I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, actually. It was a well-researched, well-written, and well-narrated tale of America's "first recorded mass shooting."

It was genuinely amazing to hear about all the little slights and issues that led to the shooter descending from an upset but docile young man to a full-blown crazy killer.

His attitude after the fact was also extremely interesting - disturbing, yes - but also interesting. I wasn't aware of this crime before reading this book. However, after reading it, I have to say... it was a fascinating story. Everything about it left me wanting to learn more about Howard Unruh. Furthermore, finding out they dropped all charges against him in 1980 was just mind-blowing to me, even if they never let him out.

The whole thing was fascinating and sad, and I thought the author did an excellent job of presenting the story. I highly recommend it to any fan of true crime.

3.5⭐️
Murder in the Neighborhood was a true crime account of the first recorded mass shooting.
It’s told from different people and it read just like a story. This was a different format for me so I had trouble paying attention at times. The author did a lot research and it’s crazy what happened. In the end it’s hard to tell the “why”. Like I said, it read more like a novel.
I chose to listen to this book on audio and narrated by John Chancer and he was just ok. His voice isn’t as pleasant as some of the others I’ve heard.
Thanks Thread via NetGalley.
I left my review on Goodreads, BB, Bookstagram and Amazon.

I started this one and was intrigued but couldn't get into it on audio. I did not initially realize it was a non-fiction telling of a true story. I'm sure the story is good and a worthwhile read, but not what I was in the mood for at this time.
I am rating lower since I plan to DNF this book after listening to the first few chapters.

I received this as an audio from Netgalley, it was really good. This is the true story of America’s first recorded mass shooting. The author did a great job detailing what happened but also what followed for those involved in the shooting. The narrator, John Chancer does an amazing job moving the story forward and is so pleasant to listen to. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys true crime or is interested in the story of Howard Unruh.

Thank you to Thread and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

Murder in the Neighborhood is a fascinating true crime novel with nonlinear story lines that examines the lives of the Killer, the victims, and the community prior to, during, and after the shooting spree that claimed 13 lives.

The narration is fantastically done in a way that makes it very clear whose perspective are being given and where the information is coming from. I think this is an extremely well done examination of the factors and those involved in America's first mass shooting and the rippling effects it had.

I did NOT think a book about the first recorded mass murder would make me feel some type of sympathy towards the murderer.

Murder in the Neighborhood introduces us to Howard Barton Unruh, a twenty-eight-year-old resident of East Camden, New Jersey. According to his mother, Howard is a decorated war veteran who was visiting Philly to continue his education. Howard was an eccentric individual who lived at home with his mother and was often bullied by almost everyone in the neighborhood for his quirkiness.

September 6, 1949
Howard snaps and shoots thirteen people in less than twelve minutes. Our story opens with the deadly "Walk of Death." From there we are introduced to Raymond Havens who was a witness and survivor of this deadly mass shooting. We learn a little about each victim and their treatment of Howard which possibly leads to them losing their lives.

This was a great blend of firsthand accounts, Howard's diary entries, familial relationships, and the history of this small neighborhood. One interesting occurred towards the end of the story with a family leaving the neighborhood and Raymond vowing that this was a rare occasion and felt that another mass shooting would never happen again. I'm not sure if he meant ever or just in their neighborhood but it is sad how often mass shootings happen now and we've become so desensitized to them.

Overall, I thank Ellen J. Green for introducing me to this story and the amazing research that was done to produce this book. Thank you to Thread and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions. Give this one a go if you're a fan of true crime stories and podcasts!

Quick Take: Howard Unruh committed America’s first mass murder, shooting 13 people. This book explores what happened and why.

Murder in the Neighborhood by Ellen J. Green is the true crime story of the first U.S. mass murder. In a small town in New Jersey, a man name Howard Unruh came back from World War 1 a changed man. He didn’t get along with neighbors and people bullied him around his community. One day he woke up and shot 13 people including 3 children.

This book uses interviews and facts to create a possible narrative of the story. Some parts are used fully from transcripts while others are written as possible conversations. The story is told from the perspective a 12-year old boy who saw the shooting and that of Unruh’s mother. The narrative gives the full experience of grief and disbelief of a community dealing with tragedy.

