Chasing the Boogeyman: A Novel
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-09 11:31:11
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Richard Chizmar
- ISBN：1797125001
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Sarah A
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Very fascinating premise: fictitious true crime novel （oxymoron anyone？？）Richard Chizmar tells a story from his own point of view about his hometown where mysterious murders of teenage girls takes place。 Some “characters” are real people from his life， while others are formed from his imagination; but while reading， you don’t know which is which。 There are also numerous photos included that give the story more of that true crime feel。 Viewing other reviews， I know many absolutely loved this book Very fascinating premise: fictitious true crime novel （oxymoron anyone？？）Richard Chizmar tells a story from his own point of view about his hometown where mysterious murders of teenage girls takes place。 Some “characters” are real people from his life， while others are formed from his imagination; but while reading， you don’t know which is which。 There are also numerous photos included that give the story more of that true crime feel。 Viewing other reviews， I know many absolutely loved this book and could not put it down。 Although I enjoyed the story as someone who loves true crime， mysteries & thrillers; I wasn’t immediately drawn into the book nor unable to take pauses in my reading （see how long it took me to finish vs other books I’ve read）。 I didn’t feel “hooked in” until the afterword， which is clearly not until near the final pages。 With such an unique sub genre， I would be interested in reading other true crime fiction stories; even if this wasn’t my favorite read of all time。 。。。more
Karen Caruso
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For me this felt more like I was reading an autobiography than a fictional novel。 It took me a bit to get into the story and it felt like there was a lot of erroneous information included to give the story more meat but wasn't really necessary。 Overall I have to be honest， I wasn't really enthralled with it。 It was a fair read。 For me this felt more like I was reading an autobiography than a fictional novel。 It took me a bit to get into the story and it felt like there was a lot of erroneous information included to give the story more meat but wasn't really necessary。 Overall I have to be honest， I wasn't really enthralled with it。 It was a fair read。 。。。more
Kathleen
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Metafiction。 I had no idea what that was when I started this book， but I do believe I like it。 This was a fascinating telling of a short period of the author's life - or was it？ What is fact and what is fiction is blurred throughout the story。 But honestly， the story is so compelling to read， that I barely gave that much thought， until I got to the end and two things happened。 First the killer was interviewed and it felt so formulaic that it pulled me out of the story。 And once again， how do we Metafiction。 I had no idea what that was when I started this book， but I do believe I like it。 This was a fascinating telling of a short period of the author's life - or was it？ What is fact and what is fiction is blurred throughout the story。 But honestly， the story is so compelling to read， that I barely gave that much thought， until I got to the end and two things happened。 First the killer was interviewed and it felt so formulaic that it pulled me out of the story。 And once again， how do we prove a person is a serial killer？ Torture animals！ The entire book had been so well done up to this point that I was really disappointed that the author hadn't been a bit more creative。 The second thing that happens is the author tells you exactly what was real and what wasn't in his afterword， so you aren't left wondering， if you had been wondering :） I highly suggest you not read that afterword beforehand - you know who you are！ And of course TW for animal abuse。 It is clumped in one chapter that is easily skipped over。 Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy and provide my honest opinion。 。。。more
Liz Bourland
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Quite possibly the most entertaining book I've read this year。 I love a good true crime book， and this reads like one。 I had to stop myself from researching the murders as I usually do when I read nonfiction， and the authors note blew me away。 Well done。 Quite possibly the most entertaining book I've read this year。 I love a good true crime book， and this reads like one。 I had to stop myself from researching the murders as I usually do when I read nonfiction， and the authors note blew me away。 Well done。 。。。more
Lucie Morningstar
