Ellen J. Green's "Murder in the Neighborhood" is a riveting exploration of dark secrets lurking behind picket fences. As the murder mystery unfolds, Green skillfully crafts a tale that keeps you guessing until the last page. The characters are intricately woven into the fabric of a seemingly idyllic neighborhood, where every twist reveals hidden motives. The pacing is superb, maintaining suspense throughout. Green's writing captures the essence of suburban intrigue, making this whodunit a page-turner that leaves you craving more. "Murder in the Neighborhood" is a captivating journey into the shadows beneath the veneer of community life.

I listened to the audiobook version and think I would have enjoyed reading a hard copy more, I had a hard time staying focused on what I was reading and did not find the narrator to be that engaging. I tried listening to the book on multiple occasions and I kept putting it off to give it another chance later. I typically enjoy the true crime genre, but felt this book should have been edited more since it dragged and became repetitive at times. The book is based on the first recorded mass crime which took place in 1949. It was similar to other true crimes stories and touched on lax access to weapons and the need for identification of psychological issues and lack of supports and treatment for those with psychological issues. While this is a true crime novel, it appears some liberties were taken to recreate conversations, but you can tell a lot of research did go into writing this book. I appreciated the author’s depth of knowledge on this particular mass shooting since I had never heard about it before.

I really enjoyed this audiobook, thank you so much! My feelings were all over the place, mostly I was sad not only for the murders, but the fact that someone had to go through what they went through which lead to the horrific crime,

absolutely heartbreaking. this is a good book but check trigger warnings as I found this so hard to get through so had to keep taking breaks

This is, by far, the most engaging true crime book I have ever read. Covering the story of the first mass shooting in the United States, it was very unique in that it written in the first hand perspective of a boy who lived in the neighborhood and the mother of the killer. This led me to do some research and I discovered that Green accessed diaries in addition to trial transcripts and police documents. I have never read a true crime book written in this type of way and I definitely found it interesting. It did a bit to humanize the murderer. While no excuses were made for him, the author made him a real person. Not a good person, not even a redeemable person, but not a monster either. Recognizing that humans are capable of this type of evil keeps our eyes open and allows us to keep learning from our history. If you simply write these criminals off as "monsters", we consider them as isolated cases and don't look for the commonalities that could help us in possibly preventing history from repeating itself.

This was another book in which I just could not get in to the audiobook narration. While I think the plot was interesting, this book may be better read with a physical copy.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

Thank you for this advance copy of the audiobook of Murder in the Neighborhood!

In this fictionalized account, Ellen J. Green tells the story of the 1949 mass shooting in East Camden, New Jersey. An early example of this heart-breaking American phenomenon, this story touches upon deeply painful and relevant topics in today's world. The audiobook narrator had a pleasant voice and a good reading style.

For me, this fictionalization of the story, told from the points of view of people who witnessed the event, was not a compelling approach for investigative true crime. It made what I expected to be a nonfiction true crime work feel less credible. I couldn't help but think, at each point, how much of this is coming from the research and how much of this is fiction writing? I'm sure others would feel more connected to the story telling method and the addition of these personal touches, but for me, it did not feel like true crime.

I am a massive fan of true crime and could’nt wait to get stuck into this beauty!

Murder in the Neighbour tells the story of the first recorded mass shooting in America. Taking us back to the 6th September 1949 when twenty-eight-year-old Howard Barton Unruh shot thirteen people in less than twelve minutes on his block in East Camden, New Jersey.

The story is told by Raymond and Howards mom Freda. Times were very different back then and Raymond was just 12 years old at the time. I feel the narrator has told this moving story really well making me feel right there in the story.

It is a very in-depth audio…not something I would normally listen to because you really have to take the story in. This book is complex and needs your fall attention. Has we try to make sense of what drove Howard to do such a horrific crime.

Over all this book is a gripping, detailed, tragic story. Which true crime fans will find fascinating because I certainly did.

Thank you to Bookouture for a copy all thoughts are my own and not biased in anyway.

Yikes what a story! It was true crime at its best! Loved the back and forth of the story telling. Will be recommending to my followers.

A very well written narrative about what many people consider to be the first recorded mass shooting in America.

Considering everything that's been happening recently, the release of this book is very timely.
It's a well researched book, with many perspectives and opinions that will paint a very detailed picture of all sides.

The discourse around events like this hasn't changed much since 1949 and very little has been done to stop these acts of violence from continuing.

John Chancer's narration is compelling and drew me into the story.

***Thank you to Bookouture Audio for providing me with the Audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.

Let me start by saying this wasn't a bad book, but it was just not a good fit for me. I don't hate the book, I didn't love it. It was a bit too slow paced for me and at points I had to force myself to keep going. However I could see other people really enjoying it, so please give it a chance.