Even though what he did was heinous it was sad that he was obviously very disturbed and had to hold a lot in until he blew. He was gay and full of shame. Even when his mother found out she wouldn’t believe it - like being gay was worse than murdering all those people.

This book was extremely well written and captured my attention from the very beginning. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys true crime or is interested in the story of Howard Unruh.

The first recorded mass shooting occurred on September 5, 1949.. told through eyewitness accounts, police reports, journal entries and psychiatric records, you can tell the authors did an extensive job at researching. The narration is done very well, I listened to it in one sitting.

This is a True Crime Book that I listened to the audiobook of it. I really enjoyed the first part of this book, but then I just lost interest in it. I listen to over 60% of it before giving up on it. The narrator was good. I just felt the book kept going over the same things. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

Murder in the Neighborhood by Ellen J. Green
John Chancer (Narrator)

On September 6, 1949, twenty-eight-year-old Howard Barton Unruh killed thirteen people in East Camden, New Jersey. The location of his carnage was the very block that he lived with his mother. He was targeting a list of people but once he got started on his rampage he ended up killing children and strangers not on his list, too. This man never had remorse for what he did and he states that if he could have killed more he would have done so.

This true event and the aftermath is related to us by a boy, Raymond, who was the only person in the neighborhood who had conversations with Howard, other than Howard's mother. Raymond was the courier between his dad and Howard, as they shared stamps with each other, and often Raymond would sit and listen to Howard recount his time in the war and share his vast knowledge of a variety of subjects. Many of the people who lived near Howard harangued Howard constantly, calling him vulgar names, spitting at him, never giving him a moment of peace, and they let some of their hatred leak over to Howard's mother. While the rest of the neighbors would chat and do business with each other, gather for late night drinks and socializing, Howard and his mother were left out of everything.

Then one morning, as Raymond was going to get a haircut, ordered to do so by his grandmother, he was witness to Howard shooting the people he'd grown up around. He didn't see all the killings but he was haunted by all of them, wondering how things came to this, why he was spared when he came face to face with Howard during the shootings, what people could have done differently, and what Howard was really thinking to do such a thing.

We see much of this story through the eyes of Raymond and Frieda, Howard's mother. Whether this tragedy could be prevented or not, one thing is clear. Howard was treated terribly by the people who lived and did business around him. He was seen as weak and as a push over and no one ever imagined he would explode in a twelve minute shooting spree. The only one responsible for what Howard did was Howard but this killing spree did leave many people wondering about their role in what happened.

The narrator of this audiobook does a fine job, so matter of fact in the telling, and it was so interesting seeing the story from the point of view of Raymond. It's a little harder to take the point of view of Freida. The poor woman had to support a grown son, her husband had left the family, the neighbors didn't include her, I felt bad for her but she was so willing to lay blame at the feet of anyone but her son. And then there was Howard and I'm left with the feeling that if not this event, there would have been another at some point. Still, treating people the way we would like to be treated could go a long way to making life better for everyone and hopefully, less dangerous for everyone.

Thank you to Thread and NetGalley for this ARC.

This was a very thought provoking and powerful story. I liked that it was a true crime story told as a fiction story but through eye witness accounts. I had not heard of this case until reading this story.

I love true crime stories, so I was very glad when the publisher reached out with an audio widget to listen and review. This book was particularly good because it is as interesting and very well researched as a documentary, but reads easily and is as catching as a fiction book.
There are two main perspective through which the story is told: Frida (the killer's mother) and Raymond (a 12 year old boy who was friendly with the killer and who was spared by him the day of the shooting). We also hear the voice of Howard (the killer) through his letters to his mother and his diary, and later on, that of Howard's psychiatrist.
I felt for all of them: for the mother, for Raymond, for the victims (especially the children) and for Howard as well, yes, most of all for Howard, there's so much to discover about him besides his terrible act.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an interesting true crime book - that read and felt like fiction! It was engaging, thought provoking, and didn't force a certain narrative down the reader's throats, but allowed us to take in the facts of the case, victims, and shooter to uncover our own feelings about this situation.

That Parkland connection is absolutely wild and tragic to me - but I also would have appreciate a brief section at the end that dove more into how this was deemed the first mass shooting in America, and how that unfortunate legacy continues.

