Chasing the Boogeyman

 Tell me a story... about a small-town serial killer

Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar

Publication date: August 17, 2021

Date read: November 6, 2021

In the summer of 1988, the mutilated bodies of several missing girls begin to turn up in a small Maryland town. Recent college graduate, Richard Chizmar, returns to his hometown just as these events are taking place, and his horror-writer imagination won’t let him stay away. Inspired by these horrific events, Chizmar writes a personal account of the serial killer’s rein of terror, and what it was like for the community in this once peaceful town. 

Note: this is written in the form of a True Crime nonfiction book, but is, in fact, a work of fiction. But I recommend reading it as if it was nonfiction; it’s more fun that way. 

I really enjoyed the format of this book. I’m know that this gimmick has been used before, but this book uses the “fiction presented as nonfiction” format so well, that I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw more books with this format cropping up in the next few years. 

This is the kind of mystery/horror story that I really like - mostly creepy, not too gruesome, but with a high enough body count to make it interesting. If you enjoy thrillers, but too much blood and gore is a turn off for you, don’t be afraid to pick this one up.

It’s hard to comment on the characters in this one, since the author himself is our main character, but the book was written in a way that I found his character likable and enjoyed following him on his journey. I had a fun time trying to figure out the mystery as I read (although, of course, I didn’t). 

It’s hard to talk a lot about this book without giving away spoilers, but it’s overall a really enjoyable thriller with a satisfying conclusion. It wasn’t perfect - there was one loose end that was never tied up that I wanted an answer to - but I don’t know if this was an oversight or if it was done on purpose to seem more like a nonfiction book. If you like horror/thrillers, I highly recommend this one.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Trigger warning: violent murder, sexual assault (off page), discussion of torture, mutilation, suicide, animal cruelty and death

The Giver

 Tell me a story... of a dystopian future

The Giver (The Giver #1) by Lois Lowry

Publication date: April 26, 1993

Date read: November 6, 2021 (reread)

Eleven-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world of conformity and contentment. At the ceremony of Twelve, each child turning twelve that year is given his or her job assignment - one that has been chosen by the elders and will determine what they do in love from that day on. But Jonas isn’t chosen for just any ordinary job - he is chosen to be the next Receiver of Memory. As Jonas begins to undergo his training, he learns that maybe his community isn’t as idyllic as he once believed. 

Disclaimer: I’m not sure how many times I’ve read this book exactly, but it’s at least a dozen. It’s one of my all-time favorites.

Audiobook note: I’ve read this book in all formats, but twice have done the audiobook. The actor Ron Rifkin does the narration, and he is excellent.

This is one of those books that, if you’re reading it for the first time now, seems a bit derivative, because other authors have been borrowing from books like this ever since. (This is not to say that this is the first dystopian fiction, by far, but it’s one of the big influences.)

I love the simplicity of this book. There’s no over-arching evil plot, no love story, no apocalypse. And there are really only two main characters - Jonas and the Giver. I think both characters are incredibly well-written and realistic. Jonas is only twelve-years-old throughout most of the book, and his actions are very believable for a real kid in this situation. (The older I get, the more it stands out to me how young twelve actually is - something that obviously didn’t strike me when I read it at that same age.)

Speaking of which, the official reading age for this book is about 12 (varies slightly depending on where you look), which is the age I was when I first read it. If you are sharing it with a child, though, I definitely recommend reading it yourself first, because it is a very heavy book, with many possible triggers (see the list of trigger warnings at the end of this post). I think, at 12, some aspects will be too advanced, but overall the basic concept will get through and the reading itself will not be too difficult. 

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone - teen or adult - who likes science fiction or dystopian fiction. It’s simply one of the best.

5/5 stars 

Trigger warning: mention of drowning, euthanization, discussion of sexual feelings, death of a newborn, animal death, war

The Guide

Tell me a story... about a fight for survival 

 The Guide by Peter Heller

Publication date: August 24, 2021

Date read: November 25, 2021

Three years after the events of The  River, Jack decides to take a job as a fishing guide at an elite resort catering to the rich, famous, and other who wish to remain anonymous and escape from the pandemic running through the cities. His first client is a famous singer, and his only job is to carry her gear, rig her line, and give her advice on how to catch the best trout in the river. But a few things aren’t adding up to Jack. He never sees anyone else fishing, despite their being other guests staying at the resort, and the security is just a little too extreme. It’s not long before Jack realizes that idyllic fishing lodge might just be a cover for something more sinister, and he’s not sure who he can trust. 

