Chasing the Boogeyman
Published on 17. August 2021
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-1-5293-7237-3 (ISBN)
Description
The New York Times bestselling coauthor of Gwendy's Button Box brings his signature 'thrilling, page-turning' (Michael Koryta, author of How It Happened) prose to this story of small-town evil that combines the storytelling of Stephen King with the true-crime suspense of Michelle McNamara.
In the summer of 1988, the mutilated bodies of several missing girls begin to turn up in a small Maryland town. The grisly evidence leads police to the terrifying assumption that a serial killer is on the loose in the quiet suburb. But soon a rumor begins to spread that the evil stalking local teens is not entirely human. Law enforcement, as well as members of the FBI are certain that the killer is a living, breathing madman-and he's playing games with them. For a once peaceful community trapped in the depths of paranoia and suspicion, it feels like a nightmare that will never end.
Recent college graduate Richard Chizmar returns to his hometown just as a curfew is enacted and a neighborhood watch is formed. In the midst of preparing for his wedding and embarking on a writing career, he soon finds himself thrust into the real-life horror story. Inspired by the terrifying events, Richard writes a personal account of the serial killer's reign of terror, unaware that these events will continue to haunt him for years to come.
A clever, terrifying, and heartrending work of metafiction, 'Chasing the Boogeyman does what true crime so often cannot: it offers both chills and a satisfying conclusion' (Stephen King). Chizmar's 'brilliant . . . absolutely fascinating, totally compelling, and immediately poignant' (C.J. Tudor, New York Times bestselling author) writing is on full display in this truly unique novel that will haunt you long after you turn the final page.
In the summer of 1988, the mutilated bodies of several missing girls begin to turn up in a small Maryland town. The grisly evidence leads police to the terrifying assumption that a serial killer is on the loose in the quiet suburb. But soon a rumor begins to spread that the evil stalking local teens is not entirely human. Law enforcement, as well as members of the FBI are certain that the killer is a living, breathing madman-and he's playing games with them. For a once peaceful community trapped in the depths of paranoia and suspicion, it feels like a nightmare that will never end.
Recent college graduate Richard Chizmar returns to his hometown just as a curfew is enacted and a neighborhood watch is formed. In the midst of preparing for his wedding and embarking on a writing career, he soon finds himself thrust into the real-life horror story. Inspired by the terrifying events, Richard writes a personal account of the serial killer's reign of terror, unaware that these events will continue to haunt him for years to come.
A clever, terrifying, and heartrending work of metafiction, 'Chasing the Boogeyman does what true crime so often cannot: it offers both chills and a satisfying conclusion' (Stephen King). Chizmar's 'brilliant . . . absolutely fascinating, totally compelling, and immediately poignant' (C.J. Tudor, New York Times bestselling author) writing is on full display in this truly unique novel that will haunt you long after you turn the final page.
Reviews / Votes
Chasing the Boogeyman is genuinely chilling and something brand new and exciting. Compulsive reading and scary... Chasing the Boogeyman does what true crime so often cannot: it offers both chills and a satisfying conclusion. * Stephen King * Brilliant. . . . Absolutely fascinating, totally compelling, and immensely poignant. I dare you not to finish it in one sitting. This one will stay with me! * C. J. Tudor, New York Times bestselling author * Riveting. Chilling. Chasing the Boogeyman is an unflinching look at a real-life monster and the ordinary heroes obsessed with stopping him * Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Final Girls and Home Before Dark * Richard Chizmar, with Chasing the Boogeyman, presents himself as a print version of Norman Rockwell, if the artist had devoted himself to the creepy things that hide under the bed * Linwood Barclay, New York Times bestselling author of Find You First * Hammer in hand, Richard Chizmar's come to shatter the idea that everything's already been done. An absolutely chilling mash-up of styles, media, biography, and legend. Elastic, unsettling, brilliant. And here you thought you knew the names of every genre * Josh Malerman, New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box and Malorie * Creepy yet captivating . . . A metafictional masterpiece * The Times Crime Club * With Chasing the Boogeyman, Richard Chizmar demonstrates the full power of his impressive storytelling reach. A fascinating conceit paired with deeply human writing creates a thriller that conjures writers as disparate as Stephen King and Michelle McNamara. The result is a marvelous mind game of nuanced, layered storytelling * Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author of Never Far Away * Literature was invented around 3400 B.C. Approximately 5,419 years later, Richard Chizmar has invented an entirely new genre of literature with Chasing the Boogeyman. Compulsive, encompassing storytelling. Do not miss this one! * Brian Keene, bestselling author of The Rising * If Ray Bradbury had written In Cold Blood it would probably look a lot like Richard Chizmar's masterful Chasing the Boogeyman, a perfectly written and unnervingly suspenseful thriller about a series of murders that tear apart the fabric of a picturesque Maryland town and the writer who puts everything on the line to solve them. This is a mind-bendingly engaging book. Be prepared for the hairs on the back of your neck to be standing at attention as you devour every rich page * David Bell, bestselling author of The Request * Richard Chizmar spins dark magic with Chasing the Boogeyman. A true crime masterpiece with Chizmar himself as a key player in the grisly mystery. Highly recommended, but not for the faint of heart * Jonathan Mayberry, New York Times bestselling author of V-Wars and Patient Zero * Wonderful . . . a knotty mystery with an elegant resolution at its heart . . . It feels so original, dizzy-making in its expert layering of fact and fiction . . . A hymn to both innocence and to growing up * Catriona Ward, bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
540 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5293-7237-3 (9781529372373)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
RICHARD CHIZMAR is the co-author (with Stephen King) of the New York Times bestsellers Gwendy's Button Box and Gwendy's Final Task, and the author of the solo work Gwendy's Magic Feather.
His novel Chasing the Boogeyman was published to terrific acclaim - as Stephen King says: 'Genuinely chilling and something brand new and exciting.'
Chizmar's short fiction has appeared in dozens of publications including Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. He has won two World Fantasy Awards, four international Horror Guild Awards, and the HWA's Board of Trustee's Award.
His novel Chasing the Boogeyman was published to terrific acclaim - as Stephen King says: 'Genuinely chilling and something brand new and exciting.'
Chizmar's short fiction has appeared in dozens of publications including Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. He has won two World Fantasy Awards, four international Horror Guild Awards, and the HWA's Board of Trustee's Award.