Quiz Becoming the Boogeyman Richard Chizmar

Becoming the Boogeyman: 20‑Question Quiz

Plot & Sequence Questions (1–8)

  1. How does the body of Anne Taylor Riggs first appear to Richard Chizmar?
    A) Buried in a shallow grave behind the Edgewood library
    B) Inside an industrial garbage bag near his home, covered in flies
    C) Floating in Winters Run near a bridge
    D) Hung from a sycamore tree in his front yard

  2. Which objects are among the “telltales” Joshua Gallagher left at his original Edgewood crime scenes?
    A) A hopscotch grid, missing‑dog sign, pennies, and pumpkins
    B) A hangman drawing and a severed ear
    C) A burlap mask and a copy of Chasing the Boogeyman
    D) A set of handcuffs and a blood‑stained note

  3. Which victim is discovered with a hangman drawing marked “7” on her palm?
    A) Anne Taylor Riggs
    B) Peyton Bair
    C) Mallory Tucker
    D) Loretta Stamford

  4. What does Kara Chizmar find attached to a mannequin in the sycamore tree when she retrieves the mail?
    A) A burlap mask
    B) A pair of sunglasses
    C) Anne Riggs’s severed head
    D) A handwritten confession

  5. How does the copycat killer gain access to Richard’s unpublished manuscript?
    A) By breaking into his office during Chizapalooza
    B) By remotely hacking his laptops
    C) Through a prison guard who stole a printout
    D) By finding a draft in a public library

  6. Where are the three stolen objects from Richard’s home (the signed baseball, Kara’s sunglasses, and the carved ashtray) buried?
    A) In the woods behind the Meyers House
    B) Under the springhouse on his property
    C) In a storm drain near Willoughby Woods Swim Club
    D) In the backyard of Ken Klein’s house

  7. Who attacks Richard with an axe handle during the Chizapalooza bonfire?
    A) Ken Klein
    B) Jeremy Hollister
    C) Sean Phillips
    D) Stephen Grant

  8. What ultimately kills the copycat killer Sean Phillips?
    A) Richard shoots him with a handgun
    B) Kara strikes him with a fireplace poker
    C) A police sniper during a standoff
    D) He dies in a car crash fleeing the scene

Character Motivation Questions (9–13)

  1. Why does Richard Chizmar insist on visiting Joshua Gallagher in prison after the discovery of Anne Riggs’s remains?
    A) To deliver a cease‑and‑desist letter
    B) To seek answers about the copycat killer and Gallagher’s possible involvement
    C) To apologize for the publicity his book generated
    D) To obtain a signed confession for a new book deal

  2. Short answer: What nickname does Joshua Gallagher call Richard during their prison interview – a name that only Henry Metheny had used before?
    (Your answer should be two words.)

  3. Why does Kara threaten to leave Richard and take Billy with her?
    A) She fears for their family’s safety after the escalation of violence
    B) She believes Richard is secretly the copycat killer
    C) She is jealous of Richard’s friendship with Carly
    D) She wants to move to a distant state regardless of the investigation

  4. Why does Carly Albright unexpectedly visit Richard’s home in the middle of the crisis?
    A) She has quit the Washington Post and traveled to heal from personal loss
    B) She is assigned to cover the copycat murders as a reporter
    C) She needs Richard’s help with a true‑crime book she is writing
    D) She hopes to reconcile with her ex‑husband who lives nearby

  5. According to Joshua Gallagher, what motivates the copycat killer to target Richard specifically?
    A) He is jealous of the close bond between Gallagher and Chizmar
    B) He wants to frame Richard for the murders
    C) He is a former victim of Richard’s childhood bullying
    D) He is working for a rival true‑crime writer

Theme & Symbol Questions (14–17)

  1. Short answer: What is the name of the popular true‑crime podcast that sponsors trips to Edgewood and sells “authentic” burlap masks?
    (Your answer should be three words: The Boogeyman Lives.)

  2. What does the burlap mask most strongly symbolize in the novel?
    A) The anonymizing nature of evil and the ability to hide in plain sight
    B) The poverty of the serial killers’ upbringings
    C) The incompetence of the local police force
    D) The town’s fading industrial past

  3. How does the media frenzy surrounding the murders contribute to one of the novel’s central themes?
    A) It illustrates how true‑crime commodification exploits tragedy and inspires copycats
    B) It shows that publicity always helps law enforcement solve cases
    C) It demonstrates that celebrity status protects the victims’ families
    D) It proves that journalists are the real monsters in the story

