Marialyce 's Reviews > Chasing the Boogeyman

4.5 stars

Many of us love living in a small town. It seems to offer us peace, freedom from crime, deliverance from unending traffic snarls, and a somewhat bucolic life. It's a panacea for what many seek...a quiet life.

When tragedy in the form of murder comes to town, it reverberates through the residents, and takes away their sought-after sense of peace and safety.

This is what happened in a sleepy village in Maryland as one of its residents Richard Chizmar, a recent college graduate returns home and takes up his desire to be a journalist. He takes up the gauntlet and of course becomes involved with the murders and its abhorrent mutilations while the town gossips and lives in fear. Young women are abducted seemingly out of midair and found dead with the killer taking a trophy each time and staging the bodies. It's a harrowing tale, one that has people wondering with various supposed sightings if this boogeyman is truly something not of this earth.

We follow Richard as he unearths clues with the help of a police lieutenant as well as a reporter. Richard tries to puzzle out who among his neighbors and maybe even friends and acquaintance could be the boogeyman.

I very much enjoyed this book as it read like a true crime story, (although it is faux). I was totally invested in Richard's search for the killer and although the ending was somewhat rushed, Mr Chizman kept the energy flowing and compulsive reading followed. Included in the book was pictures of the victims and places where the crimes occurred, adding a layer of truthfulness to the story.

It was a clever story, reminding me of the author Anthony Horowitz inserting himself into his stories. If you enjoy true crime and are looking for a book that while it is not horror, but is one that this author compels you to believe is real. Nice job Richard Chizmar!