy book that offers a sense of foreboding throughout and I read it fairly quickly wanting to know who had committed these murders and why. -
Billed as suspense/horror, I feel as if I missed something. Despite the blurb comparing this story to Stephen King and Michelle McNamara, I failed to see a resemblance.
Richard Chizmar, the author, writes this as part memoir/part fictional 'true crime'. He tells us this part is fiction up front, so this is not a spoiler. Richard recounts the details of murders that happened in 1988 when he was fresh out of college. His hometown of Edgewood, MD was in a state of panic after four young girls were murdered, the work of a serial murderer nicknamed The Boogeyman.
Richard teams up with Carly, a fellow journalist, to try and solve the case, and is given details of the case from a detective (if I didn’t already know it was fiction, this would have been my first clue). Richard spends much time reminiscing about his small-town upbringing, including the minutiae of life in Edgewood. Those who are nostalgic about the 1980s may find these parts engaging. However, they didn’t contribute to the plot development at all, and the story dragged in places.
Richard is not involved in catching the killer in any way. Nothing happens to him that is scary or tense, and the tone is light. The final revelation of the murderer was surprising, but only because there were no clues that would have led to that conclusion. Worse yet, during an interview with the “murderer” certain things were never explained. More than one plot thread was dropped or fizzled. I wasn’t convinced by the staged (fake) photographs either. The girls looked older than teens with nothing about their appearance to indicate the 1980s.
It’s a unique and interesting premise, but it was missing the promised suspense, chills and thrills. To those who don’t enjoy horror, no worries, as this contains no horror. I didn’t think it read like true crime, but more like an early season of Stranger Things.
2.5 stars, rounded up. My expectations were high and maybe I’ve watched and read enough true crime for this to fail for me, but there are plenty of readers who loved it, so please do read other reviews. -
4.5⭐ A unique true-crime mystery. It is fiction though, right? 😯
I love the format in this book. YES, it's fiction as said in the notes on the first page. Then comes the second page that threw me off balance and was confused again. Wait... there are many photos of the victims, the police, crime scenes, and detectives working the case. The house!! I betcha confused now too. 😂
Grab this book! Or audiobook which is also terrific.
⚠️⚠️If you get the audiobook from the library, be warned, there are said photographs in pdf supplements. DO NOT venture too far as the photos towards the end will give the identity of the killer. -
Not Disappointed.
When I started reading this book I was not feeling it. The first section was ponderous and boring.
I was thinking about quitting the reading and find a different book to read. But for some reason I decided to pick the book up and read it.
I am so glad I did. The next section was incredible. Each chapter sped by quickly. The writing was fabulous. The book is full of suspense and mystery.
I’m told that it’s not totally true crime, but also fiction. I can’t figure out which is which, but it doesn’t matter.
The book is awesome. Another happy reader. Hope you will be, too.
Five awesome stars. ✨✨✨✨✨ -
reading all the goodreads horror nominees
https://youtu.be/XGfWQh5Ou_c -
5+ stars!
Brilliant! Shocking! Clever! Terrifying! Engrossing! Phenomenal!!
Best book I’ve read in a long time! All time favourites shelf!
This is a unique and captivating genre mash up. Part true crime, part memoir, part psychological horror. This was insanely brilliant and refreshing! This was a large step outside of my usual reading genres and I LOVED EVERY SINGLE PAGE of it! I was quite literally addicted to this book from start to finish. When I had to stop reading (life really gets in the way sometimes!), I was counting down the minutes until I could pick it back up again. I have not felt so obsessed with a book in years.
This isn’t an easy read - there are plenty of gruesome and highly uncomfortable scenes. I was hanging on every single word even if I found myself cringing and holding my breath at times.
Bottom line — READ THIS BOOK!! I promise it’s like nothing you’ve ever experienced before!
Thank you to my lovely local library for the loan! -
READ THIS BOOK!
'nuff said...….
But if you want more, here it goes...
Summertime, 1988
The mutilated bodies of several missing girls how up in a small Maryland town. The Police believe that a serial killer is targeting those young women in their suburb utopia. But there are rumors that the killer may not be human. *gasp* If the killer is not human, that what is it? The police and FBI will tell you to not believe the rumor that the killer is in fact a human who is playing games with them.
Richard Chizmar is a recent graduate and has returned to his hometown armed with his curiosity, his journalist friend, Carly, and writing utensils. He is planning his wedding, but he is also planning on doing some detective work on his own. He feels as if he is being watched, strange calls are coming in, and well, he may have put himself in a little danger.
