Memorials may be Richard Chizmar's best, scariest book yet. It follows the journey of a trio of college students, Billy Anderson, Melody Wise and Troy Carpenter, as they embark on a trip to create a documentary telling the stories behind roadside memorials in the Appalachian region of Pennsylvania for a class project. Along the way they encounter both friendly support and encouragement, as well as antagonism from members of the communities they visit. They also begin to suspect that someone who doesn't want the documentary made is following them, and their growing sense of paranoia isn't eased when they experience disturbing dreams and odd encounters.

Fair warning: some readers may be bothered by scenes of graphic physical violence, including some that involve sexual encounters, along with brief mentions of a drug overdose, drug use and gang violence. For the most part these serve to move the story forward but may be uncomfortable for some.

Chizmar provides the necessary background about the earlier lives of the 3 unlikely college friends, each of whom has suffered a personal loss. This background helps to explain their willingness (compulsion?) to continue the trip even as they face mounting opposition to their undertaking as they find odd similarities and connections between many of the roadside memorials. The trio begin to wonder who they can and cannot trust as they go deeper into the hill country and on their return, as they try to unravel the mystery surrounding the memorials and the strange events they experience.

Written from the perspective of Billy Anderson, Chizmar builds suspense and then lets it taper off for just a bit before ratcheting up to an even higher level. The climactic scene is satisfyingly horrific and leads to further revelations that help life return to normal. Almost.

Fans of suspenseful thrillers and horror blended with a touch of the occult will enjoy this.
Highly recommended.

In the early 80s, three college students embark on a road trip through the Appalachian mountains while documenting roadside memorials and investigating the lives of the lost. Soon, they begin to notice intimidating stares from the strangers around them and the eerie symbols that appear on several memorials. Their paranoia slowly rises along with the sinister feeling that something may just be off with the memorials and the people involved.

This was highly reminiscent of a classic Stephen King novel. A solid story with descriptive writing and phenomenal character development that you don't often see in recent novels. Being the first read of mine from this author, it made me an immediate fan. Although this was lengthy, I didn't want it to end. I became so completely invested in the characters' lives and storyline that I felt myself right there beside them, easily seeing this play out right in front of me. Eerie, suspenseful and highly original, this became a five-star read before I was even halfway through. If you are a fan of classic horror novels, you will devour and love this one.

Thank you, Netgalley and Gallery Books, for this ARC.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC of this book!
This book had everything I was looking for. Fast paced, great character development and the plot was well executed. The books plot was original and engaging and had great dialogue.
This book blew any expectation I had out of the water. I will be following the author for future books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Chizmar is becoming one of my favorite authors.
What a phenomenal and creative book that has so many different elements.
I loved that it was set in the past, 1983. And the entire atmosphere of the Appalachian Mountains was enough to add a creepy element in.
Three friends go on a roadtrip for a college project and find themselves delving into so much more. Also a great look into coming to terms with our past and getting to know friends better too.
I loved the switch back and forth from video footage and the narrator as well.
Really great and creative book that I loved reading!

ARC thanks to NetGalley

Chizmar’s scariest, hands down.

I have always loved Chizmar’s work. This book is no exception. The eeriness of the Boogeyman novels is amplified x10 in Memorials.

Three college students, Billy, Melody, and Troy, go on a roadtrip to document the histories of roadside memorials. Along the way, they encounter a spiritual force far greater than their own imaginations can conceive. No one can be trusted.

This story takes the joy of a coming of age novel and blurs it with the horror of The Blair Witch Project. I found myself interrupting daily routines to get a page or two in.

The special thing about Chizmar is that he can touch on certain universal feelings in such a way that the reader feels genuinely seen. The ability to mix these feelings into a horror novel is just impressive.

Special thanks to Chizmar and NetGalley for an advanced read of the novel. Memorials is out on October 22, 2024!

"Later, when the trip went bad, I would remember the bleeding man on the bicycle and wonder if he was a sign of things to come."

