Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Chasing the Boogeyman

Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar

25 reviews

scockroft's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A unique story that feels as close to a “true crime” book without actually being true. The author writes himself as the main character in his journey to help solve the string of murders in his small town. Chizmar uses photos at the end of each chapter to bring the non-fiction feel to this story which heightens the tension and feeling that these grizzly events really happened to his neighbors next door.

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daybreakreads's review against another edition

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dark hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

This is what I get for skimming reviews before reading…I was under the impression when I started the audiobook that the narrator is the killer because someone had used “serial killer” and “autobiography” in a review (it’s hard for me to keep names straight when I begin an audiobook, so I kept waiting for the big revelation that never was.)

No. The story is told from a fictionalized version of the author’s childhood, but in a way that feels like a true crime novel. The author is an innocent observer and bystander in his hometown during a summer where a (fictional) serial killer is attacking women in the night.

I must say, confusion aside, I enjoyed this. It has mixed reviews, but the storytelling was so compelling it was difficult to put down. I also appreciated that it wasn’t overly or unnecessarily graphic. The worst it gets is a brief description of some injuries (but as far as the SA stuff goes, it literally just said, “the body had been SA-ed” and nothing more). I was worried that it would be grotesque (I had to DNF “The Chestnut Man” by Soren Sveistrup and Stephen King’s “The Outsiders” for unnecessarily graphic descriptions of corpses) but thankfully that was not the case.

Eventually the killer is caught decades later, and the author includes the “interview” he has with him. Apparently the physical book has staged photos that were included — I think that would’ve added to the experience.

I’m tempted to reread it now that I know where my confusion was, but I rather enjoyed it regardless.

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adventgeekgirl's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.0

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hanyaya's review against another edition

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dark

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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kylionsfan's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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jadstersuperinvader's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I liked the premise of the book and found it a fun read, but really did not like the main character who is based on the author. I found his perspective of everything to be almost cringe and annoying, I really wish the book was in a third person's perspective and not the main character's. And at times his inner monologue is so incredibly dull and gives major second hand embarrassment. The story itself, if you enjoy true crime, was very enjoyable still. I liked how focused it was on humanizing all of the female victims.

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