This reads as a true crime book with photos which make this book feel even more real. But it is a work of fiction. I had to remind myself of this several times while reading. Parts are taken from the Author's real life which also give this book a very authentic feel. Don't stop reading when you reach the end, the Author's note is a must-read section of this book as well.
I saw the glowing reviews and had high hopes for this book, and it did not disappoint. I found myself to be fully invested in this book and didn't want to put it down when real life called. It's intriguing, so well thought out and executed.
Believe the hype and I'll say it one last time - READ THIS BOOK!
Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at
www.openbookposts.com -
Hot smoking dang!!! My fingers were on fire, turning the pages as fast as I could!! This one is not just another horror story. It is a one-of-a-kind exciting READING EXPERIENCE!!
Richard Chizmar is a genre blending genius and one brilliant author. He combines horror fiction, a small-town mystery, with true crime that uniquely defies any tired, overused tropes around murdered girls and small towns. He creates one of the most clever, haunting, and terrifying stories I have ever read. For this reason, only I think this is one not to be missed.
What I loved
Richard Chizmar is the main character in the story, and the setting is his hometown in Edgewood, Maryland, in the 1980s. It also reads like a memoir as he shares his history and relationship with the town and its people.
Suspense is created with a unique hook by telling us what to expect right off the bat. Chizmar drops little clues for us but are not that obvious. The ending is not a shocker but isn’t predictable either.
The photos, I won’t say any more about that.
What I didn’t love as much
Richard Chizmar takes a long chapter to invoke that sense of place with some history of Edgewood, and I probably would have lost patience if Lindsay hadn’t warned and told me it picks up. This creates an exciting dimension and dynamics between the reader and the town. He paints a clear picture to visualize the events as they play out. It is important to the story to pay attention as it is rewarding to do so.
Reason to read this one
If you like an out-of-the-box compelling, tension fueled, suspenseful, and terrifying story that blends horror and true crime. If you are not a fan of true crime, you might not find the “telling” of the story as exciting as we did. -
That was good. Listened to the audio through the library.
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 -
I expected to love this book, but honestly I’m not sure how I feel about it. I am struggling to verbalize what I didn’t like about this book. I just find it so strange that it’s a fictional story that reads like true crime and the author is the main character. I guess I just expected more? I was really engaged with the first half, and I was especially enjoying the supernatural elements of the book, but then I feel like it just never went anywhere?
I see a lot of other reviewers saying this is a 5 star idea and a 2 star plot and I’d have to agree. The concept of this book sounds really cool, but the execution wasn’t my favorite. If I didn’t have the audiobook to help me get through it I might have stopped reading it. Most of the book was so boring and the author just dragged on about these stories from his childhood (which may or may not be true?? Like who knows lol 😅)
I guess I just don’t really see the hype with this one. And also it read a lot more like a true crime to me and not really like a horror book. -
What a great way to write a book!
Richard Chizmar is starting his career as a writer. He moves back to his childhood home with his parents in the small town of Edgewood after finishing college. He is saving money for his wedding to his high school sweetheart.
Just before he moves back, a young teenager is found strangled near her home. The police get quickly involved and start trying to piece together the crime. Then another young teenager goes missing. The town is shocked. Something like this has never happened before. Who is doing this? What kind of monster? The Boogeyman?
Young Rich can't leave it alone. He and his friend, Carly Allbright start investigating the case. He knows the culprit has to be near. But it is safe? Someone is calling his home and hanging up. Then, he feels like someone is following him. Lastly, he believes the murderer is seeking him out. But why?
Excellent! It had me entertained from beginning to end. The story felt so real!
The author makes you believe everything he is saying happened way back when he was a young man fresh out of college. A serial killer is on the loose and Ric is in the middle of it.
Cliffhanger: No
5/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Gallery Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It |
Facebook |
Twitter |
Instagram -
4.5 stars
Many of us love living in a small town. It seems to offer us peace, freedom from crime, deliverance from unending traffic snarls, and a somewhat bucolic life. It's a panacea for what many seek...a quiet life.
When tragedy in the form of murder comes to town, it reverberates through the residents, and takes away their sought-after sense of peace and safety.