I had no idea where this story was headed until about 37 percent. It was solely Chizmar's nostalgic and captivating writing that kept me reading. Even the characters weren't bond-worthy until 30 percent or so. But man, oh, man, when things picked up and the plot became clear I was hooked.

"Whoever was playing this twisted game had just raised the stakes . . ."

This novel blew me away. Melody was my lady and I was with her and her theories of what was going on to the end. And, christ, what an ending. Satisfying and heartbreaking and full of suspense and frightening and mysterious. I applaud you Chizmar, you did it again--a winner!

First off, Chizmar is on my list of "auto-buy authors" because his writing is exceptional. Memorials is no different. I felt as if I went back in time to the 80s and watched these characters play out the storyline. The character development and atmosphere were spot-on as well as the horror genre-induced tension. I loved every second of this book!

Picture this: you are a college-student filming a documentary with your two best friends. The subject? The memorials on the side of roads, you know the ones. The white cross in the middle of nowhere, decorated with balloons and flowers? They are all over the area that you grew up, and your own parents have one after their horrific accident.

Richard Chizmar is a must-read for me, simply because of his Boogeyman books. He is able to capture nostalgia in a way that I've never read before. It's a pull at your heart, but not in a cheesy way. There is a warm feeling when his characters talk about home, and the entire idea of home.

Memorials is the story of three college students working on a documentary on roadside memorials for their American Studies class. The three encounter sexism, racism and just general hate at every town they stop in. Strange looks, hostile waitresses, and questionable answers follow each memorial they try and investigate. 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. This gave me nightmares....but in the way that the best horror movies and books that I love.

While I did find there were some loose threads (the angel tattoo, Troy, the American Studies class..afterwards), I still loved how this ended. I almost hope that Chizmar writes a sequel. I need more of this horror, more of the little stick figures, more of Billy and Aunt Helen.

As always, thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, as well as my new horror king Richard Chizmar, for the opportunity to read and review this fantastic book.

A fascinating horror story that includes a time capsule of the 80's.

It's 1983 and three college kids leave on a road trip to document the memorials that are seen on roadsides. It's their thinking that this is an iconic piece of. culture that should be recorded - complete with testimonials from loved ones and others in the community of the memorials. The hero of the story, Billy, is still battling his own feelings about the sudden death of his parents in a roadway accident and as they drive, he considers if he can face going home to include the memorial.

As the three move through their mapped locations, they start to feel that they may be followed or that a nefarious person or thing is nearby. About halfway through the book the real horror starts and it's a great story! I loved the nostalgia but could have loved it more with a different ending. All the same, it's a great book for any horror fan, or nostalgic adult. It was clearly a labor of love for Chizmar and the care he took in telling it makes all the difference.
#gallerybooks #richardchizmar #memorials

Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for this ARC of Richard Chizmar's 'Memorials.'

I'm familiar with Richard Chizmar from his stewardship of Cemetery Dance and his connections with Stephen King, especially the Gwendy books.

'Memorials' is what I think of as a good old-fashioned horror story laced with a good dose of folk-horror. A group of friends, Billy, Melody, and fish-out-of- water character Troy go on a quest - in this case a college project-related trip to document roadside memorials and the people associated with them - and encounter strange and hostile reactions in the Appalachian heartland they visit, including Billy's home town.

It's quite Stephen King-like in it's style and characters and I enjoyed it all the more for that. There's quite a slow burn here, it builds and builds and leads us down some paths and into some suspicions, before - all of a sudden quite late one - it just explodes and the big revelations flow.

One of the things that struck me is how refreshing it was to have this set in a time before mobile phones. Allows for scenarios that would be either impossible nowadays or require convoluted MacGuffins to explain away their unavailability.

Anyone who enjoys Chizmar's other books, Stephen King, and their like will enjoy this.

My newest review book from Net Galley is Memorials by Richard Chizmar. I received this book early and finished reading it recently.