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"Chasing the Boogeyman" is an intelligent and engrossing fictional story written in the voice of a true crime case study told from a personal perspective。Chizmar has crafted an addictive and fascinating plot within the author's life history， pulling memories and details from his family life and home town。 Despite being advertised as a work of fiction， it was hard to believe this was not a real criminal case。 The attention to detail throughout the book was unbelievably well thought out and tightl "Chasing the Boogeyman" is an intelligent and engrossing fictional story written in the voice of a true crime case study told from a personal perspective。Chizmar has crafted an addictive and fascinating plot within the author's life history， pulling memories and details from his family life and home town。 Despite being advertised as a work of fiction， it was hard to believe this was not a real criminal case。 The attention to detail throughout the book was unbelievably well thought out and tightly knit。 I was so committed to following the progression of the case， I repeatedly had to remind myself the crime wasn't factual。This has shot to my top read of 2021 and I cannot wait to purchase a physical copy so I can read it again。 Thank you to Richard Chizmar， Netgallery and Hodder & Stoughton for this arc to review。 。。。more
Gino
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I received this ARC through the Goodreads giveaway。 This a metafiction novel where the author writes about his experiences and the events that occurred in 1988 in his small Maryland town。 He tells of the serial killer "The Boogeyman" that terrorized his town and kills several teenage girls。 I really enjoyed this book。 I am a huge fan of horror/thriller novels and of true crime so this was a great read。 You get so caught up in the lives of the townspeople and the horror of living through the scar I received this ARC through the Goodreads giveaway。 This a metafiction novel where the author writes about his experiences and the events that occurred in 1988 in his small Maryland town。 He tells of the serial killer "The Boogeyman" that terrorized his town and kills several teenage girls。 I really enjoyed this book。 I am a huge fan of horror/thriller novels and of true crime so this was a great read。 You get so caught up in the lives of the townspeople and the horror of living through the scare of a serial killer running loose you forget this is fiction。 I have not read any of Chizmar's previous works but I will now， esp。 the ones coauthored with King。 If you love thrillers and true crime this is definitely a book you'll want to read。 。。。more
Amanda McHugh
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This is one of my most anticipated reads on the year， not only because I'm a fan of Chizmar's work， but because the premise for this story sounded SO。 GOOD。 I was beyond thrilled to be approved。In his early twenties， Richard Chizmar's town of Edgewood was plagued with terror。 Four young girls abducted and gruesomely murdered。 Tensions high， Chizmar works with a close friend to identify the killer but soon finds himself in his crosshairs。 Spanning decades and milestones， Chasing the Boogeyman is This is one of my most anticipated reads on the year， not only because I'm a fan of Chizmar's work， but because the premise for this story sounded SO。 GOOD。 I was beyond thrilled to be approved。In his early twenties， Richard Chizmar's town of Edgewood was plagued with terror。 Four young girls abducted and gruesomely murdered。 Tensions high， Chizmar works with a close friend to identify the killer but soon finds himself in his crosshairs。 Spanning decades and milestones， Chasing the Boogeyman is a metafiction of extraordinary proportions， as satisfying in its execution as it is terrifying in its realization。 I loved this book。There is something about an expert storyteller that is impossible to ignore。 While some stories are great， the ability to hold an audience captive is a rare talent， and Chizmar knocked it out of the park with this one。 I was utterly engrossed by the format and atmosphere。 The late 80s nostalgia jumped off the pages， and with that， the fear。 Chizmar's depiction of the small-town dynamics was spot-on。 You get the claustrophobia， the isolation of feeling like your friends and neighbors are the ones being targeted。 You get the rising tensions and suspicions， the gossip and the grudges。 Combined with the photographs and the stunning insight into the workings of a serial killer， this book was haunting， and I have a feeling it will stick with many readers long after it's been finished。 No spoilers， but for me， this had the same feeling of dread that made The Strangers so successful。 It's a quiet horror until the screams start， and you don't need hyperbolic comparisons or jump scares to make it absolutely gut-punching。 Overall， Chasing the Boogeyman is by far one of the best books you'll read this year。 Out in August， add to your TBR now and read it anywhere。 Beach， house， or car， just make sure you leave a light or two on。 Huge thanks to Gallery and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration。 。。。more
Heather Lou Reads