Note: This is a sequel to The River, but only in that one of the main characters from The River is also the main character here, and events from The River will be spoiled if you read this book first. It is not necessary to read The River before reading The Guide, but if you plan to read The River at some point, I would definitely recommend reading it first, as the ending will be spoiled for you if you read The Guide first. 

Other than having the same main character, this book is so far off from The River that I sometimes had a hard time believing it was the same author. If you were looking for a thriller with The River and were disappointed, this is the book you were looking for. 

The times when I could easily believe that the same author wrote both books was when the characters were out in nature. The book takes place at an elite fishing lodge, and there are multiple scenes where the characters just do some fishing. This author is amazing at making the reader feel like they’re out in nature, describing the scenes in a beautiful, but not overly flowery, way. Also, fans of fishing will get a little extra out of these scenes because of the way the scenes are written. Specific lures and techniques are mentioned but not explained, so to the uninitiated they’re just words, but to someone who knows fishing, I’m sure they’re cool details. (Don’t worry, though, non fishermen won’t feel lost - it’s not like a lack of knowledge will make you miss any major plot points.)

But in the end, this book was a great mystery/thriller. Throughout most of the book, the reader is in the dark as much as Jack is, and there are enough hints that things are wrong to keep the reader interested and guessing. And I felt that the payoff was worth it. I can’t say much more without getting into spoiler territory, but I loved following Jack as he tried to make sense of what was going on. Plus, unlike a lot of thriller protagonists, he didn’t make stupid decisions, for the most part. I often find, when reading this type of book, that the protagonists make really risky decisions simply to move the story along, even if they don’t make sense as something that a normal person would do. Jack felt incredibly believable in these situations and was easy to root for. 

Overall, this is a good thriller for anyone who likes the genre, but those who like fishing and nature will get a little extra out of it. 

Rating: 4 stars 

Trigger warning: pandemic, PTSD, death, murder, mauling, medical treatment against patients will

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. 

The River

Tell me a story... about the perils of nature

 The River by Peter Heller

Publication date: March 5, 2019

Date read: November 1, 2021

Two college friends, Jack and Wynn, decide to embark on a wilderness canoe trip in Northern Canada, far from civilization. Their plan is to take their time, enjoying nature and solitude. But when they catch a glimpse of a wildfire in the distance, it adds urgency to their plan, and they decide to head downriver to the nearest settlement as fast as possible. When Jack and Wynn hear a couple arguing near the riverbank, they decide to turn around to warn them about the fire, but are unable to locate the pair. The next day, they see a man, alone, on the river. Could this be the same man? And if it is, where is the woman?

This is a hard book to categorize. There are the rare mystery elements (where is the woman?). There are some action scenes (the approaching fire, some confrontations with other travelers). But really this book is mostly just a relatively uneventful canoe trip down a river - slow, but beautiful. The writing in this book is wonderfully evocative, and I could picture myself on the river with the boys. But I’d you’re looking for a lot of plot, this is not the story for you.

I don’t want to dissuade anyone from reading this book; I actually did like it. The few really action-packed, dramatic moments were really tense reading, and (as mentioned before), this author really has a way with words. Also, the characters of Jack and Wynn were really well-written, and I enjoyed spending the book with them. 

I worry that the summary for this book makes it sound a little more of a thriller than it actually is, but it’s hard to describe it otherwise. If I had to compare it to anything, it would actually probably be Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (although it’s been many years since I’ve read that, and it might have more action in it than I’m remembering). This book is about two friends traveling on a river in a remote location, just being friends, and then throw in a natural disaster and a few questionable passers-by for the occasional dramatic moment.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, even though it wasn’t what I was expecting. It’s definitely a book that you need to be in a certain frame of mind to read. Not for everyone. But if you love reading books about the outdoors and getting back to nature, you’ll really like this one.

Audiobook note: The narrator sounds like Robert Redford.

Rating: 3 stars

Trigger warning: drowning (off page), death of a parent, murder, attempted rape