Welcome to Litsy!

My main thought after finishing this book was: Why? This is a fictional story, written as a true-crime novel, with the author as the main character and incorporating parts of his hometown and youth into the book. But there are so many real true-crime books, and this didn't do anything extraordinary with the story. It is a neat concept, and the writing is solid and captivating, but I would have rather read about real people than these fake ones 🫤

Number 2: the fact I wasn‘t sure if this was a true story throughout the whole book shows what a fantastic job Chizmar did.

Intrigue high, pace slow. But in the best, most ominous way..

#12booksof2024

Could this be the book that finally breaks my interminable slump? I dunno. I read it over the course of two days. It‘s a novel that reads like true crime with the author recalling a string of murders which happened in his hometown the summer he was 23. I thought it was excellent and a total page turner and it‘s been a l-o-n-g time since I‘ve said that about a book.

This is a fake true-crime memoir of Chizmar growing up during the Boogeyman killings. Loved it 🖤
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

@Maggie4483 What a wonderful #hhs package! 🤩 everything is amazing - from the wreath to the books to the chocolates, and etc etc! The makeup palette is 🔥!! I used it this morning ☺️. Thank you so so much and thank you @wanderinglynn for hosting! 🧡💛 #hauntedhollowswap

#OutstandingOctober #BookSpinBingo #SeriesLove2023 #Friday27OctoberthruTuesday31
#ChasingTheBoogeyman #RichardChizmar

In the summer of 1988, the mutilated bodies of several missing girls turns up in a small Maryland town. A serial killer in on the loose in a quiet suburb. Richard Chizmar returns to his hometown just as a curfew is enacted and a neighborhood watch is formed.

I wasn‘t actually planning on re-reading this one, but I decided that I would best enjoy BECOMING THE BOOGEYMAN with it fresh in my mind! And though I did remember who is arrested in the 2019 portion, many of the details felt new to me and I greatly enjoyed the blend of fiction with fact in this true crime format that makes for a quick and genuinely thrilling read! Looking forward to seeing what will be covered in the next book!

I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. It for sure drags a bit for the first few chapters. I think I was about 20% in when I realized I suddenly really liked this story. A really unique read.

My brother gave me this book and it was very very good! Until the last page I thought this is a true story. It was very exiting and sometimes very hard to read but I loved it.

Started out slow and not very interesting. The author just told about his hometown. The story progresses as the girls go missing and it becomes much more exciting. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finishing up my spooky reads with this 5⭐️ book!
Loved it and I kept wanting to Google it because he makes it seem so real!!😱

Clever, suspenseful horror fiction written in the style of true crime. Who Is the killer abducting teen girls & posing them in the quiet spots of the author‘s real, seemingly safe home town? The author wraps his own true story of life as a young writer living with his super nice parents into this eerie page-turner. True-crime-style photos of the fictional investigation add a fun touch. 5 stars. #serialkillers #TeamSlaughter #31by31 #scarathalon

Enjoying this serial killer novel rolled into clever fiction in the style of true crime. The writing is so good that the murders of teenage girls in the writer‘s real small town seem believable. Great paired with apple cider donuts from the farm stand. But isn‘t everything? 12 hours In this one this week for #31by31 and #Scarathalon. #TeamSlaughter #serialkiller

Impulse checkout at the library and I'm breezing through!

Thanks to the review by @vivastory I gave this hybrid a try. I‘m glad I did. Chizmar tries something new by blending his real 1980s small town Maryland nostalgia with a fictional tale of serial murder (complete with convincing period-style photos). The characters are bland, even the nonfiction ones, but the mystery is very creepy. I wanted an innovative ending and was left dissatisfied, but overall this novel nails that special true-crime “feel.”

Ohhhh okay now this is my kinda spooky season story. 🌚👹🕴🏽

A small town being terrorized by a madman, a serial killer on the loose and he's only getting started.

A psychological crime thriller that will be nightmare inducing!

#LMPBC round 3

I‘m really not sure how to categorize this read. Fiction meets true crime? Well, however you want to slot this it‘s a serious page turning read. Available free with the KU program. Worth the read I must say.

Chizmar's novel, a supposed true crime account of a series of murders in his hometown published in the early 90s is more of a writer's fictional memoir of life in small town America. I know that this is a beloved book, but this one didn't really work for me. For accounts of crime in small town America, try Backderf's My Friend Dahmer & Schechter' Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done. For fictional true crime, Girl, 11 & 6 Stories series.

#LMPBC Excellent Read!

