Hello and welcome back! Today I am going to be talking about Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar. Written in the form of a true crime book, this narrative is a combination of real events and fiction set in the author’s hometown. During the time in which he returned to live with his parents before getting married, Richard finds himself to be distracted from his writing by the string of murders that are taking place on the very streets he used to skin knees and throw snowballs.
Honestly, I was a little let down by this book. Steven King himself has a quote on the front cover praising it. Several bestselling horror and thriller authors of the past few years also have quotes singing its praises. However, in my eyes it was just so… boring? It felt like the author wanted to write a reminiscence of his own young adulthood but knew no one would read it if it didn’t have some interesting hook. It was less of a creepy true crime thriller and more of an autobiographical coming-of-age. There’s nothing wrong with that; I love some good genre-bending books. It was perhaps my expectation that really made this “meh” for me.
While I was let down, I definitely think there are other readers out there who might absolutely love it, especially if they know what they’re in for. Go in expecting nothing and you won’t be disappointed.
Dinosaurs and Blueberries 