This is what happened in a sleepy village in Maryland as one of its residents Richard Chizmar, a recent college graduate returns home and takes up his desire to be a journalist. He takes up the gauntlet and of course becomes involved with the murders and its abhorrent mutilations while the town gossips and lives in fear. Young women are abducted seemingly out of midair and found dead with the killer taking a trophy each time and staging the bodies. It's a harrowing tale, one that has people wondering with various supposed sightings if this boogeyman is truly something not of this earth.
We follow Richard as he unearths clues with the help of a police lieutenant as well as a reporter. Richard tries to puzzle out who among his neighbors and maybe even friends and acquaintance could be the boogeyman.
I very much enjoyed this book as it read like a true crime story, (although it is faux). I was totally invested in Richard's search for the killer and although the ending was somewhat rushed, Mr Chizman kept the energy flowing and compulsive reading followed. Included in the book was pictures of the victims and places where the crimes occurred, adding a layer of truthfulness to the story.
It was a clever story, reminding me of the author Anthony Horowitz inserting himself into his stories. If you enjoy true crime and are looking for a book that while it is not horror, but is one that this author compels you to believe is real. Nice job Richard Chizmar! -
Four teenage girls are killed during the summer of 1988 in Edgewood, Maryland. These events shake this small town to its core and put everyone on edge. The serial killer is given the name the Boogeyman. Richard Chizmar has just returned home after graduating from college while he awaits his upcoming wedding when the killings begin. Richard and his friend, Carly Albright, a journalist at the local newspaper, try tracking down their own leads to figure out the identity of the Boogeyman which puts them in the Boogeyman's line of sight.
Chasing the Boogeyman messed with my head a little, but definitely in a good way, I knew this was a work of metafiction, but it really reads more like true crime. There are also pictures of the victims, locations throughout the town, and the police investigation added throughout the book which give it an even more realistic feel. I actually got confused a few times and thought I was actually reading about a real event to the point that I actually tried finding some of the characters and murders online.
The author cleverly adds himself as the protagonist and tells the story from his perspective. This along with the fact that he also includes actually memories from his childhood since he grew up in Edgewood blurs the line between fact and fiction even more which I thought was a brilliant way to write the story.
My only issue was that I felt the hopscotch grid, things left by the boogeyman at the scene and the numerology were an important part of the story, yet their significance was never explained. The synopsis states that it is "a marriage between horror fiction and true crime", but it didn't feel like horror fiction to me at all. It was definitely creepy in parts, but not scary or overly graphic. This is a book where I feel the Author's Note is a must since it helps clear up what is real in the story vs what is not. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and and the storytelling. 4 stars.
Trigger warning: There is mention of the killer's harming of animals at the end of the book.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for an advanced eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Publication date: August 17, 2021. -
“Chasing the Boogeyman” by Richard Chizmar is truly a unique reading experience for readers that love horror with an authentic true crime twist. I originally wanted to read this book because of the fact that Chizmar has co-written a book with the legendary Stephen King and even King himself said this was “genuinely chilling” and that’s all I needed to know.
Once I saw that ringing endorsement by my all-time favorite author, I immediately purchased this book and could not put it down once I started. Chizmar has a wonderful way of writing and creating memorable scenes, places, characters, events, and well, murder. To add that extra touch of realism, the pictures you’ll see used across many chapters in this book showing characters, places, and much more are all truly bone-chilling.
Overall, this book gets a perfect 5/5 from me because it was absolutely fantastic and something refreshingly new in the horror genre. The ending is beyond satisfying, creepy, and something that I will remember for many years to come as it was great. I’m also proud to say that upon finishing this book, it was my 10/10 book for my 2021 Reading Challenge on Goodreads!
I started late this year in rekindling my love of reading again back in July 2021 as I set a small yet reachable goal. Let me tell you, this was an amazing read and an awesome way to finish my reading challenge for the year much earlier than expected. I will undoubtedly recommend this book to anyone that loves horror or true crime as it was one incredible reading experience that just felt so real. I am now a huge fan of Chizmar and plan to read his previous work as well as anything he writes in the future. This book left such a good impression on me, he’s got a new loyal reader for many years to come. -
I thoroughly enjoyed Chasing the Boogeyman and I've already searched for more Richard Chizmar books.
I listened to the audiobook, and Chizmar's smooth writing style along with Chris Andrew Ciulla's perfectly matched narration lolled me into a state where didn't want want to stop listening.
