4.5 stars

Memorials follows three college students producing a documentary style project on roadside memorials in rural Pennsylvania. As they start documenting each one, they begin to notice something that might be tying all of these memorials together. This is where things start to turn creepy. A bit of backstory is revealed of each of the different memorials through the interviews of friends and relatives of the deceased.. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book and thought it was really well done. It had a bit of horror elements as well as just that creep factor that you would expect to happen just due to the nature of the memorial project itself. When the reveal happened, I was a little taken a back as to where it went. It was certainly over the top and While I understand what happened it just seemed like I was reading a whole other book compared to the first 3/4. I think I would’ve preferred a more scaled down ending that kind of fit with the tone of the rest of the book. But hey, that’s just me it did have certain elements I liked, I really enjoyed the idea of exploring the memorials and the effects it had on the friends and relatives as well as the creepy factor of what intertwined them. I also think the setting In Appalachia was perfect. Overall, if you’re looking for a creepy atmospheric read with a bit of horror this is probably for you. I am a huge fan of this author and I can’t wait to read future books!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the eARC of this title!**

While I was super excited for this one and loved the concept of a horror book based around roadside memorials - this one felt flat for me in a lot of ways.

I have enjoyed Chizmar's work when he collaborates with Stephen King (Gwendy's trilogy,) but on his own he was a bit long-winded for me without the character development that I hoped to see. Coming in at 480 pages, Memorials could have been 100 pages shorter and would have still been a bit too long for me. I was hoping there would be plenty of horror packed into this one, but it came in tiny little bursts.

I am not on for "slow-burn" horror, and this one just dragged on a bit for me. Clearly this one resonates with some people and I am not in the majority in not liking this one. I will try this author's other novels but will go in with my expectations reigned in a bit.

Richard Chizmar has proven he knows how to write characters that feel real and stories that will scare you. Memorials expands on everything I hope for from a Chizmar novel. We quickly bond with the trio of leads, and are on the road with them. Elements of Coming of Age and Lovecraftian horror make this a perfect Halloween season read.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I am shocked this has such high reviews. The writing and character development is good, but god, what a slog. So slow-paced that nothing even happened until like halfway through the book. A group of grieving friends decide to record the stories behind roadside memorials for a college project. It’s a great setup for a creepy story, but unfortunately the author gets so caught up in the minutiae and the recorded testimonies that have literally nothing to do with the story. Plus I personally didn’t care for the turn the story took, but that’s just because it’s not my type of horror. Also, if you’re going to do supernatural, for me it’s gotta GO THERE to be considered horror. This was just a slow burn mystery with a few creepy moments. I am rounding it up to three for the quality of the writing, but honestly my heart wants to give it a two.

Creepy story perfect for spooky season!
College students, on a road trip to document roadside memorials. In the Appalachian region of all places (think of all the urban legends of Appalachia).

I think this was a wonderful story by Richard Chizmar. I love the unique premise of this documentary project and weaving the tapes into the narrative was seamless and easy to read and understand. The first 50-60% of the book was fairly slow building but everything really picked up the last 20%. If you feel like the book is too slow for you I encourage you to hang on because the last quarter of the book is worth it.

We've all seen the side of the road memorials mark a death in a vehicle where the loved ones leave reminders. I've never paid attention to the detail involved in individual memorials......that will definitely change now. So many reviewers compare Chizmar to Stephen King like it's a bad thing. Were I a horror author and somebody compared my book to King's, I'd think it was good. Truthfully, Chizmar does remind me of a few of King's books, they both scare the dickens out of me and make me jumpy for a few days. MEMORIALS is one of those. Chizmar spends the first part of the book setting the scene. We meet the main characters, get their background and learn the task they have set for themselves.

It's the 1980's when 3 college students join together to complete a class project. They will spend one week on a road trip documenting the road side memorials they see and researching the stories behind them. Each of them has experienced loss and the grief that would lead someone to construct a memorial. Sounds reasonable? I can already hear the creepy music. Gives me Deliverance vibes.

Since this is a horror story, we know that these three friends will stir up something best left alone and find themselves fighting for their lives. There are clues thrown in throughout the book, but when the horror that Chizmar is famous for steps up, well.......this is where you have to decide to keep reading in the dark, or pick up tomorrow in the light. I wish you good reading and no nightmares......5 easy stars.

