Happy Monday! Finished this one up over the weekend!
CHASING THE BOOGEYMAN – Richard Chizmar (Released August 17th, 2021)
Book Description:
The New York Times bestselling coauthor of Gwendy’s Button Box brings his signature prose to this story of small-town evil that combines the storytelling of Stephen King with the true-crime suspense of Michelle McNamara.
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.
My Thoughts: 5/5 stars
I went into this book purely on a recommendation from another Bookstagrammer and I didn’t even read the synopsis. Well, what an absolute treat this book was. CHASING THE BOOGEYMAN is part memoir, part fiction, and reads like a true crime novel. What’s real? What’s fiction? Will you be able to distinguish between the two of them as you read? I can’t believe how flawlessly this was executed and well Chizmar blended everything together for us.
Despite absolutely loving this book, I want to keep this review short and sweet so I don’t risk spoiling anything. I will say that this takes place in the summer of 1988, a time when Richard Chizmar is returning to his hometown in Maryland right as law enforcement is searching for a gruesome serial killer. Is what’s hunting these teens entirely human or something more sinister? I couldn’t stop once I started and I highly recommend reading that Author’s Note in the back when you’re finished!
Jessicamap Reviews 