This was a great read to get me out of my reading slump. I am glad I picked it up. Great mix of fact and fiction, a great metafiction book that uses the author as the main Character. Really well done.

just reached the first 100 pages! Thoroughly loving this book. Richard Chizmar is a very engaging author. I hope I'll like the rest of this book and want to read more by this author. #LMPBC

Thank you so much! @TheBookHippie I appreciate the book and the cute tote bag! #LitsyLoveSummerSwap

Birthday book haul from mum- a great mix and cant wait to get started 😁 📙 📕 💖

Thank God that's over.. I really should have DNFed this one. It was SO. BORING. It was like reading a Memoir on someone's life, with a tiny bit of crime splashed in there. It was so slow and I did not care at all. 1/5 stars

This was my first read of a true crime/fiction book. The author placed himself and his hometown as the backdrop for this story of a suspected serial killer living among the townspeople. A unique story that I‘d recommend. I really enjoyed it!

I was feeling the urge for a thriller and plucked this one off the shelves… and so far, so good. 👍

Thanks again for this birthday gift, @TrishB ! 😘😘

I absolutely loved this book. Written like true crime and utilizing true parts of the author‘s childhood and early 20s made this one of the most unique novels I‘ve read. Reminded me of True Crime by Knox which I really liked as well. Highly recommend! All the ⭐️s

I really enjoyed this! It's a fake true crime book that's full of staged pictures and "facts" but is also full of real things from the author's life. There's a serial killer terrorizing Richard's hometown and the cops can't catch the killer. Richard writes a book about the Boogeyman's victims and their families.

Innocence, once lost, can never be regained. Darkness, once gazed upon, can never be lost 🌘
•
When a monster is finally caught against all odds, it feels like magic 🩸🧬⚖️

Gripping true crime novel. Be sure to have a good stretch of reading time ahead of you when you start this one. You won‘t want to stop!

Very interesting concept for a book. I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I started this, and to be honest, I hope true crime fiction becomes more popular because this was such a thrilling read.

It didn't have as many horror aspects as I thought it would, but it's definitely still a creepy read.

This is my first 5 🌟 book of 2022! I loved it! It was definitely an interesting concept being a novel but written as if it was true crime. I really enjoyed it and could not put it down!

October pick #12booksof2021 this book is fiction but written in the style of true crime. It was interesting and I enjoyed it! 😊

A solid 4 stars. It drags in a few places but he does a nice job with it - it feels real. The concept is novel and I didn‘t see the end coming! My first finished read of 2022. Thank you slow work night for allowing me to finish:)

My hold came through and so far this is AMAZING! I‘m on chapter 3 and it reads as good as “I”ll be gone in the dark”!

Starting with this one from today's book haul!

Just the page turner I needed .It is as advertised a fictional work told in a true crime style.I know some people found the description of the small town the author actually lived in a bit long , I felt it really set the scene and captured the era well.Thanks to all the Littens that recommended it! #catsofLitsy

4¼⭐
While I found this to be quite clever at times, it did have some moments that were slow, where the author went off-topic and just talked about the town and all its mundane happenings. Although, I‘m sure that some would find that actually makes for a better story. Either way…I wouldn‘t discourage anyone from giving this a try, you totally should just for its unique-ish storytelling style. ⬇⬇⬇

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/2s4TVtNz-oQ

Enjoy!

Such a clever concept and really well done. I loved it. Thanks again @TrishB 😘

I absolutely loved this book! I love that it‘s written in true crime fashion but is fictional. Thoroughly enjoyable and after the halfway mark I couldn‘t read it fast enough.
🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was so fun! It was written like it was a true crime book, complete with pics. Think Ann Rule, but fiction. And I thought I knew who the killer was, but I was wrong, and I loved that. Two thumbs up!

Chasing the Boogyman with Rich while I get my MVASI infusion! 😀

Here are some picks I‘m looking at for #lmpbc #round013. What do y‘all think??

Happy Halloween Y‘all !! 😊 #boleybooks #bookbeast #happyhalloween🎃

Thank you so much Amy @AmyG I love everything. I am really looking forward to reading those books and that bookmark is so cool. The socks are adorable. I love the Overlook mug and the notebook is awesome. Love the Twix and the cute pumpkin box. Thanks again 🎃
Druzy however just wants me to move everything so she can to go to sleep 😸
#HauntedHollowSwap #HHS @wanderinglynn

Eee! Thank you so much for this wonderful birthday book, @TrishB !!! 😘😘😘

I‘ve been so looking forward to reading this, especially after your wonderful review. Thanks for brightening my day with a boogeyman! 😆

Meta fiction heavily influenced by Steven King and Michelle McNamara. For fans of true crime.

Check out my book review at LaceyDoesLit.com! #books #bookworm #booknerd #reading #reader #ilovebooks #bookblog #bookblogger #bookreview #bookish #totalbooknerd #newbook #currentlyreading #bookmail #read #bookshelf #bookphotography #booklove #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #igreads #igbooks #bookstagrammer #bookstagramfeatures #instabooks

My hold came in from the library and it‘s game day. So I‘m excited to start Chasing the Boogeyman 😁