Murder in the Neighborhood goes through the details of what happened on the fateful day of 6th September 1949 in Camden NJ where Howard Unruh left his home and shot and killed thirteen people in his town, told by Freda, Howard’s mother and Raymond Haven who was a young boy at the time perspectives. It also tells of the aftermath and how it affected many people even many years later.
This is a non-fiction book written like it was fiction so it made it easier to read for me at least, however, I did have to stop and remind myself that it was a true story many times throughout.
I had not heard of this tragedy before so had no incite at all, but I really enjoyed reading it and finding out what had happened. It also made me fearful though as there have been many more mass shootings in the US since 1949 and a lot of those have been in my lifetime.
The book was well researched and well written.
( )

Ray Havens is waiting to see if he can get a haircut when something horrible happens. He sees his neighbor, Howard Unruh, murdering their neighbors. In a matter of twelve minutes, Unruh murders thirteen of his neighbors on River Road in Camden, NJ. This horrible day is noted as the first recorded mass shooting in America.

Howard Unruh is a decorated war veteran who came home and was never the same. He is a quiet, odd man who has no job, no friends, and feels the world is against him. Each day he is teased mercilessly by his neighbors who call him "Nancy boy" and allude to the fact that they know his biggest secret - in a time where it is completely unacceptable, Howard is homosexual. One day Howard decides he has had enough of the teasing and bullying and decides those who have tortured him must pay for their sins - with their lives.

This story is told through the eyes of neighborhood boy Raymond Havens and Howard's mother as they try to make sense of what happened and relive how it changed their neighborhood forever. Thanks to newly released documents, the author was able to present a fuller story with intricate detail.

The narrator, John Chancer, does a wonderful job of expressing the horror and dismay of the story of River Road in 1949. He was able to effectively evoke the confusion and dismay that Howard's mother felt when trying to make sense of what Howard had done and why he did it. I was extremely impressed with how easily his voice drew me into the story of this lone man and the havoc he caused.

While the story revealed itself a little slower than I normally would have liked, I believe the author laid out all the details beautifully and gives a great trip from beginning to end. ( )

As soon as I saw the tagline, ‘The true story of America’s first recorded mass shooting,’ I had to read it.

September 6, 1949.

Non fiction. Historical fiction. Camden, New Jersey. Twelve minutes. Thirteen dead. A missing gate.

Howard Unruh. He had been bullied his entire life. He was a war veteran.

Ellen J Green used all the available tools of research that were available, putting them into an easy to read and follow story. I like the way it was written.

Murder in the Neighborhood shows has far reaching a tragedy like this is and the fallout for those left standing.

Mass shootings seems to me to be a uniquely American phenomenon. There is no blanket solution to the problem, no easy way to predict who will do what when, but judging by current events…

See more at http://www.fundinmental.com ( )

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 about the first mass shooting in the United States, when Howard Burton killed thirteen people in his town of East Camden, New Jersey. He had made a list of people that he was going to kill, but that did not stop him from killing others not on the list including children.

The author tries to piece together how Howard became a mass murderer. One of the psychologists describes this as a perfect storm, something they don't think will ever happen again.. Little did they know of course.

Unfortunately I found myself underwhelmed. This story did not hold my interest until very late in the book when we start getting into Howard's personal life.

Thank you netgalley and Thread for giving me in advance for you copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. ( )