Chasing the Boogeyman
Ratings62
Average rating3.8
The acclaimed New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling novel of small-town evil that “is genuinely chilling and something brand-new and exciting” (Stephen King) and “unforgettable” (Harlan Coben). 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. Amid preparing for his wedding and embarking on a writing career, he soon finds himself thrust into a 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 “dazzling work of fresh imagination and psychological insight” (Caroline Kepnes, New York Times bestselling author of You) is on full display in this truly unique novel that will haunt you long after you turn the final page.
Series
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2 primary books#1 in The Boogeyman
The Boogeyman is a 2-book series with 2 released primary works first released in 2021 with contributions by Richard Chizmar.
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I spent a lot of this book with my mind in two places - in the story, and wondering where the story and reality meet. As it turns out, the only thing that's real in the story is the author and his memories of his childhood and his town. Which made me feel like I wasted a bunch of mental energy on a book that was overall fine.
Inspired by events in his hometown, Richard Chizmar weaves an interesting blend of memoir and novel creating a faux true-crime piece of fiction. It's an...interesting experiment. Most writers would take his inspiration (a serial “fondler” that was breaking into women's homes in his hometown) and then turn it into pure fiction - but Chizmar wanted to do something very different. The main character is not someone based off him, it is him. The town isn't based off his hometown, it is his hometown. But the events at the center of the story, and the people they pertain to, are entirely fictional.
I think what mostly didn't click with me is the writing style. I don't read a lot of true crime, but it's my understanding there is still plenty of art and style to writing non-fiction. Chizmar's prose is pretty bland - I'm pretty sure this is intentional, but I don't think he needed to go that far with it. His recollections of his hometown and his life border on hokey with their sentimentality, and while its sweet that something like this is written with so much love, I wasn't really looking for something sweet. The mystery at the center - a serial killer attacking and killing teenage girls - feels fairly generic. A decent but forgettable episode of Criminal Minds, basically.
As such, I don't really have much to say about this. The primary appeal of this book is the novelty of what it is, and that it is a fairly easy read. Otherwise, I didn't really get much out of it.
The writing is so easy to read. Very interesting and kept my attention but finding out the Boogeyman's identity was anticlimactic. I'll definitely read more and can't wait for the sequel.
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