The first of the killings, of a young girl abducted from her bedroom in the middle of the night, occurs not far from Chizmar’s parents’ house. Three more follow, plunging Edgewood’s citizens into panic and apprehension. Chizmar and a fellow obsessive named Carly Albright do some amateur sleuthing that appears to inflame the killer, who takes to bombarding Chizmar with hang-up calls and scrawling an ominous message on Albrigt’s front porch. There are, however, no immediate leads to the killer’s identity, and it seems the case is destined to join those of the Green River and Zodiac killings in the annals of unsolved American murder sprees, but some decades-after-the-fact surprises are in store. This brilliant work of metafiction crafts a not-so-true crime story that feels ripe for a Netflix series….Chizmar’s novel isn’t just a clever riff on genre; it’s a meditation on the dangers and darkness of home, on what happens when the place where we grew up finally grows up itself—or at least when it discovers the violence it’s capable of….A meticulously remembered, beautifully crafted hometown nightmare that reminds readers that nostalgia cuts both ways; sure, it can keep our past alive, but it can also be the shadow man standing at the foot of your bed….For true crime and horror fans, this one’s essential.” Especially the author’s final notes made me perplexed at the end. I just got numbed! Mouth stayed opened! Eyes are popped out! If someone took my photo at that time and showed to little children: I guess they would suffer from nightmares for years and called me real boogeywoman who can not boogie dance. Chasing the Boogeyman is certainly one of the best books of 2021. There is some stiff competition in and out of the horror genre, but I doubt I will find too many other books as rewarding as this one this year.” — Horror Drive-In the murders began soon after his return, and when he wasn't writing fictional tales of horror, he became increasingly consumed with the real-life horror-mystery unfolding in his previously-idyllic small town, teaming up with his fiancée's childhood pal courtney; a working journalist unofficially investigating the case.

On the Cover: Richard Chizmar - THE BIG THRILL On the Cover: Richard Chizmar - THE BIG THRILL

RC: The first issue was published in December 1988 when I was a senior in college, but I started reading submissions and promoting the magazine earlier that summer. I had no idea at the time if we would survive a year or a decade. It didn’t really matter. I just kept my head down and focused on the work on my desk. The first book we published – three years later – was an extraordinary collection of crime and suspense fiction by Ed Gorman. It was called Prisoners and Other Stories. Dean Koontz wrote the afterword. Riveting. Chilling. Chasing the Boogeyman is an unflinching look at a real-life monster and the ordinary heroes obsessed with stopping him.” I'm a little late to this party and I am sure you have all heard the buzz about this book. A fictional serial killer story meant to read like true crime, pictures and all, and partly a memoir. because this book is also a love letter to edgewater, and chizmar knows every inch of this neighborhood; its geographical shortcuts and residents and history, and he brings it all to life down to the smallest details with the insights of someone intimately familiar with the physical terrain and social mores. I should also mention that I don't believe for a minute that the detective in charge of this case would have spilled so much confidential information to a curious 22 year old writer that just happens to be interested. A lot of "If I tell you this you can't say anything, okay?" type of bullshit. THAT. WOULD. NEVER. HAPPEN.I often found myself imagining what might have happened if the man had escalated from touching and fleeing to acts of physical violence and even murder. Chasing the Boogeyman ended up being the answer to those wonderings.

CHASING THE BOOGEYMAN | The Bedlam Files CHASING THE BOOGEYMAN | The Bedlam Files

Chasing the Boogeyman is a dazzling work of fresh imagination and psychological insight...a rare read that brings that beyond words feeling of having slipped away into another world. The story has the most riveting unique pulse as if there is a real heart beating in there. I am in awe!” — Caroline Kepnes, New York Times bestselling author of You His magazine “Cemetery Dance” is now in its 32nd year of publication, and he also co-wrote Gwendy’s Button Box, with his friend, Stephen King.

Chasing the Boogeyman is genuinely chilling and something brand new and exciting. Compulsive reading and scary…I thought often of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, but never to the story’s detriment. Ray Bradbury’s influence is all over it, but he never could’ve written that ending. Chasing the Boogeyman does what true crime so often cannot: it offers both chills and a satisfying conclusion.” —Stephen King Chasing the Boogeyman” by Richard Chizmar is truly a unique reading experience for readers that love horror with an authentic true crime twist. I originally wanted to read this book because of the fact that Chizmar has co-written a book with the legendary Stephen King and even King himself said this was “genuinely chilling” and that’s all I needed to know.

Book Review: Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar Book Review: Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar

The acclaimed New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling novel of small-town evil that “is genuinely chilling and something brand-new and exciting” (Stephen King) and “unforgettable” (Harlan Coben). The New York Times bestselling coauthor of Gwendy’s Button Box brings his signature prose to this story of small-town evil that combines the storytelling of Stephen King with the true-crime suspense of Michelle McNamara. I grew up in a modest two-story house with green shutters and a sloping driveway at the corner of Hanson and Tupelo Roads. That house and the sidewalks, streets, and yards that surrounded it were my entire world from the time I was five years old until I left for college at the age of seventeen. My parents still live there today. There was, Carly explained, one interesting trend beginning to emerge in Edgewood, and, just as the satanic panic and multiple serial killer theories could be attributed to a recent increase in gossip—somewhere along the line, suspicion had begun to replace caution—so to could this new pattern of behavior. In the days following Madeline Wilcox‘s death, there’d been a sudden sharp increase in the number of verbal arguments and physical altercations occurring between local residents. Loose lips and drunken slurs lead to fistfights in parking lots and front yard. Joking around turned serious and then violent. Old feuds where rekindled, and new ones started. A rash of false accusations broke out, and it took an official warning from police to tamp it down. The tip-line took in calls at a record pace, but most of them more trivial nonsense, and law enforcement was considering shutting the whole thing down.” Chasing The Boogeyman is an engaging and cleverly told suspenseful mystery, and I look forward to reading more of Chizmar’s work.

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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. Chizmar (in collaboration with Johnathon Schaech) has also written screenplays and teleplays for United Artists, Sony Screen Gems, Lions Gate, Showtime, NBC, and many other companies. He has adapted the works of many bestselling authors including Stephen King, Peter Straub, and Bentley Little. A railroad system constructed through the area in 1835 provided distribution for local agricultural markets, and the railroad’s extension in the mid-1850s provided a foundation for the town of Edgewood’s development. The wooden railroad bridge crossing the nearby Gunpowder River was burned in April 1861 during the Baltimore riots, and Confederate soldiers burned it a second time in July 1864. Chizmar hits it out of the park. … Chizmar is a natural storyteller. The world he shows us is evocative and lovingly described.” — Dave Writes and Draws (and Reads)