Becoming the Boogeyman is first of all , a great story. It’s not your usual mystery . The story line is complex but fast paced . It’s stories within stories and each one has its own brand of darkness . I loved this book and could not put it down once I started. It definitely kept me awake in more ways than one. A great talent.

A great sequel- enjoyed it even a little more than the first book b/c it had more action & suspense (felt more like a thriller); slow at times & then an addictive page-turner at other times; love the continued method of portraying the story as non-fiction/true crime & it's done so well

Such a unique book/series; can't wait for the next installment!

Special thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I savored every minute of this book. I really didn’t want it to end. It’s such a trip knowing it’s fiction but feels so real! Multiple times throughout I had to remind myself this wasn’t actually a true crime novel. I absolutely adore the history, the mystery, and really just the entire thing that Chizmar has created! And judging by those last words…. I can’t wait for the next one!

Every bit as wonderful as Chasing the Boogeyman, Chizmar takes us back to his hometown where the boogeyman appears to be back with murders starting up once again. Years have passed since Joshua Gallagher was caught and jailed. Chizmar has written the book, the movie was made, and yet he can’t stop visiting Gallagher in prison to understand his reasons for killing. When the murders start this time the first victim, Annie Riggs is the only person who had escaped from Gallagher before. Rich and his family are terrorized by this new copy cat killer and their lives become unbearable. I KNEW this book to be fiction, knew Chizmar added real facts about his own life, yet I found myself googling certain people and places to see if they existed. The realities blurred on the pages and Chizmar once again blended fact and fiction and he did so brilliantly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I was so excited to get approved for this book. I loved the first one and was so excited to see there was a second.
I was fascinated throughout the entire book and loved it. This author is amazing.

𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙘𝙚.

This sequel to 2021’s 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘺𝘮𝘢𝘯 – which was my Book of the Year that year – is every bit as outstanding as the first. It’s part fictional true crime, part nostalgic small-town memoir – and the juxtaposition of feel-good coming-of-age memories mixed with the horrors of a murder spree is equal parts highly unsettling and undeniably compelling.

It’s Stephen King’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘥𝘺 (𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘔𝘦) meets 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘉𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬, and it has all the thrills and chills that will have you glancing over your shoulder deep into the night as you read on.

Richard Chizmar is truly breaking new ground with his 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘺𝘮𝘢𝘯 books. In the words of Gale Weathers: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘦𝘵?

An absolute must read! Don’t miss it!

My thanks to the author and @gallerybooks for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

Having read the first of the Boogeyman books (“Chasing the Boogeyman”) by Richard Chizmar, one of Stephen King’s co-authors (the Gwendy books), I was delighted to revisit this original type of storytelling — a fictional first-person horror novel that reads like a true-crime novel/podcast, complete with false photos, in which the narrator has the same name as the author. The first book was creepy. This one is creepier.

Chizmar twists facts with fiction to the extent that you easily forget that this is a novel. In this sequel, he recaps the previous book (purportedly a true story written by his alter-ego, complete with Goodreads reviews). The last book ended with Chizmar interviewing the Boogeyman killer, Josh Gallagher, in prison — he was caught years later via DNA — and Gallagher intimated there was still more to be explained. Now there’s a film of the book (it premiered at Sundance!) and fictional Chizmar is doing well until his son’s dog sniffs out a bag of human remains left in front of their house. A body that is connected to the old Boogeyman case is enclosed, even though the incarcerated Gallagher could not have possibly done it. Is there a copycat? One who wants revenge on the author? In the previous book, most of the story was a reminiscence of the fictional author’s teenage relationship with the killer. In this book, bad things are happening now.

Chizmar (as the real and fictional character) does muse on the nature of serial killers and the media — Gallagher became larger than life when he got a nickname and became the star of a book and film — much like the famous predators of the past 50 years. And how much do the authors/podcasters want to stay connected (and part of the immortal story?) So, this alternates as a thought-provoking treatise and what seems like a real life horror story (again, it was so EASY to forget this was real) — this tale again becomes a spectacular novel. 5 stars!

I’m not sure if it’s necessary to read the first book — Chizmar does a great recap as the book proceeds, but I’d recommend seeking out the first volume. I’m also expecting a sequel, since, well, the Boogeyman “lives”!

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Richard’s wife Kara has shimmering green eyes (fact or fiction?)
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Chizmar’s home is surrounded by 200 year old trees, but he never mentions what kind (probably oaks, hickories, or elms).

After reading and loving Chasing the Boogeyman, I was thrilled to receive an advance digital copy of Becoming the Boogeyman. Thank you @netgalley @richard_chizmar @gallerybooks

The story continues in the same fictional but true crime fashion that I loved in the first novel. Rich and his family have had some odd and disturbing pranks played on them since his huge success with the Chasing the Boogeyman novel and subsequent movie. Some of these “jokes” were bold, but nothing prepared the family for a plastic bag containing human remains being left in their front yard. The killer of the young girls in Edgewood is in prison. So who did this and why?

It’s been my pleasure to read some great books this year and this is certainly one of them. I love the unique way the story is told and the author’s humor throughout. The stories of friends and family and the nostalgia are great. I especially appreciated the accompanying photographs periodically. I loved the ending and I’m 100% onboard for the next installment! The expected publication date is shortly before Halloween, so it’s definitely one to preorder!

Pub date: October 10, 2023
Pages: 432
My Goodreads rating: 5/5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Richard Chizmar is back and he has done it again.

This man has literally had my pulse racing and my heart in my throat with each and every one of his releases. Chasing the Boogeyman was one of my favorite books of all time and now I can add Becoming the Boogeyman to that list of favorites.

Richard Chizmar is the Stephen King of our times and I am so grateful to have a front row seat.

If you scare easily, I would proceed with caution. This book is filled with monsters and will have you checking under your bed and over your shoulder. Personally, I am all about it! I love a book that makes me fear the next page.

If you have not yet read Chasing the Boogeyman, I do suggest you read that one first. It just pulls everything together not that you couldn't read this as a standalone, I just personally would not recommend it.

Here is a bit of a teaser :

A riveting, haunting sequel to the New York Times bestselling thriller Chasing the Boogeyman—a tale of obsession and the adulation of evil, exploring modern society’s true-crime obsession with unflinching honesty, sparing no one from the glare of the spotlight. Will those involved walk away from the story of a lifetime in order to keep their loved ones safe? Or will they once again be drawn into a killer’s web? As the story draws to its shattering conclusion, only one person holds all the answers—and he just may be the most terrifying monster of them all.