Memorials is the story of three college students: Billy, Troy, and Melody, who go on a road trip to investigate roadside memorials and make a documentary about them. They get a lot more than they bargained for. I don't want to give away too much of the book's story, but I will say that this is a slow burn. The terror slowly rises throughout. This is absolutely a horror novel.

Billy narrates most of the book, though some of the story is told via "footage" that the three students film. You can also see these parts, although it would've been even cooler if they had been actual footage. I know, its a book, why would there be footage in a book? I'm not completely sold on these "footage" sections but they are mostly really well written. The book overall, especially Billy's point of view, is really well done.

Some sections of the book did seem to drag. It took awhile for the story to really get going. All of the character work is important though and ultimately pays off in a terrifying way. Chizmar is a really good writer.

When the book picks up, it becomes very intense. The last part of this book is so very scary. Whew. Wow.

Memorials is a very good book. I'm glad I read this story. It was well told and definitely gave me the chills. If you enjoy books by Stephen King, then you'll want to check out Memorials too!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing a digital copy of this book for review. Memorials by Richard Chizmar releases on October 22nd, 2024.

This was the first book I've read by this author, and I really enjoyed it. At times, it did seem to go kind of slow, but the last 20% or so moved pretty quickly. There was a lot of character development in this, which sometimes can drag down a book, but really worked well here. I definitely feel like this was well written and worth reading, and I will recommend it. If I could chop out certain parts, maybe 15%, it would be near perfect. I'm definitely interested in reading what Chizmar comes up with next.

I have absolutely adored Chizmar’s “Boogeyman” books so I was hoping for great things from this standalone and he mostly delivered…mostly. It’s 1983 and I have feathered hair and a spiral perm (and I DO look gorgeous, thanks so much!)

Oh, and also, in this book, three students, Billy Anderson, Troy Carpenter and Melody Wise from York College in Pennsylvania are taking an American Studies class together. Their assignment is to film a documentary and they have decided to frame theirs around the roadside memorials placed after vehicle accidents. They plan to make a week long road trip to film the memorials and to find loved ones of the deceased to interview. They will film in the Pennsylvania Appalachians, Billy’s home. This is personal to him; he lost both parents in a car accident and they have one of the memorials the trio will cover.

As they go deeper into the mountains they start to notice a symbol on some of the memorials. What does it mean? Paranoia sets in. They feel the locals are treating them oddly. Strange things begin to happen. What is the mystery surrounding the memorials?

The book starts off with a great first sentence, “Later, when the trip went bad, I would remember the bleeding man on the bicycle and wonder if he was a sign of things to come.” I hope Chizmar doesn’t feel it’s an insult to say this is very reminiscent of Stephen King for me, in a good way. And I’m guessing Chizmar would not be miffed in the least, for there are little shout outs and Easter eggs to King throughout the book…I won’t spoil them as they are fun to find for King fans.

The three man characters, narrator Billy, Troy and Melody are all richly drawn. I love that Troy reminds us of the casual racism that was still very much present in the early 1980s (well, OK, is likely still present, but less obvious, now).

The horror aspects of the book are well done. I wasn’t exactly surprised by what went on, as I had called it (to myself) early on, but it was still very strong throughout, and if it dropped off a bit at the end, I can honestly say that probably only speaks well to the tension Chizmar maintains throughout. There were a few things I thought just didn’t make much sense, but, hey, it’s a horror novel, so expecting people to act rationally is probably a little much.

My one problem, and this takes the book to four stars for me instead of five….I have lived in the mountains all my life, not Pennsylvania, but Virginia and West Virginia, so we’re likely considered even more backward than your hoity-toity Pennsylvania hillbillies. The Appalachian stereotypes were a little much. Chizmar plays it as if every mountain town is filled with backwoods lunatics, howling at the moon. Only Billy’s aunt, and the police office escape his glare. There are actual doctors and lawyers and such, even in some of the small towns. Allegedly. I live in a city. You think I go to those small towns? People are crazy there.

That was a joke. Well, I do live in a city, but I just wasn’t crazy about the Appalachian stereotypes. We get a hard enough time.