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*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a honest review。This book was freaking fantastic。 I had to remind myself that this book was fictional because it read so closely to how a real true crime novel would read。 I really enjoyed how the author interjected himself into the narrative。 It was like reading a diary or journal instead of a fictional story。 This book takes place in a small town called Edgewood。 This town is home to the mysterious Edgewo *Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a honest review。This book was freaking fantastic。 I had to remind myself that this book was fictional because it read so closely to how a real true crime novel would read。 I really enjoyed how the author interjected himself into the narrative。 It was like reading a diary or journal instead of a fictional story。 This book takes place in a small town called Edgewood。 This town is home to the mysterious Edgewood Arsenal and infamous Phantom Fondler。 In this particular story， Richard "Rich"/"Chiz" Chizmar recounts certain aspects of his childhood to help the reader visualize his surroundings and also includes pictures of major scenes in the narrative。 Rich finds himself in the middle of unfathomable Murders occurring in his hometown after he graduating from college and comes to live back home with his parents。 The first murder occurs before he arrives at his parents home， and this quickly grabs Rich's attention。 He is a horror and thriller aspiring writer， so the crimes interest him on a whole new level。 After the murders occur， Rich and Carly， a reporter at the local newspaper who somehow received inside information， begin their own investigation of the murders。 I'm not going to go into much more detail because I don't want to spoil anything， but just know this book is great。 Chizmar was able to bring humor into this narrative without taking away the seriousness of true crime。 If you're a true crime fanatic and love reading books about murders and the gruesome details， then you'll enjoy this book。 。。。more
Faydra | PuzzledBooks
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28/50: “Chasing the Boogeyman” by Richard Chizmar“I was no longer a child。 It was the final day of July 1988。 And I felt it singing deep in my bones: there’s a storm coming。”Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel！“Chasing the Boogeyman” will be released on August 17， 2021。This is the story of a small town horror: a killer has slipped into the midst of a small Maryland town， hometown to Richard Chizmar， recent college graduate and inspiring writer。 Chizmar is drawn to 28/50: “Chasing the Boogeyman” by Richard Chizmar“I was no longer a child。 It was the final day of July 1988。 And I felt it singing deep in my bones: there’s a storm coming。”Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel！“Chasing the Boogeyman” will be released on August 17， 2021。This is the story of a small town horror: a killer has slipped into the midst of a small Maryland town， hometown to Richard Chizmar， recent college graduate and inspiring writer。 Chizmar is drawn to the crimes and， as his curiosity heightens， he finds himself smack dab in the middle of the story。I’ll admit， it took me a bit to get into it because the extensive world-building at the beginning was。。。a lot。 But what happened was Chizmar created a world that feels like it truly existed。 I actually had to double-check a few times that this was， in fact， a novel。 Chizmar’s writing style has such a nostalgic tone that this universe felt incredibly real。I saw a summary that said this is the perfect mix of Stephen King and Michelle McNamara， and that nails this story。 While based on Chizmar’s hometown， the account written is completely fictional， but contains an atmosphere of complete realism。If you enjoy true crime， thrillers， or books with an air of mystery and horror， I highly recommend this one。4/5 。。。more
Jill Elizabeth
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I became a fan of Chizmar courtesy of Gwendy's Button Box， and ever since I have never once looked back。。。 He has a magnificent ability to spin a yarn that is redolent of Stephen King's writing style but not at all derivative of it。 I loved the novel-cum-memoir format and honestly didn't realize it WAS a novel until the very end。。。 It was a disturbing and entertaining tale and I was stunned by the revelation at the end。 What a fantastic - albeit dark - story this was， and what a marvelous omage I became a fan of Chizmar courtesy of Gwendy's Button Box， and ever since I have never once looked back。。。 He has a magnificent ability to spin a yarn that is redolent of Stephen King's writing style but not at all derivative of it。 I loved the novel-cum-memoir format and honestly didn't realize it WAS a novel until the very end。。。 It was a disturbing and entertaining tale and I was stunned by the revelation at the end。 What a fantastic - albeit dark - story this was， and what a marvelous omage to small-town life in the pre 24-hour news cycle world。。。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy。 。。。more
Madhuri Sridhara