  4. The narrator describes Edgewood as having “evil ground” and lists its history of bizarre incidents. What idea does this concept support?
    A) The town itself may be haunted, attracting violence and horror over generations
    B) The soil contains toxic chemicals that cause violent behavior
    C) The town’s zoning laws were designed by a satanic cult
    D) The police department has covered up multiple crimes for decades

Synthesis Questions (18–20)

  1. How does Richard’s past encounter with Henry Metheny affect his present actions and emotional state?
    A) He feels deep guilt for not reporting Metheny, believing his silence allowed further murders
    B) He becomes obsessed with befriending serial killers to understand them
    C) He decides to become a private detective to prevent future crimes
    D) He develops an irrational fear of all coworkers and avoids social contact

  2. In the Author’s Note, Richard Chizmar (the author) states that Becoming the Boogeyman is a work of fiction but uses real people, places, and events “fictitiously.” How does this metafictional choice affect the reader’s experience?
    A) It blurs the line between true crime and invented narrative, making the horror feel more immediate and unsettling
    B) It confirms that every detail in the story is historically accurate
    C) It signals that the author is unreliable and the story cannot be trusted
    D) It reduces the emotional impact by reminding readers the characters are not real

  3. The novel includes a chapter titled “The Copycat Effect.” In what way does the copycat killer in the story embody this concept?
    A) He closely imitates Gallagher’s methods, symbols, and even his mask, driven by the public obsession Gallagher inspired
    B) He is revealed to be Gallagher’s long‑lost son seeking revenge
    C) He is a journalist who fabricates evidence to sell stories
    D) He is a police officer trying to frame Gallagher for new murders

Answer Key

1. B – Richard discovers a garbage bag while walking his dog; police find human remains inside (Chapter Four: Life and Death).
2. A – The hopscotch grid, missing‑dog sign, pennies, and pumpkins are the known telltales that Gallagher never explained (Chapter Two: The Boogeyman).
3. B – Lieutenant McClernan shows Richard a photograph of Peyton Bair’s hand with the hangman drawing and the numeral 7 (Chapter Nine: The Hangman Cometh).
4. C – When Kara goes to the mailbox, she finds mannequins in the tree; one has Anne Riggs’s severed head attached (Chapter Ten: Boring… Until It’s Not).
5. B – Cybercrime officers later confirm Richard’s laptops were remotely infiltrated, granting the killer access to the unpublished manuscript (Chapter Seventeen: The Meyers House).
6. A – Richard and Carly dig at the Meyers House and recover the baseball, sunglasses, and ashtray (Chapter Seventeen).
7. B – Jeremy Hollister, stepfather of victim Peyton Bair, attacks Richard with an axe handle; Richard sustains a concussion (Chapter Fifteen: Chizapalooza).
8. B – After Sean Phillips attacks, Kara kills him by striking him with a fireplace poker (Chapter Nineteen: Reckoning).
9. B – Richard hopes Gallagher can provide information about the copycat and the investigation (Chapter Three: The Next Day and Chapter Fourteen: Face‑To‑Face).
10. Richie Rich – Gallagher uses this nickname in Chapter Eighteen; earlier, only Henry Metheny had called Richard that.
11. A – Kara is terrified by the escalating threats and wants to protect their son (Chapter Nine: The Hangman Cometh).
12. A – Carly has quit her job at the Washington Post and come to Edgewood to heal after her husband’s death (Chapter Twelve: Surprise Visitor).
13. A – Gallagher speculates that the copycat is jealous of the unique bond he shares with Richard (Chapter Fourteen: Face‑To‑Face).
14. The Boogeyman Lives – This podcast, co‑hosted by Robin Frank and Gerald Whitty, features live calls, contests, and merchandise like burlap masks (Chapter Two: The Boogeyman).
15. A – The mask allows both Gallagher and the copycat to become faceless figures of terror, highlighting the theme of hidden evil (Chapter Five: Buried Secrets, Chapter Nine, etc.).
16. A – The novel explicitly shows how media coverage and fan behavior can glamorize killers and inspire copycat acts (Chapter Eleven: The Copycat Effect).
17. A – The narrator reflects on Edgewood’s history of gruesome events, suggesting the land itself may be cursed (Chapter Eight: Grace Sunday).
18. A – Richard never reported Metheny’s attempted abduction; later he learns Metheny continued killing, and Richard carries that guilt (Chapter Five: Buried Secrets).
19. A – The Author’s Note and the use of real people/locations create verisimilitude, making the fictional horror feel disturbingly real (A Note to Readers and Author’s Note).
20. A – The copycat uses the same burlap mask, hangman symbols, and methods as Gallagher, reflecting the “copycat effect” discussed in the book (Chapter Eleven: The Copycat Effect).

Test your recall of Becoming the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar. For further study, visit the book overview, questions and answers, or the ending explained.