Brenda ~The Book Witch 's Reviews > Chasing the Boogeyman

Hot smoking dang!!! My fingers were on fire, turning the pages as fast as I could!! This one is not just another horror story. It is a one-of-a-kind exciting READING EXPERIENCE!!

Richard Chizmar is a genre blending genius and one brilliant author. He combines horror fiction, a small-town mystery, with true crime that uniquely defies any tired, overused tropes around murdered girls and small towns. He creates one of the most clever, haunting, and terrifying stories I have ever read. For this reason, only I think this is one not to be missed.

What I loved

Richard Chizmar is the main character in the story, and the setting is his hometown in Edgewood, Maryland, in the 1980s. It also reads like a memoir as he shares his history and relationship with the town and its people.

Suspense is created with a unique hook by telling us what to expect right off the bat. Chizmar drops little clues for us but are not that obvious. The ending is not a shocker but isn’t predictable either.

The photos, I won’t say any more about that.

What I didn’t love as much

Richard Chizmar takes a long chapter to invoke that sense of place with some history of Edgewood, and I probably would have lost patience if Lindsay hadn’t warned and told me it picks up. This creates an exciting dimension and dynamics between the reader and the town. He paints a clear picture to visualize the events as they play out. It is important to the story to pay attention as it is rewarding to do so.

Reason to read this one

If you like an out-of-the-box compelling, tension fueled, suspenseful, and terrifying story that blends horror and true crime. If you are not a fan of true crime, you might not find the “telling” of the story as exciting as we did.