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Sorry to say that this didn't work at all for me。 DNF at 14%。I'm a fan of true crime and I was excited to see a meta version of something in this genre but Chizmar's writing is tedious。 He doesn't get to the point in all the time I read the book。 He talks up the town and his happy days growing up in it with irrelevant details about his childhood home even mentioning how he's the favourite of his parents。 I thought maybe it would get better given other's praises for the book but when the first vi Sorry to say that this didn't work at all for me。 DNF at 14%。I'm a fan of true crime and I was excited to see a meta version of something in this genre but Chizmar's writing is tedious。 He doesn't get to the point in all the time I read the book。 He talks up the town and his happy days growing up in it with irrelevant details about his childhood home even mentioning how he's the favourite of his parents。 I thought maybe it would get better given other's praises for the book but when the first victim is being described， he objectifies her。 This reads more like a diary than anything else。Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an e-ARC of the book！ 。。。more
Carol
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Wow， just wow。 Well not JUST wow， I have some thoughts。 Chizmar's writing is wonderful。 This book really hooked me。 I was invested in each aspect of the story， from the victims， the detective， and Richard's childhood stories。 This felt like Stephen King mixed with Ray Bradbury - making for a great book for me！ If you enjoy crime stories or darker memoirs I highly recommend this book！ Wow， just wow。 Well not JUST wow， I have some thoughts。 Chizmar's writing is wonderful。 This book really hooked me。 I was invested in each aspect of the story， from the victims， the detective， and Richard's childhood stories。 This felt like Stephen King mixed with Ray Bradbury - making for a great book for me！ If you enjoy crime stories or darker memoirs I highly recommend this book！ 。。。more
Casey W
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An refreshing and original take on writing a part memoir， part creative non-fiction told like a true crime novel。 Richard moves back in with his parents temporarily in his hometown of Edgewood， when a local teen is brutally murdered， and then another and another。 Teaming up with a local journalist we get to experience their investigation alongside the police and experience the fear and tension amongst the community with an actual resolution at the end！ A novelty sometimes in the “true crime” gen An refreshing and original take on writing a part memoir， part creative non-fiction told like a true crime novel。 Richard moves back in with his parents temporarily in his hometown of Edgewood， when a local teen is brutally murdered， and then another and another。 Teaming up with a local journalist we get to experience their investigation alongside the police and experience the fear and tension amongst the community with an actual resolution at the end！ A novelty sometimes in the “true crime” genre。 。。。more
Melonie
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Thank you Net Galley for the ARC of this incredibly creative and downright creepy novel。 This is fiction but with the addition of photos and stories about the authors own life， it read like an extremely well researched true crime story。 I truly enjoyed the way the author described the town， and Edgewood was just as big a character as the boogeyman in my opinion。 This definitely kept me guessing as to who the killer（s） were and I actually didn’t figure it out till the reveal （rare for me。） This s Thank you Net Galley for the ARC of this incredibly creative and downright creepy novel。 This is fiction but with the addition of photos and stories about the authors own life， it read like an extremely well researched true crime story。 I truly enjoyed the way the author described the town， and Edgewood was just as big a character as the boogeyman in my opinion。 This definitely kept me guessing as to who the killer（s） were and I actually didn’t figure it out till the reveal （rare for me。） This story had a surprising amount of heart， and it was truly a great reading experience。 TW: animal cruelty， talk of sexual assault （not graphic） 。。。more
Elisa
