Morbid Book Club: Killing The Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar
Evaluation and Summary
This is a special bonus episode of Morbid's Book Club series featuring author Richard Chizmar discussing his upcoming release 'Killing the Boogeyman,' which blends memoir and horror. The episode is sponsored by Ashley (marked with #ashleypartner). Chizmar joins hosts Alaina Urquhart and Ash Kelley to discuss the behind-the-scenes writing process of the series. Key topics include Chizmar's experience collaborating on what he describes as two dream collaborations (the specific collaborators are not named in the notes), and the psychological toll of spending years immersed in dark subject matter while researching and writing the book. The conversation explores what it's like to 'willingly invite the Boogeyman into your brain' during the creative process. The book is set for release on October 6, 2026. The episode runs 2 hours and 11 minutes and represents a departure from Morbid's typical true crime format into author interview and book discussion territory. The show notes credit the core team: Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley, and Dave White as writers; Mikie Sirois as producer/editor; Dave White, Urquhart, and Kelley on research; Debra Lally on listener correspondence; and Aidan McElman on video editing.
Verdict: This is a sponsored author interview that deviates from Morbid's true crime format; the show notes provide insufficient detail to assess quality, and the prominent sponsorship disclosure raises concerns about editorial independence.
True Crime rubric
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Research depth n/a
Show notes do not describe the research methodology or depth of Chizmar's work on the book itself; this is an author interview, not a true crime investigation episode
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Storytelling n/a
Cannot assess narrative structure or pacing from show notes alone; the format is an interview rather than a narrative-driven true crime story
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Respect for victims n/a
No information provided about how victims or sensitive subject matter are handled in this particular episode
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Substance 2/5 33%
Show notes promise behind-the-scenes writing discussion and author insights but provide minimal concrete details about actual content covered in 2+ hours
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Delivers on its title 3/5 33%
Episode is framed as a book club discussion of 'Killing the Boogeyman' and does feature the author, but notes focus heavily on the sponsorship and vague promises rather than what's actually discussed
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Value for time 2/5 33%
At 2 hours 11 minutes, the episode length cannot be justified by the sparse show notes; unclear if the runtime is earned by substantive discussion or padded with tangents
Worth it if you're a dedicated Morbid listener who also enjoys author interviews and don't mind sponsored content promoting an upcoming book release.
Content flags
- Sponsored Episode is explicitly marked #sponsored by Ashley and functions as promotional content for Chizmar's October 2026 book release
- Ad-heavy Sponsorship is prominently featured in show notes; unclear how much ad/sponsor content is embedded in the 2+ hour runtime
Based on the episode description. AI-generated; it can be wrong.
Show notes
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