Memorials is a horror story about 3 students from York College in Pennsylvania that are doing an assignment for their American Studies class. They decide to travel the area and visit roadside memorials. One of the friends, Billy, lost his parents to a car accident so they will visit the memorial for his parents as well as others in Appalachia. While traveling they start to see a symbol on some of the memorials. With the locals treating them oddly and the feeling of being watched, what is happening in these small towns.
Richard Chizmar has such a flair for writing horror. I have enjoyed all of his books. This is one of my favorites. I love the 1980's setting and the area because it's all in my neck of the woods.. The characters are interesting and well written. The ending isn't my favorite but horror novels very seldom end the way we hope.

It’s Spooktober here at Kaiju & Gnome, and so far, I’ve written about baseball and a trip to Minneapolis—not the spookiest of topics, to be honest. However, I’ve been tapping into the eerie side of the season by diving into a lot of horror books. Some have been okay, some good, and a few have stood out as what I’d call truly great horror. Some Like it Darkby Stephen King was a fantastic short story collection, perfect for the shortening daylight hours. I’m also deep into Revenant X, David Wellington’s follow-up to Paradise-1, and absolutely loving it. I’ll hopefully have a review up soon for its upcoming release. But the horror book that’s gripped me the most this season is Richard Chizmar’s Memorials.

Memorials hooked me right from the concept. A group of classmates, and maybe friends, decide to make a video project about roadside memorials in the Appalachian region. They embark on a road trip to document and investigate the stories behind them—and things go horribly awry. Weird symbols, disappearing memorials, and other unsettling occurrences quickly unfold, leading the characters down some dark paths.

First off, this book is conceptually one of the best I’ve read this year. Using roadside memorials as a source of horror is brilliant and reminded me of Chuck Wendig’s Black River Orchard, which similarly turned something ordinary—apples—into a conduit for horror. Chizmar also nails the “found footage” vibe, evoking The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, but in a way that doesn’t feel forced or kitschy. The format contributes to some genuinely great scares.

The characters are another highlight. Billy is a fantastic narrator, and I never got tired of reading from his perspective. His relationships with Melody, Troy, and the others feel authentic and add depth to the story. Troy, in particular, brings an important outsider’s perspective on Appalachia and the memorials, enriching the narrative in a really satisfying way. The villains? They’re chilling and exactly what I was hoping for in a horror novel like this. I won’t spoil anything, but there are several twists I genuinely didn’t see coming.

Another key strength of Memorials is Chizmar’s portrayal of Appalachia. I often talk about “setting as character,” and this book is a prime example. The story feels rooted in its Appalachian backdrop—it simply wouldn’t work in Iowa or Missouri. That specificity adds so much to the horror.

Overall, I loved this book. It’s definitely at the top of my list for favorite reads this year. It’s thrilling and scary, while also giving you that itch to hit the road with friends and explore some weird, spooky places. If you’re looking for a fun horror read this Spooktober, I highly recommend Memorials!

I loved the Boogeyman books, so I was excited to read something fresh and new from this author. Memorials did not disappoint! Not only is it immersive and unsettling, it pulls at all different types of emotions. The grief is heavy and lingers throughout the entire story. I wish we got to know our other two main characters a bit more. All of the descriptions we get of them are fairly surface level, outside of their trauma.

It’s 1983 and three college students take a road trip to document roadside memorials. It’s a fun road trip at first, until they get deeper in Appalachia and the atmosphere darkens.

This is a slow burn creepy story but stick with it and it completely pays off. It gave me total Blair Witch vibes; adding in a road trip. A lot of the story is getting to know the characters, the setting, and the lore of the area. The fright slowly creeps in little by little and then you realize you are pretty creeped out! I had to switch to a historical fiction for a little bit at night before bed. The ending is a bang and while there was closure, there is also hope for a sequel.

“If you look hard enough… you’ll find the impossible.”

Memorials comes out 10/22.

80s road trip gone WAY wrong. A group of college friends decide to do a documentary about roadside memorials for a project. They travel in their van through the Appalachian backroads stopping at various Memorials. Then strange things start to happen. They notice weird symbols appearing at each memorial. And these Memorials aren't even connected to each other in any way. The students feel watched. When they start getting threats...through notes and photos, they understand that the memorials as well as themselves are part of a much larger story.
This is a terrifying story. It's 80's horror, mixed with a coming of age, in a universe where The Blair Witch is just a fun little campfire tale.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this e-arc.*

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Memorials.

