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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
2.5 ⭐️ rounded up for Goodreads.
Listened to the audio for this and there were definitely things I was missing. If you like true crime and serial killers you’ll probably like this. It was written similar to Mindhunter from Netflix.
Im not a big fan of serial killers so this was tough to listen to but still well written.
Listened to the audio for this and there were definitely things I was missing. If you like true crime and serial killers you’ll probably like this. It was written similar to Mindhunter from Netflix.
Im not a big fan of serial killers so this was tough to listen to but still well written.
I wanted to love this but it was so deeply boring and the genre crossing format just did not work. It was more a memoir than a true crime novel and it was supposed to be creepy, and it just wasn't.
Quite annoyed and disappointed with this book. Coined as a horror/true crime story, it was nothing of the sort. It was someone who happened to observe murders in his hometown and inserted himself into the drama. His point of view was not interesting in the least. I found myself rolling my eyes and skipping so many pages because the content didn't add anything to the story I was really interested in.
4.5. A fiction book (though with many elements of the author’s real life) written in the style of a nonfiction true crime book. It was slow to get started (though I understand why we needed all that background on Edgewood and the author’s childhood), but once it did, I devoured it.
also part of this book takes place on my actual birthday (12/6/88, baby!), so I gotta give it credit for that.
also part of this book takes place on my actual birthday (12/6/88, baby!), so I gotta give it credit for that.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Definitely a unique read. I enjoy crime TV shows, especially serial killer shows like Criminal Minds. I've never read anything quite like this book though. Fiction packaged as a true crime memoir yet contains some truths from the author's life. I found myself liking and disliking the attitude and musings of the narrator, which I think is because the novel is set in '88 and '89 and somewhat hinting of more traditional attitudes. Or maybe it's the relative shallowness of the narrator despite this being the actual author's childhood and hometown. There's a lot said about how he loves his fiance, but what we ever see them do is completely platonic. I know it's not the genre, but it felt weird being in a man's head but not being more attracted to his own partner. Very sanitized. I know that's not what we're here for, but the emotions just felt off. So overall, great chilling true crime/horror elements but kind of meh character development.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved this so much more than I thought I would. It has a similar vibe to what I love most about the movie Ex Machina: here is a story that is definitively noted as fiction, told in a way that will have you constantly guessing if it's true or false. This feels brilliantly unique, and I'm so glad I finally knocked it off of my TBR pile.
In the summer of 1988, the mutilated bodies of several missing girls begin to turn up in a small Maryland town. While the police is investigating and looking for the serial killer, Richard Chizmar narrates what it's like to live in a town haunted by the terror of suddenly becoming the next victim.
Chasing the Boogeyman reads as a true crime book, but most of it is fiction. It was interesting to follow the investigation on a series of brutal murders from the point of view of an horror writer (and not a detective, a witness or a person directly involved). His perspective is unique and engaging, the way he describes the crimes and the aftermath for the families seems very real.
This book is very well written but... it's missing something for me: emotions. The narrator spends so much time describing what made each victim unique and special (especially the first one), but somehow remains distant from the crime. He feels his mother's fear, he says he's scared but he seems to quickly get over it. No anger, no shock. Maybe because the victims were all young girls, I think? When the author (real / fictional) reveals who the killer is, he just explains how it was discovered and why they did it, and it almost sounds like a police report: a series of events, revelations, connections. I would have appreciated more emotions in that part especially, considering the terror they caused. I wouldn't have minded if this was a thriller, but because it reads as a true crime book it bothered me a bit.
Still I quite enjoyed Chasing the Boogeyman, even though it was not a favorite. Will definitely read more by Chizmar!
3 stars.
Chasing the Boogeyman reads as a true crime book, but most of it is fiction. It was interesting to follow the investigation on a series of brutal murders from the point of view of an horror writer (and not a detective, a witness or a person directly involved). His perspective is unique and engaging, the way he describes the crimes and the aftermath for the families seems very real.
This book is very well written but... it's missing something for me: emotions. The narrator spends so much time describing what made each victim unique and special (especially the first one), but somehow remains distant from the crime. He feels his mother's fear, he says he's scared but he seems to quickly get over it. No anger, no shock. Maybe because the victims were all young girls, I think? When the author (real / fictional) reveals who the killer is, he just explains how it was discovered and why they did it, and it almost sounds like a police report: a series of events, revelations, connections. I would have appreciated more emotions in that part especially, considering the terror they caused. I wouldn't have minded if this was a thriller, but because it reads as a true crime book it bothered me a bit.
Still I quite enjoyed Chasing the Boogeyman, even though it was not a favorite. Will definitely read more by Chizmar!
3 stars.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix