Chasing the Boogeyman

Product Information

A place where people know their neighbor's first names, where a single tragedy can effect the whole community. 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. As the killer, known as “The Boogeyman” for how he seems to disappear without a trace, begins to kill young women, Edgewood is plunged into darkness and suspicion. 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.

The photos throughout were also a great touch and added more personality to the already individualistic book. The New York Times bestselling coauthor of Gwendy's Button Box brings his signature 'thrilling, page-turning' ( Michael Koryta, author of How It Happened ) prose to this story of small-town evil that combines the storytelling of Stephen King with the true-crime suspense of Michelle McNamara. 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. That comparison aside, Chasing the Boogeyman is a high concept serial killer thriller with an intriguing approach to the genre.

So, the killer has a “conscious” identity, someone in the town going about their business, though we don’t know who—and this forms a big reveal at the end—but the Boogeyman himself also has a personality. 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. Compulsive reading and scary…I thought often of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, but never to the story’s detriment. 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. So, yes, for those inclined to pick this book up with the notion that it is a true crime tale, take note that this is not that book and this is, indeed, a work of fiction.

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. 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).

The New York Times bestselling coauthor of Gwendy’s Button Box brings his signature ‘thrilling, page-turning’ ( Michael Koryta, author of How It Happened ) prose to this story of small-town evil that combines the storytelling of Stephen King with the true-crime suspense of Michelle McNamara. A meticulously remembered, beautifully crafted hometown nightmare that reminds readers that nostalgia cuts both ways; sure, it can keep our past alive, but it can also be the shadow man standing at the foot of your bed…. Overall, this book gets a perfect 5/5 from me because it was absolutely fantastic and something refreshingly new in the horror genre.