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I’m glad to see that this book has received so many accolades because I won’t feel so bad about giving it a bad review。 First of all， I don’t like the true crime genre so I probably shouldn’t have picked it up to begin with， but the premise intrigued me。 Unfortunately， it never caught my interest。 I’m not sure if it’s a feature of true crime， but the amount of irrelevant detail in the narrative is staggering。 I didn’t care about the names of every single person the narrator comes into contact wi I’m glad to see that this book has received so many accolades because I won’t feel so bad about giving it a bad review。 First of all， I don’t like the true crime genre so I probably shouldn’t have picked it up to begin with， but the premise intrigued me。 Unfortunately， it never caught my interest。 I’m not sure if it’s a feature of true crime， but the amount of irrelevant detail in the narrative is staggering。 I didn’t care about the names of every single person the narrator comes into contact with， or whether they had ulcers or a drug problem。 Interrupting the action to include how Rich goes to the gas station to fill up the tank just slows down the rhythm。 Another feature of true crime that I’m not a fan of， is how the culprit sometimes is a complete stranger。 I’m not going to spoil the ending， but the way the crimes are solved here is anticlimactic。 I liked the explanation， but at that point I was just bored。 I’m sure true crime fans will enjoy the clever premise but this was not for me。 I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased。 Thank you， NetGalley/Gallery Books！ 。。。more
Wendy
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One of the best books I’ve read this year！ It had very unique storyline and amazingly written。 Very highly recommended。
Paula B
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This is a cleverly written "true" crime story。 It occasionally bogged down， but then picked up again。 I read it in a single day， because I really wanted to know how it ended。 Even though I figured out who the killer was about halfway through the book， I wanted to see his confession。 This is a cleverly written "true" crime story。 It occasionally bogged down， but then picked up again。 I read it in a single day， because I really wanted to know how it ended。 Even though I figured out who the killer was about halfway through the book， I wanted to see his confession。 。。。more
Jami
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I’m not as a prolific reader of nonfiction as thrillers， suspense， etc but something about this tale lured me in and had me curious right up until the very end。 Small town life in “the good ol’ days” of the 70’s & 80’s is right up my alley - throw in a Boogeyman？ An author who hung and wrote with Uncle Stevie？ Yes， please， I’m in。 Go into this book with an open mind though - you’ll thank me for that tidbit later。
James Doyle
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Chasing the Boogeyman is a fictional novel， written in the style of a True Crime book。 Richard Chizmar himself is the protagonist， and the novel follows his life in his hometown。 He is back at home with his parents， just months before he is going to be married， and Chizmar "documents" the murders of several young girls in his neighbourhood。We follow Chizmar as he becomes inextricably linked with the investigation， and we wonder who the killer is and when they will strike again。I have read one no Chasing the Boogeyman is a fictional novel， written in the style of a True Crime book。 Richard Chizmar himself is the protagonist， and the novel follows his life in his hometown。 He is back at home with his parents， just months before he is going to be married， and Chizmar "documents" the murders of several young girls in his neighbourhood。We follow Chizmar as he becomes inextricably linked with the investigation， and we wonder who the killer is and when they will strike again。I have read one novel by Chizmar before - his collaboration with Stephen King， Gwendy's Button Box， which I found charming。 After reading this， Chizmar stayed in my mind。 I didn't immediately run out and buy his back-catalogue， but I was intrigued。 I followed him on Twitter and knew I would read more of his work some day。Then I read Chasing the Boogeyman。 This book is fantastic！ Before the story， there is an Author's Note saying that the events are fictional， and yet I had to Google certain things to see if they were real。 This is written as the most interesting True Crime book you will read。Part of the reason that this novel is so real is that I believe Chizmar has allowed us into his life and soul。 I don't mean the acts of the Boogeyman of course， but lots of the book feels like it was partly memoir。 The parts of the text that describe his family life and the inception of Cemetery Dance feel like we have a snapshot of a real young artist's life。 Chizmar has poured himself into the pages。 Therefore when we are introduced to a terrifying murderer stalking the night， we have no reason to believe it is fiction。I don't recall reading a book like Chasing the Boogeyman before。 I was gripped from the first paragraph， and read it very quickly。 This is the best book I have read so far this year。I will now definitely be going out and reading Chizmar's back-catalogue。 This is perfect for fans of Stephen King， True-Crime fans， and anyone who loves a thrilling dark tale。Thanks to Richard Chizmar， NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this ARC。 。。。more
Sneha