Overall, I think true crime junkies will really appreciate this one - and I will definitely be recommending the audio format!

Didn’t love the narrator and that the shooting was the first thing. No build up. I think the working backwards thing threw me off.

This was such an interesting story and I learnt a lot it was really engrossing. I would have it like it to be more concentrated - it feels like the standard netflix true crime series - there is so much that the author knows and just put it all in. So it would have been so much better to be more focused.

However given that I am very glad that I listened to it - I had never heard of this before and the backstory was interesting and emphatic and the narration was really good.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

I am a huge true crime buff but I, much like most people I would imagine, have never heard of this case before. When I saw that this audiobook was available on NetGalley, I jumped at the opportunity to read it. So, thank you to NetGalley, to the author and the publishers.

It's no secret that gun violence is a major issue in the USA. This book explores one of the first mass shooting on record. On September 6 1949, 28 year old Howard Unruh, a decorated WWII veteran, shot and killed 13 people in the span of 12 minutes in his neighourhood in East Camden, New Jersey. Howard's victims included three children, aged 10, 6 & 2 and all of his victims were unarmed and caught completely unaware.

Although it seems at first that Howard's rampage had no spark, that he simply started shooting without any specific catalyst, as the book goes on, we learn that Howard had so many risk factors. He was always "a little different"; he was overly attached to his mother - to the extend that his father left his mother over it - , he was a war vet who suffered from PTSD, he was homosexual in a time where this was still vehemently considered a "sin" and was even illegal. He was harassed and bullied relentlessly by most people in his neighbourhood. Howard also exhibited some symptoms of mental illness well before the shooting. Little by little, bit by bit, Howard was picked on and picked at and it slowly chipped away at his sanity and his peace until it all came to a boiling point that fateful day.

An excellent quote in this book lays it out beautifully. "{…} The story of what happened is more than just Howard and his mind. It was a combination of everything: the people around him on that block, his own circumstances at the time, his mother – his father, too. His brother. It’s a mixture. You’re trying to make a cake just with flour. Find the eggs, butter and sugar. {…} What happened wasn’t just a simple vanilla cake – it was a triple decker, loaded cake that exploded."

This book was well researched and organized in chapters from multiple perspectives which went back and fort in timelines leading up to the shooting, during the shooting, and in the aftermath. Facts and insights into the case were explored in a way that I thought gave justice to the idea that there is no single reason people resort to gun violence. There is no easy answer to this epidemic. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys true crime.

I was unaware of this tragedy; a mass shooting in Camden, USA. In the space of twelve minutes, Howard Unruh killed thirteen people, mainly targeted adults in a planned attack. Murder in the Neighbourhood draws on extensive documentary evidence and survivor memory together to deliver an incredibly well crafted account of events and the aftermath, The narration throughout is superb; it’s not dramatic, the quality of the writing speaks for itself.

The main POV is Raymond, known to the killer and he witnessed and survived the attack. We also see through the eyes of the killer’s who questions how this could have happened. I really can’t rate this account highly enough. It’s heartbreaking in many ways as it explores themes of loss, revenge, PTSD, bigotry, bullying and small mindedness. It was horrific and the repercussions have echoed through the years and generations and there’s a final twist in the last chapter which is amazing. There’s no sensationalism here. It’s a true story of ordinary people going about their day to day life when, in the space of twelve minutes, thirteen lie dead in their home or street and the world changed forever,

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Over the past decade or so, we have witnessed so many mass shootings, our kids practice lockdown drills at school, and unfortunately it’s almost become commonplace to hear about the next one. This book goes back to the beginning and details the first “mass shooting” in the US.

Howard Unruh was the awkward young man that lived in Kramer Hill in Camden NJ. After returning from the war, clearly with some PTSD in his baggage, Howard starts to feel chastised or ridiculed by the block. Often told from richards POV, a young neighbor that had somewhat befriended Unruh, this gave inside glimpse into the massacre that occurred on Sept 6, 1949

The author does a good job of portraying the block and all the neighbors. It touches on ptsd, mental illness, and sexism. It details the 12 min shooting spree that occurred on the block and it’s aftermath and effect on the victims, witnesses and his own mother, Frida.

