Scan barcode
A review by ruthypoo2
Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I was enraptured by the concept of this book. The author, Richard Chizmar, has created a murder mystery story that's based on a real-life series of murders that occurred near his hometown, and has inserted himself into a fictional narrative where he has a direct connection to a key victim and their family, which ends up pulling him into being an armchair detective who has his own observations and theories about links between the victims and ideas about who could be the killer.
Surprisingly, it's not a far reach how the recent college graduate, Richard, becomes embroiled in the murder investigation. In the time between college graduation and starting a career, with a series of grisly murders impacting his hometown, he ends up writing a personal account of how he's affected and driven to investigate the murders himself and follow-up on some of his own hunches. While this is a fictional account, the book includes pictures and documents that represent characters, locations, and information sources related to the murder investigation. These additional touches really heighten the reader's investment in the story.
I found myself liking Mr. Chizmar's writing style quite a lot. I both read the Kindle digital edition and listened to the audiobook, narrated by Chris Andrew Ciulla who did a very good job with the reading of the story. While I can recommend both, it's important that the reader has either the physical or digital version of the book if they want to see the photos and documents added to enhance the experience of consuming this story.
Surprisingly, it's not a far reach how the recent college graduate, Richard, becomes embroiled in the murder investigation. In the time between college graduation and starting a career, with a series of grisly murders impacting his hometown, he ends up writing a personal account of how he's affected and driven to investigate the murders himself and follow-up on some of his own hunches. While this is a fictional account, the book includes pictures and documents that represent characters, locations, and information sources related to the murder investigation. These additional touches really heighten the reader's investment in the story.
I found myself liking Mr. Chizmar's writing style quite a lot. I both read the Kindle digital edition and listened to the audiobook, narrated by Chris Andrew Ciulla who did a very good job with the reading of the story. While I can recommend both, it's important that the reader has either the physical or digital version of the book if they want to see the photos and documents added to enhance the experience of consuming this story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Violence