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Oh my god！ What a ride this book was！ I absolutely loved reading this book and finished it in a day。 Chizmar writes evocatively and creates the atmosphere so well。 I was lost in the storytelling and the world he created for his readers and i had to keep reading to know more。The concept - of mixing fact with fiction， and writing a novel in the fashion of a true crime book - and its execution were both done brilliantly。 There are so many thrillers that are based on the central trope of the serial Oh my god！ What a ride this book was！ I absolutely loved reading this book and finished it in a day。 Chizmar writes evocatively and creates the atmosphere so well。 I was lost in the storytelling and the world he created for his readers and i had to keep reading to know more。The concept - of mixing fact with fiction， and writing a novel in the fashion of a true crime book - and its execution were both done brilliantly。 There are so many thrillers that are based on the central trope of the serial killer， but this book stood out because of the twist it gave to the trope by going meta。 Absolutely recommended。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC 。。。more
Annette
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This book reads like a true crime book。 It was a good story。 There were some parts in the beginning that made me laugh out loud。 Some other parts creeped me out a bit。 It kept me turning the pages and I was surprised by the ending。 I think this is my second book by this author。 I definitely need to read the others that I have。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy
Jayme
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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 pr 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 GallagherKacey RobinsonMadeline Wilcox andCassidy BurchHe 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”。。。。。 。。。more
Mommacat
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Review CopyI have never read a Richard Chizmar book that I didn't like。 Until now。 And that may not be fair to CHASING THE BOOGEYMAN - a book that I couldn't wait to read - because I couldn't finish it。 I tried。 Oh， how I tried。 But as my eyes crossed and my thoughts kept turning wandering to wondering if Chizmar was serious。。。or seriously wacky。。。I just gave up at 23%。 In the middle of a sentence。 This purports to be a true crime （novel） in the guise of the authors memoir。 I couldn't help thin Review CopyI have never read a Richard Chizmar book that I didn't like。 Until now。 And that may not be fair to CHASING THE BOOGEYMAN - a book that I couldn't wait to read - because I couldn't finish it。 I tried。 Oh， how I tried。 But as my eyes crossed and my thoughts kept turning wandering to wondering if Chizmar was serious。。。or seriously wacky。。。I just gave up at 23%。 In the middle of a sentence。 This purports to be a true crime （novel） in the guise of the authors memoir。 I couldn't help thinking he was going to scream at some point， "I like beer！" He just seemed to have an idyllic， Andy Griffith， even spoiled childhood。 He admits to thinking he was the favorite child。 What chutzpah。I kept waiting for something to happen to wake the story up but finally I decided that it just wasn't worth it。 Every author seems to have a book better left unpublished and unread and this one is Richard Chizmar's。 I can't recommend CHASING THE BOOGIEMAN; if you like the same type of books I do， you won't read this either。 Wait for his next book。 。。。more
Sarena Johnson
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After I saw one of my favorite book bloggers add this to her TBR for the year， I knew I had to read it。 It’s been one of my most anticipated books of the year so I was very excited when I was approved for an ARC （thank you NetGalley and the publisher）。 I have never read anything by this author and now I want to read more！ This book was so unique and I loved everything about it。 It’s written as if it is a true crime book with little sprinkles of real life， but the rest is fiction。 Because of the After I saw one of my favorite book bloggers add this to her TBR for the year， I knew I had to read it。 It’s been one of my most anticipated books of the year so I was very excited when I was approved for an ARC （thank you NetGalley and the publisher）。 I have never read anything by this author and now I want to read more！ This book was so unique and I loved everything about it。 It’s written as if it is a true crime book with little sprinkles of real life， but the rest is fiction。 Because of the nature of the book， I often found myself forgetting that this wasn’t a real crime which is just crazy！！ Highly recommend this to anyone who likes true crime。 。。。more
Staci Troilo