I love the author's Boogeyman series so I was excited my request was approved.

Memorials was less a supernatural tale and more a story about three similar, yet very different college students coping with personal loss.

Mr. Chizmar is a great writer and excels at describing small town suburban life. He spend ample time developing Melody, Troy, and Billy as believable and realistic characters. And I loved the 80s setting.

I enjoyed the supernatural element of the story; it was creepy and unsettling. Anything based on cults creeps me out!

What I didn't like; the long exposition, the descriptions of small town life, Billy's reminiscences and flashbacks, which I know adds to the context and vibe of the story.

I just wanted to get to the scary parts, but that's just me.

I liked this, but I didn't love it, which was a bummer. I hope Mr. Chizmar's next book is about the Boogeyman.

A huge thanks to the author for sending an ARC my way!

A conspiracy of horrors, Memorials by Richard Chizmar is one hell of a road trip gone wrong. Set in the 80s, three college kids hit the Appalachian roads in search of roadside memorials to document as part of a class project. Their goal is to tell the stories of those who have passed on these roadways, particularly one of their own. Billy Anderson, one of the three students, has been deeply affected by loss in this exact way as his parents both died in a tragic car accident. With this personal level of investment, the trio approaches these memorials with respect, but soon, something makes itself overly apparent. From strange encounters with locals to downright frightening things caught on film, this once-exciting endeavor turns into a trip from hell with unfathomable consequences.

In reading Memorials, so many influences came to mind such as The Blair Witch Project, Peter Straub’s Ghost Story, and even King’s Christine. Chizmar’s writing style has that “slice-of-life,” horrors of growing up, kind of tone to it which works so well within the parameters of the plot he crafts. Billy, Melony, and Troy, the three college students on this trip, all have suffered a loss in one shape or another. There’s a strong sense of found family amongst the trio, the kinds of bonds that are established effortlessly and work a long way in forming emotional attachments. Of course, this is a horror novel, so these ties that bind are always at stake. It’s through all this love and sense of family that Chizmar crafts perhaps his most wicked story yet as no one appears to be safe.

Perhaps what is most impressive of all concerning this novel is the propulsion, not only created, but sustained for nearly 500 pages. Memorials is an undoubtedly gripping novel that felt impossible to put down for so many reasons. From the first few pages, feelings of doom linger over this group of friends, an ominous, foreboding tone imparted from Billy’s point of view as he reflects on the events that unfold. And rightfully so. The turns that this novel takes are truly hard to predict and packed with tension, suspense, and pure horror. In his previous books, Chasing the Boogeyman and Becoming the Boogeyman, Chizmar has flirted with this kind of horror, hinting at an unabashed, sheer force of the otherworldly inflicting its will. In Memorials, Chizmar shows no hesitation in “going there,” elevating all of this into a different stratosphere altogether.

Compulsive, heart-breaking, and genuinely filled with fright, Memorials by Richard Chizmar harkens back to the horror door-stoppers of days past without losing any focus or momentum along the way. His personable, loveable characters drive this thing home (pardon the pun), and the threats to their safety kick this whole ordeal into high gear. It’s a twisting, winding road in which this story is paved, one marked with blood, anguish, and primal fear. Most of all, it’s Richard Chizmar at his most unhinged, and I simply want more.

Creepy, nostalgic, terrifying adventure with three college students roadtripping across Pennsylvania in search of the secret stories behind roadside memorials. Loved it!

Having loved Chasing the Boogeyman (I haven’t read the sequel yet) several years ago, I couldn’t wait for this one. I ran straight to request the arc, and was thrilled when it came through. The blurb made it out to be very Blair Witch-y, following students as they film a documentary when things start going wrong… a great spooky month read. I enjoyed the vaguely mixed media format, hopping to the camera’s footage every so often. It made me sort of wish this were an actual documentary, because I’d be so into it. Ultimately, this book wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t quite meet the “unputdownable” mark for me beyond a few points. The ending didn’t quite hit for me, I was a bit letdown with the way it ended. Overall, not quite on the same level as Chasing the Boogeyman for me (that book got into my head and under my skin in the best of ways), but I enjoyed the fast pace and creep factor. Full warning: not a book to read while camping :)

A huge thank you to Cemetery Dance and Netgalley for the arc of this book!