Other than that, really loved the book. Chizmar is rapidly becoming a “must read” author for me. Now pick on somebody else next time!

The synopsis of the book is well written and captured my attention immediately. Right from the start of the book, the spooky vibes hooked me and kept me reading.

Three college friends are driving through PA documenting roadside memorials for a class when they notice each one has a strange symbol carved somewhere on the display. Seems it’s the mark of a devil cult, and now they’re being followed and threatened at each stop they make. Chillingly scary and the suspense builds beautifully the whole book.. Like the mark of a good scary movie you know what will happen as they make the classic mistake of revisiting where they’ve been. Not knowing whom to trust anymore they’re lured to a deserted evil circle in the woods for a scary, horrific and over the top ending.
The ending is not neatly tied up in a bow and the good guys don’t win, but it’s a helluva ride.

Chizmar has another winner on his hands with this full-on horror story. I love the premise - three college students are traveling the back roads of PA to make a documentary about roadside memorials to people who died in traffic accidents. Character development is strong in this book, as well as descriptive locations and vivid memorials. Unexpected relationships between surprising people help hold the suspense. I don't scare easily but this book did have me checking the locks when I read after dark. Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing an ARC.

The synopsis of this book piqued my attention: 3 college students on a road trip through Appalachia to document roadside memorials encounter something supernatural! Yes please! This was right up my alley. Then there are the 80's vibes which also provided a great nostalgic feel. I loved the atmosphere, the sense of something not being quite right, and the eerie vibe in this book.


I can see this being made into a movie! I enjoyed the imagery of them traveling along the county roads, the nightly camp outs, sitting around a campfire bonding and talking about what they saw that day. One thing that they could not help but see was the symbols that were at the memorials. None of them have seen the symbol before and they find it unsettling, creepy, and odd. As they continue their weeklong guest, they encounter interesting and often unwelcoming people, learn about the memorials, and begin to feel more and more unsettled.

I enjoy the vibe in this book. The stick figures that pop up gave me Blair Witch vibes. From the campsites to the memorials, to the odd interactions with others, the tension slowly mounts, and the eerie and creepy vibe emanates from the book.

I had no idea where this book was going, and I enjoyed the ride! I was fully invested in the plight of the characters. I enjoyed their relationships with each other and their banter. I also enjoyed the unsettling feeling in the book, and I had some suspicions about some characters.

Dark, unsettling, tense, and gripping.

4 stars

I loved this book, more so than his Boogeyman duo. The twists, turns. I couldn’t put it down.

4.5 stars

✨I am a huge fan of @richard_chizmar’s writing and have basically demanded everyone I know read his BOOGEYMAN books. So it goes without saying that I was over the moon to receive an advance copy for his latest. So much so that I didn’t pay much attention to the synopsis and went in mostly blind. I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THE LEVEL OF FRIGHT I EXPERIENCED! Do you hear me? I did not know! (I’m glad I didn’t, or I would have skipped it and missed an incredible read despite the serious level of horror.)

✨The book begins with a wholesome 80s coming of age vibe complete with college friendships and road trip adventures and builds slowly into an absolute nightmare of dread, terror and impending doom that had me peeking over my shoulder as I read late into the night.

✨Days after turning the last page, I was still pondering this book, uncovering new layers and discussing with friends. When a book lingers in this way, that’s when you know it’s a good one.

✨I’m not sure how Richard Chizmar writes books that simultaneously make me think deeply, warm my heart and leave me absolutely terrified – but he does it every time.

🌿Read if you like:
✨Serious horror
✨Blair Witch vibes
✨Stephen King
✨Coming-of-age stories
✨Appalachian folklore
✨80s nostalgia
✨Road trip tales

I really enjoyed Richard Chizmar's new book Memorials, but I love reading anything he writes. The book had a lot of twists and was about a subject I've never really thought too much about. Definitely kept me turning the page to see what happened. Thanks to Richard Chizmar and Netgalley for providing this copy to me to read and review.