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A Masterfully Written “True” Crime BookI love a well-documented true crime tale， particularly if it involves a serial killer。 It has all the fascinating elements of a whodunit， but （hopefully） the mystery is solved at the end， and I have the satisfaction of knowing justice has been served and a monster is off the streets。 Bonus if I solve the crime before the detectives。Chasing the Boogeyman promises three things that always suck me into a story: a small-town， a serial killer， and a true-crime v A Masterfully Written “True” Crime BookI love a well-documented true crime tale， particularly if it involves a serial killer。 It has all the fascinating elements of a whodunit， but （hopefully） the mystery is solved at the end， and I have the satisfaction of knowing justice has been served and a monster is off the streets。 Bonus if I solve the crime before the detectives。Chasing the Boogeyman promises three things that always suck me into a story: a small-town， a serial killer， and a true-crime vehicle through which the tale unfolds。 And Chizmar delivers those three things flawlessly。I found the setting to be a character unto itself， maybe because it’s a real place the author knows intimately。 Regardless of why， Chizmar breathed life into Edgewood， Maryland， and I felt as though I was walking the streets with him。He was equally gifted at bringing the characters to life for me， particularly Carly， Detective Harper， and his parents。 It wasn’t a matter of quantity of page time so much as it was the quality of it。 Their interactions with him and his feelings about them really made them shine。 Secondary characters like his childhood friends also added necessary levity and broke up passages of suspense and anxiety。There were no descriptions of excessive gore， yet there was always an undertone of tension and dread。 Setting such an atmosphere and maintaining it throughout the work takes a lot of skill， and I appreciated the effort。 Particularly because he made it look effortless。I began this review by telling you that I love true crime stories and why。 That’s why I chose to read this book。 But it’s not actually a true crime book at all。 Chizmar was inspired by a real-life crime story， but it wasn’t of a serial killer。 It did， however， motivate him to write a fictional serial killer novel using the true crime platform as his vehicle。 This amalgam of truth and fiction manifested in a blur of genre lines he describes as meta。 I simply describe it as brilliant。I read this book in one sitting。 I just couldn’t put it down。 And it’s without hesitation that I give it five well-deserved stars。I received a gratis copy of this work from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review。 。。。more
Elaine
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3。5 stars。Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Chasing the Boogeyman。This was a great read， pure and simple！ Even though the cover clearly states it's a novel and not a work of nonfiction， I was sucked into the narrative of a serial killer tormenting the small town where the author grew up in。Wow， the author's afterword about the novel was a shock and I rarely get the pleasure of saying that since it takes a lot to surprise me。I was engrossed in the author's descriptions of his idyllic child 3。5 stars。Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Chasing the Boogeyman。This was a great read， pure and simple！ Even though the cover clearly states it's a novel and not a work of nonfiction， I was sucked into the narrative of a serial killer tormenting the small town where the author grew up in。Wow， the author's afterword about the novel was a shock and I rarely get the pleasure of saying that since it takes a lot to surprise me。I was engrossed in the author's descriptions of his idyllic childhood， the neighborhood where he grew up， his incredibly awesome and supportive parents， his loving fiancee， and his ambitious pursuit of becoming a successful writer。I like the way the author writes; his style and tone; there was decent character development on all the major and minor characters and you cared for the people you're supposed to。The black and white photographs were incredible and added an additional touch of authenticity; another reason why the story read so realistically！Though a few clues pinged my radar that the Boogeyman was not what he seemed:Would a detective truly disclose confidential information about the case to a couple of young adults playing Nancy Drew and a Hardy Boy？ Would he really ask a local boy for his thoughts on the case？Despite these dubious moments， the story fascinated me and I couldn't look away。The narrative was compelling， engaging， creepy and kept me reading long when I should have stopped and gone to bed。 。。。more
Nilufer Ozmekik
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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 fin 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。 。。。more
Ruthy lavin
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This book is an absolutely brilliantly written story， told in the first person narrative， and so convincingly real that I had to check numerous times that it really was only fiction。I can’t give it less than 5 stars， because it’s been years since I have been this engrossed in a story and could not wait for its （refreshingly unpredictable） conclusion。An amazing read - something fans of crime/psychological thrillers/general fiction/true crime/Stephen King will absolutely LOVE！
Kourtney
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