I really wanted to like this book and I tried. It's totally up my alley with the true crime and whatnot. However, I just couldn't get into it and felt like I was bored. I don't know if it was just me or what. The writing was fine and well done academically but it just didn't pull me in and engage me. And yes I realize it's non-fiction so I didn't go in expecting fireworks and fairies.

#MurderintheNeighborhood
#NetGalley

Unfortunately, I could not finish listening to this book - I got about 40% through it before officially setting it down. I have tried for a couple weeks, but I do not like the first person perspective of true crime especially when the author isn't the person who's involved in the story. I don't think this is a comment on the quality of the book but rather my true crime preferences. Because of this, I do not feel comfortable reviewing the book on my blog or goodreads.

An extremely detailed and compellingly written look at the first mass shooting in modern American history, when Howard Unruh shot and killed thirteen of his neighbours in his small New Jersey town. The author has taken the unusual and creative step of presenting the book through the eyes of the people affected, particularly Raymond, a young how who had known Unruh and witnessed the killings. As Raymond struggles to understand Unruh's actions and watches the long-lasting impact the murders have on his neighbourhood, the book offers a detailed, granular look at how events like this can shatter a close-knit community.

I listened to the audiobook, which was very well narrated and excellently paced.

I really enjoyed this book. Having more insights on the Howard Unruh mass slayings in 1949 was really interesting. It is the first known mass murder event in the USA, and getting past the basic parts made it more noteworthy to me. A lot of things I did not know, too. Hearing from a person who was a child at the time really did give me more insight and empathy towards those involved. They all seemed to remember so much, like it was yesterday. So vivid. I thought the book was put together. The writing style was really good. I would read this again. So, I highly recommend this!

This is the story of Howard Unruh, someone I had never heard of before so I approached it with no preconceptions. Much of it is told from young Raymond’s point of view and his attempts to understand what had led a quiet man like Howard to suddenly go on the rampage. We also read about Howard’s mother Eileen and her shock and confusion as she learned some surprising secrets about her son, including his hidden homosexuality. Howard had been a quiet individual and somewhat of a loner. During his time in the armed forces, he had written regularly to his mother and read his bible, but after the war he seemed unable to settle, dropping out of pharmacy school. His behaviour around the town led to people thinking he was a little strange and he endured a lot of name calling. He had bought a machete and undertook target practice in his basement while apparently planning his revenge. It appears the straw that broke the camel’s back was the removal of a backyard gate he had only just erected. This is a sad story all round and not only for the victims and their families. It did make me feel sympathy for Howard and particularly for his bewildered mother. Although his actions, including the killing of three children, can never be condoned, the book looks for answers and in no way seeks to thrill or shock. The reader has to wonder if the combination of his repressed (and of course illegal in those days) sexual preference and what probably amounted to PTSD which wasn’t recognised until many years later contributed in the main to that fateful day in 1949. How many more “Howards” have been prevented by changes in the law and medical advances? Fascinating and at times uncomfortable reading. 5*

I think I would do better with reading this book instead of the audiobook. I found the narrator a bit boring and his voice was putting me to sleep. I actually wound up not finishing this book because everytime I listened to it it couldn't keep my attention. The story sounded interesting and I do like true crime books so I will give this another shot in a different format.

This book details what happened on September 6th 1949 in New Jersey, where Howard Unruh killed 13 people in his town of Camden. This story is told by Howard’s mum, Freda, and Raymond, a man who knew Howard when he was a young boy at the time of the shooting, as it details Raymond witnessing some of the shootings and wondering why he was ultimately spared, and the aftermath of the shooting and the emotional damage on people who wondered if they had maybe caused this incident based on their behaviour toward Howard.

I enjoyed listening to Raymond’s side of things as Freda came across as trying to blame the shooting on anyone other than her son, yes being excluded and ridiculed for years may have been what led to it, but ultimately he was the one that pulled the trigger that ended so many lives.

If you like true crime then you should definitely give this book a read, or listen, as it follows the real life events of one of the first recorded mass shootings in America. I felt like this book concentrated on the human elements and emotions of this story, rather than the case facts, but I didn’t mind that so much as this is a book based off of real events.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an audiobook copy of this one in exchange for my honest review.

I listened to the audiobook of this via NetGalley and I found it fascinating. It’s the story of Howard Unruh who in September 1949 shot thirteen people in twelve minutes on the block where he lived. The book is mainly told through the eyes of Raymond Havens, who was just twelve at the time and who witnessed the murders but who had also previously being something of a friend to Raymond. We also get passages from Howard’s diary, which give us a sense of who he was. I felt like the author gave a lot of information as to why Howard may have done what he did, and it felt like I was being pushed to have sympathy for him. I did feel like I understood more of who he was by the end but I didn’t feel any sympathy because what he did was horrific and there is no justification for that. I did feel for others whose points of view were spread throughout the book though. We hear testimony from the victim’s families, and from Howard’s mother. I found this book really interesting and if you like true crime then I would recommend it.