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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Such a great read. Looking forward to reading the book that started this journey and the next one to come.
In the first I was swept up into what felt like a true crime book, even though it was fiction, and this one continues the story, with a new killer… and an ending that made me gasp out loud…
It had been awhile since I finished the first Boogeyman book, but I dove right into this one and figured I would probably get back into the world easy enough. (I did!) I honestly wasn't sure where Chiz would go from here because the last book definitely felt like an ending to our story. But y'all, it was *not*.
The main issues I had with the first book were that some of the childhood memories were a little too long and meandering, and the crime photos were a little too staged. The photos are still not great (and I think totally unnecessary at this point), but I think he's got a handle on when to include memories and how long they should be before we get back into the Boogeyman action. He still throws in loads of red herrings, still has a few too many coincidences, and still doesn't explain SO MANY things, but hopefully things will become more clear (and the storytelling more concise) by the next (last?) book.
Kept me riveted and sufficiently creeped out! ****
The main issues I had with the first book were that some of the childhood memories were a little too long and meandering, and the crime photos were a little too staged. The photos are still not great (and I think totally unnecessary at this point), but I think he's got a handle on when to include memories and how long they should be before we get back into the Boogeyman action. He still throws in loads of red herrings, still has a few too many coincidences, and still doesn't explain SO MANY things, but hopefully things will become more clear (and the storytelling more concise) by the next (last?) book.
Kept me riveted and sufficiently creeped out! ****
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
I wasn't sure about what to rate this one after reading it. While Chasing the Boogeyman had me taking the book everywhere with me all day long, this book did not. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it. Maybe it was too much backstory, or the book was too long, I'm not sure. Chasing the Boogeyman may have just been too riveting that there was no way that this could hold a candle to.
I do love how Chizmar brings himself to light in his books that makes you question whether or not this is nonfiction.
This story starts in the present, whereas Chasing the Boogeyman takes place in 1998. Some of the local towns are still just as fascinated by Chizmar for helping with the Gallagher case, but many in the town think he just tried to make a living off the local murders. Seeing as how he grew up with a serial killer, Chizmar is still haunted by Joshua Gallagher but fixated on wanting and needing to know if there are unsolved murders. He can't let it rest, which might be why everything starts happening all over again.
I do love how Chizmar brings himself to light in his books that makes you question whether or not this is nonfiction.
This story starts in the present, whereas Chasing the Boogeyman takes place in 1998. Some of the local towns are still just as fascinated by Chizmar for helping with the Gallagher case, but many in the town think he just tried to make a living off the local murders. Seeing as how he grew up with a serial killer, Chizmar is still haunted by Joshua Gallagher but fixated on wanting and needing to know if there are unsolved murders. He can't let it rest, which might be why everything starts happening all over again.
Enjoyed this. Maybe not as much as the first one but it is a fascinating concept with the books including part of a true crime book along with the author’s story. It’s a continuation of his first book (so read that first). And I found the ending pretty unpredictable.
I was given a copy from Netgalley
Opinions are my own.
I was given a copy from Netgalley
Opinions are my own.
This is great!
I thoroughly enjoyed this weird sequel to an equally weird first-in-a-series. It is truly unique! I recommend it very highly!
I thoroughly enjoyed this weird sequel to an equally weird first-in-a-series. It is truly unique! I recommend it very highly!
”All these years… ever since you were twenty-two and living with your folks… all this time, you’ve never stopped writing the Boogeyman’s story inside your head.”
This was a chilling sequel to the first book, especially now that Richard Chizmar and his family are being targeted by a copycat Boogeyman. While it was still a gripping read, unfortunately I didn’t love this book as much as the first.
There was something about all the references to TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram that broke the immersion for me, but this is definitely just my personal preference. This book is set in 2022 and social media is deeply embedded in our lives, but it still felt jarring to see them mentioned (along with the pandemic) in a book.
Additionally, I got confused by the large cast of characters. I didn’t read this book almost all-in-one-go like with the first book, and found it hard to remember who was who by the end. I felt underwhelmed by the reveal, though the cliffhanger will likely lead me to pick up the next book in the series.
Becoming the Boogeyman is author Richard Chizmar's follow up to his 2021 bestseller Chasing the Boogeyman, which I enjoyed very much. While it is a sequel and it would be a good idea to read the first book, the sequel summarizes what happened in it. These are fiction books told as true-crime stories. And Chizmar is one of the main characters. This metafictional storytelling might have you wondering if they are based on real crimes. They aren't, but it certainly feels that way.
The first book was about a killing spree in the 1980s attributed to a man dubbed the Boogeyman, which took place in Chizmar's hometown of Edgewood, Maryland. Chizmar wrote a successful true-crime book about the killings. Decades later, the author is enjoying family life and his fame. But while walking his dog, Chizmar finds a bag filled with human remains which turns out to be of the only woman to survive the Boogeyman, now locked away in prison. This is just the beginning of what turns out to be a new killing spree. In what appears to be a copycat killer, Chizmar's life is turned upside down. The media is not kind to the man who has profited from the story of the Boogeyman, a loner Chizmar grew up with. Some even accuse the author of some connection to the new crimes.
As with the first book, the concept is very clever. Especially since placed throughout the book are photos of Edgewood taken during the investigation as well as photos of the victims before their deaths. The story is filled with gruesome details of horrible murders, which had me thinking of The Silence of the Lambs. If you couldn't handle that book or movie, this might not be a good fit for you. But I was completely absorbed in the story.
I'd like to give a big thank you to Stacy40pages as she hosted an online giveaway for the book, and I was the lucky winner.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
Rated 4.25 stars.
The first book was about a killing spree in the 1980s attributed to a man dubbed the Boogeyman, which took place in Chizmar's hometown of Edgewood, Maryland. Chizmar wrote a successful true-crime book about the killings. Decades later, the author is enjoying family life and his fame. But while walking his dog, Chizmar finds a bag filled with human remains which turns out to be of the only woman to survive the Boogeyman, now locked away in prison. This is just the beginning of what turns out to be a new killing spree. In what appears to be a copycat killer, Chizmar's life is turned upside down. The media is not kind to the man who has profited from the story of the Boogeyman, a loner Chizmar grew up with. Some even accuse the author of some connection to the new crimes.
As with the first book, the concept is very clever. Especially since placed throughout the book are photos of Edgewood taken during the investigation as well as photos of the victims before their deaths. The story is filled with gruesome details of horrible murders, which had me thinking of The Silence of the Lambs. If you couldn't handle that book or movie, this might not be a good fit for you. But I was completely absorbed in the story.
I'd like to give a big thank you to Stacy40pages as she hosted an online giveaway for the book, and I was the lucky winner.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
Rated 4.25 stars.