Pick this up if you’re a sucker for true crime podcasts/stories.

An absolutely tragic, but very well told tale about what would become known as “The walk of death”. The author was really able to capture the emotion & hardship leading up to that awful day. I found my heart hurting for Howard just as much as it did for his victims. I’m not here to judge what he did, only to comment on how well written this account of it was. In times of tragedy, we often want answers & explanations and ultimately to know “why?”. I think this book gives us a piece of what we crave. An exceptionally well written & narrated, raw look at a day that changed America.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Ellen J. Green, and Thread for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Always curious about the world of true crime, I eagerly chose this book to enjoy. The story appeared straightforward and the premise clear, which only made it all the most intriguing to me. One hot, September morning in 1949, a young man walks along the main strip in East Camden, New Jersey and begins firing. Where the smoke settles, thirteen people are dead. While the shooter did not deny committing the crime, there’s a concern of mental illness, which forces the authorities to undertake significant testing. What follows is the story of the shooting, its aftermath, and a deeper exploration of what might have happened to lead a “quiet man” to commit such a horrific crime. Ellen J. Green does a masterful job at storytelling in this piece.

It was a muggy morning, that September 6, 1949, when Raymond Havens headed out to get a haircut. Little did he know, his life would change forever that day. While walking up the main road in East Camden, New Jersey, Havens heard shots and soon saw Howard Unruh wielding a gun and shooting indiscriminately. Blood flowed and bodies fell, leaving thirteen people dead after Unruh’s twelve-minute spree. This was the first recorded mass shooting in the United States and the authorities were baffled.

Unruh did not deny the shooting, allowing himself to be taken into custody. However, with the electric chair as a looming possibility, everyone wanted to make sure that things were clear, sending Unruh for evaluation to ensure he was fit to stand trial. All the while, young Raymond began piecing things together for himself, wondering if there were more to the story than a war vet who lost his way.

As the story progresses, the reader receives insight into the life of Howard Unruh, as well as the connection that he had with his family. His time in Europe was surely trying on him, as was the struggles he faced afterwards when he returned stateside. Deep psychological analyses helped professionals see a darker side to Unruh, one that few knew about, but which turned to fodder for the press and local gossip circles.

Raymond offers his own views on the shooting, having witnessed it, as well as some of the encounters he had with Unruh leading up to the day. Together, it may create a more comprehensive narrative as to why a twenty-eight year old man would turn from docile into someone filled with rage. The truth reveals much and paints quite a complicated picture of this small, coastal town. Ellen J. Green does a wonderful job with this piece, pulling the reader in from the opening pages.

While true crime is not my go-to genre, I do enjoy treating myself on occasion. I enjoy learning more about the crimes, the background, and the thought of the killer as they prepare for the event. Ellen J. Green did a wonderful job of telling this story, the first documented mass shooting spree in US history. She looks at the event from a number of angles and pulls on details that help shape the narrative in interesting ways. The writing is clear and flows well, keeping the reader a part of the action all the way through.

Green focuses her attention on Howard Unruh and Raymond Havens throughout the piece, though there are many others whose appearance helps shape the narrative. These two offer insights in the shooting itself, its backstory, and even the fallout thereafter. Green uses them and their views primarily to cobble things together for the curious reader. That said, she was a great job of providing needed backstory on the victims as well and how townsfolk handled the news and scandal of such a crime in their own backyards.

Green’s depiction of events in 1949 is not only clear, but also helps develop a wonderful foundation for the rest of the novel. Working with primary sources and small-town newspapers, she pieces the crime together, offering the reader some insights throughout the narrative. A well-paced story, told from a few angles, makes things come to life and provides the reader with the needed insight to come to some of their pwn conclusions as well. Exploring the lives of many, victims and townsfolk alike, helps breathe a realism into the piece that makes the reader want to delve a little deeper. While there were no major mysteries surrounding the shootings, it is the secret life that came to be discovered that makes this book all the more suspenseful. I will have to look into reading more that Green has to offer, when time permits.

Kudos, Madam Green, for a great piece you said was recounted to you by a family members all those years ago. You did it justice and I cannot wit to do some of my own research on the subject.