Thank you much to Gallery Books for the ARC!

As someone who LOVED both Boogeyman books and gave them both 5 stars, I was beyond excited to see that he had written a stand-a-lone!

While I didn't like the cover, the synopsis definitely intrigued me!

I really hate to say what I'm about to say as I wanted to love this one so much! I just felt that it was too long and too slow for me to want to pick up. With the Boogeyman books, I was literally glued to the page and HAD to know what would happen. With this, I felt like it was taking FOREVER to get to any action happening, so for that reason it wasn't for me.

I will still read what he writes in the future and wish him success!

2.5 stars rounded up

This novel is long and somewhat slow. That being said, the premise was intriguing and I learned quite a bit of interesting information about roadside memorials. Great character development and I loved the strong connection the three main characters shared.
I think the author could have been less descriptive thus shortening the book, making it more palatable for the readers.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Richard Chizmar’s Memorials has been all over my feed for months. I have to admit, the praise was intimidating. Stephen King called it scary and hard to put down! Those are some big expectations. But Chizmar is used to stepping into big shoes, he did write a trilogy with King after all. And as the founder of Cemetery Dance Publications, he knows the genre exceptionally well. What did all that mean for Memorials? Mostly that I went in trying not to feel overhyped. Now, I’m joining the chorus of excitement for this title.

Stephen King, unsurprisingly, was exactly right. I could not put this book down. I think it took me four days? It’s not a short book but it flies. As for being scary, it has plenty of frights. From cinematic jumpscares to spine chilling dread, Chizmar dialed the horror up for this one. I wasn’t ready for that. Above I outlined how heavy of a hitter he is, but the books I’ve read so far by him weren’t scary. Memorials is. I loved it.

In classic found footage style, we follow three friends on a roadtrip to make a documentary for a college class. All three of the students have experienced loss. Billy, our protagonist, lost his parents in a car crash on a stretch of road by woods that are believed to be cursed. The community erected a memorial on the spot, and it is roadside memorials that become the focus of their project. They set out to find and record these sites of mourning and learn about the people they are dedicated to in order to honor their memory.

Now, a topical note on the plot. This book heavily features the Appalachian region and its people. Trust Chizmar to balance intelligence, empathy, and horror. Horror isn’t nice, but I think most of us agree it should be respectful. I believe that was accomplished. Now, I won’t spoil anything here, this story should be fully experienced, but Billy is actively unlearning racism in 1980. Let that be enough reassurance for you to enjoy the ride.

Back to the tradition of found footage horror—things go wrong. They must, right? Part Longlegs and part The Blair Witch Project, this book has an investigative bent that opens avenues the typical lost and isolated setting couldn’t allow. The different elements create intrigue and cast doubt. Is something supernatural going on? Is it all coincidence? Is it human sabotage? Each development twists the perceptions around. I had so much fun trying and failing to put all the pieces together.

Less fun, but more poignant, is how this book handles grief. As an orphan myself, seeing how Billy coped—and didn’t—with the loss of his parents felt honest and real. The characters' discussions on the afterlife and faith were understandably heavy. One keeps their faith close, one holds conspiracy theories and science in the same esteem, and the last has questions and anger. Memorials looks at both sides of respecting death: the dead and those they leave behind.

Richard Chizmar promised a classic horror story and he delivered. I truly enjoyed reading this book and I think it’s a perfect October release. Sure, road trips and camping feels summer-y, but not here. Trust me, you’re going to want some time between reading this and sleeping in the woods anyway. Memorials arrives from Gallery Books on October 22nd. Don’t wait, you’re going to want this one.

Yes this creepy novel will remind you of Stephen King- Chizmar has collaborated with King for years. That's a not a bad thing, especially if you try to avoid comparisons and focus on this work as a standalone. It's the tale of Billy, Troy and Melody and their road trip through the backwoods of Appalachia. Each of them is dealing with something dark but the darkness they find together as they look at memorials is something else again. Chizmar leans in too hard on outdated stereotypes (yes I know this is set in the 1980s but still) of the region and it's too long but these are three characters you will care about. No spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read for fans of the genre.