Rating - ⭐⭐⭐1/2+
"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."
Chasing the Boogeyman is a mystery thriller novel by Richard Chizmar.
I have no idea how to feel about this book. While I enjoyed listening to the story, I am still confused because of the way the story was told. The events of this story are told like it is a true crime, with the main character, the author himself, recanting the story of a series of murders that occurred in his hometown. My mind just kept running in circles because I kept thinking that this was a real true-crime story, and not a fictional story framed like one.
As for the actual story, I thought it was interesting enough but the pacing was a bit on the slower side at times. The beginning of the book dragged on a bit as I didn't care too much about listening to the town's history and the main character's childhood. It also took about 16% before it go into any true crime, and a lot of the crucial information came only in the afterword.
Also, as a side note, I read this as part of my Goodreads reading challenge where I read the nomination from this past year's awards. This book was under the horror section, but I wouldn't really classify this as one as it felt more like a mystery thriller than a horror. So, I would keep that in mind before you go into this book if you are expecting this to be more on the horror side.
All in all, this was a solid story if you can get past how confusing the concept is.
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