The true crime aspect was brilliant, and I enjoyed the Author's note at the end where we found what parts and people were actually real. -
At 9pm, after saying goodnight to her parents, the girl walked up the stairs, closed her bedroom door and went to bed. No sound was heard in the night. Her parents slept only steps away. But when her mother called her down for breakfast the following morning, there was no answer from behind the still closed door. A broken screen lay on the ground outside her window; a tiny smear of blood on the windowsill; no footprints; no sign of Catherine. She would be the first that summer of '88. The summer the Boogeyman changed a small town forever, and the Richard Chizmar's life too. He would go on to write about it, and then many years later, pick it up again.
Here's the beef. I didn't want to put this book down. I felt the vibes of I'll Be Gone in the Dark on a focused scale, moving inside the dome of a one small town. A place where people know their neighbor's first names, where a single tragedy can effect the whole community. The pace, although slow to start, becomes practically constant, pushed along by the narration of a young author caught up in the middle of his own home town's mystery. The writing begins a bit clunky, adjective phrases galore, but there's a reason for this. He's just an author-to-be when first putting the pen to paper. The later transition is apparent, becoming part of an ending that just may shock you. -
Occasionally the phrase . . . .
Gets thrown around upon a new book’s release and generally I avoid those books like the plague due to the fact that . . . .
But when my real life friend told me this was a must-read for October, I took a handful of preemptive Extra Strength Tylenol and decided to give it a go.
I see this was a real mixed bag for my friends and I am interested to see why it was a miss for so many. I’m assuming most of the naysayers received galleys and therefore didn’t really know what they were getting into upon beginning, but maybe that’s not accurate and they simply did not like this tale (and that is okay for any of you trolls out there thinking about trollin’). For me, though???? This was how I wish I’ll Be Gone in the Dark had been presented. While McNamara’s posthumous true crime novel attempted to detail an actual true crime, the lack of evidence and so much of her own story thrown in made that one a massive flop for me. But if it would have been presented as part memoir/part mindhunter????? I think it would have been a win. Or maybe not, but this one sure was!
The story here details the goings on of a serial killer in Edgewood, Maryland back in 1988. Author/publisher Richard Chizmar was fresh out of college with the ink still wet on his journalism degree with aspirations of becoming an author by trade as well as starting his own magazine. Living with his parents in an attempt to save some money before his impending nuptials – Chizmar had a near front-row seat for the brutal murders of a handful of local girls over the course of the Summer and Fall. Presented as a memoir, this is Chizmar’s recollection of the local Boogeyman . . . .
Allllllllll the Stars for this story that had me continually questioning whether I was reading fiction or nonfiction. -
4.5 (not just for the book but also for the effort the author went into producing it)
This book reads as an authentic true crime thriller that offers an intriguing blend of characters, a serial killers reign of terror and superb story telling.
Richard Chizmar narrates the novel, with himself as the central male protagonist, using real people and places with a plot inspired by the Phantom Fondler. However, the four murdered girls, the police and the murderer are all a work of fiction.
So now for our fictional crime story !!!.
“Something wicked this way comes”, a resident recalls.
In the summer of 1988, the small town of Edgewood is living a real-life horror story when the bodies of 4 girls are found. Each crime is remarkably similar, a calling card (or message) has been left beforehand and each victim suffers the same gruesome injuries. They are strangled, mutilated, sexually assaulted, and then their bodies are staged. There are no persons of interest and from the first murder, it becomes apparent they are dealing with a very intelligent killer who meticulously plans and forensically cleans each crime scene leaving no clues or traces of himself.
Richard, a horror writer and Carly Albright, a journalist team up to solve the murder, but as they do, they uncover the private face of Edgewood with its rumours, stories, secrets and myths. Despite a lengthy and widespread investigation, the case remains unsolved for almost 30 years. Then Richard receives a message that a man has been charged, although a very unlikely suspect, he confesses all.
The story comes to a close with the killer seeking an interview with Richard, and at this stage we learn about 3 more deaths with hints that there may have been more. Now the door has been opened and the stories and details come tumbling out, it creates a new sense of hope that these confessions will provide closure to the many parents of missing teenagers and the cold cases that gather dust on the shelves.
I really enjoyed this book, it was believable, compelling, and very different in the good way. The author created the thrill and even produced photographs to build the feeling of authenticity that made the story so believable I had to keep reminding myself I was reading a fictional novel. The only downside, I thought there was a little bit too much detail in some areas of the book that did not seem relevant or add to the story. Perhaps the author was reminiscing about Edgewood that held so many beautiful memories. Highly recommended though
