This was unexpectedly brilliant. I've never read a true crime story like it and I want more! It's the story of the so called first spree killing in America, but told as if it were fiction. The reason I think that this book hits so hard is that we get an amazing insight into how crime impacts, not only the victims of crime, but also the families of the perpetrator.

I especially felt for his mother. She felt so much guilt for what her son had done, and others also blamed her. However, while she may not have been the perfect parent, everything she did was with the best of intentions and she got no credit for that. Even from herself. He ruined her life and she only got persecuted by others.

But anyway....just note this story has some pretty outdated attitudes to gender roles, sexuality etc, but this is because of the period in which it is set. It's extremely well written and provides insight that we never get to hear about. The author gives humanity to every character and while you may not agree with actions taken, it may even allow you to partially understand why this guy killed all of these people.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this audio book.

I highly recommend this true crime book. This is the story of the first recognized mass shooting in the United States by Howard Unruh in Camden NJ. 13 people we killed in 12 minutes.

Howard is a 28 year old WWII vet living now with his mother. The amazing part is how the author tells this story from the perspective of his mother and a neighbor friend Raymond who each have different perspectives on life in Camden, Howard and the events that led up to this event as they try to sort out "what happened".

I love true crime and this author did a great job with her research and storytelling. I felt the horror, sympathy, anger and so many more emotions during this narration.

The narration itself was excellent and I would look for more books by John Chancer.

This nonfiction true crime mystery story is about America’s first recorded mass shooting in the United States.
It got my attention as we have had many mass killing; and my hearts always breaks for the victims and their families. I always wonder why anyone would do such a thing.
This is the story of twenty-eight year old war veteran Howard Barton Unruh who lived in East Camden, New Jersey and became a mass murderer on September 6, 1949.

We learn about Howard via Raymond and Howard’s mother Freda.
Raymond Havens is twelve-years old and Howard’s friend and neighbor. He was on his way to the barbershop for a haircut and accidently witnessed the murders and somehow was spared.
Howard’s mother tells us about Howard experiences growing up how he was misunderstood and not liked.
We find out that Howard put up a gate in his back yard fence. However, the gate is torn down the next day which sets off Howard. He is not positive who tore it down but he is out to get revenge on neighbors who were never kind to him.

I had to Google [author: Ellen J. Green] as I was curious about her research and motivation in writing this true crime story. She earned her degree in psychology at Temple University and worked in a maximum security correctional facility in the psychology ward for fifteen years.
She sets the stage by telling us about the people in the town, as well as the victims.

Story is sad, disturbing, and heart breaking.
Additionally it is hard to believe that as a society there is still so much hate and cruel intentions to people who have mental illness, physical disabilities or anyone who seems a bit different.
We need to stop judging and try to understand. A little compassion can truly make a big change.

Want to thank NetGalley and Thread & Bookouture Audio for this Audiobooks for this audio eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review. Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 28, 2022.

An interesting insight into all sides of the first mass shooting in America. It covers a lot of issues including PTSD, Homophobia and bullying.



Clearly the author has done a ton of research into witness statements and evidence from the incident, which is obvious in the writing and details given, but for me it just wasn’t fast paced enough, it’s more like a historical account. I listen to a lot of true crime and whilst this is clearly an accurate depiction of what happened it didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat like a well written account can.

3/5

"Murder in the Neighborhood" recounts America's first known mass shooting committed by Howard Unruh.
The non-fiction book follows those impacted by Unruh's crimes – his own mother, a young boy who survived the shooting, etc. It's a beautiful mix of fact illustrated with something more resemblant of literary fiction. Author Ellen J. Green does a tremendous job of making the reader see every side of the situation, including what led Unruh to think he had to kill and how he impacted so many lives.
Overall, a solid true crime read. The audiobook is also a great pick as the narrator is strong and easy to understand. No voices or anything, but it fits the medium here.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Thread Books for sharing this advance copy with me in exchange for my honest review.
4/5

I experienced Murder in the Neighborhood as an audiobook and I’m glad I did. The narrator John Chancer read s beautifully; his voice mesmerizing as he reveals the story of one of the first mass murderers, Howard Unruh. Ellen J. Green very cleverly uses historical notes and statements from the case to construct the story of how and why Unruh set about murdering thirteen people, three of which were young children. The recount is compelling and daunting in the knowledge that it is true. It is so well-written that I couldn’t stop listening and finished it in two days. I was sorry when it ended and if I could give it more than five stars, I most definitely would!

Very unexpected and didn’t realize it was about true crime until I started! Well written, shocking, striking. Good information and great read! 3.5 stars

This is the true story of America’s first recorded mass shooting. It relies on statements and evidence which the author brings together to offer as full an overview as possible, given that this event happened in 1949. The author has clearly done a lot of research and presents it here in this audiobook.

The story is told through the eyes of young Raymond, who witnessed how Howard Barton Unruh picked up his gun and killed 13 people within the space of 12 minutes.

This is a community riven with prejudice and a small town vibe and the story moves amongst the people, taking in all kinds of points of view.

There is background on why Howard might have found himself driven to do what he did. Someone in the community stole his garden gate and he fires himself up with paranoid thought processes to such an extent that he kills people who might have ‘done him wrong’, as it were. Howard fought in WW2, was at the Battle of the Bulge and came back in poor mental health, his experiences having seemingly exacerbated an already fragile mental state.

The audiobook narrator does a very good job of voicing the story as though you are exploring the aspects contemporaneously, it has a real 1940s feel to it.

For me, I felt that the circumstantial evidence was trawled through, hypotheses developed, detailed notes presented and thought processes mooted – but it just didn’t grab me. It felt very dry, very of its era and rather 2 dimensional. I choose to listen to crime podcasts and they can be very gripping, but this just felt slow and unengaging as it slogged its way through the narrative.

A heartbreaking story about America’s first mass shooting. Not my usual kind of read (listen) but it’s well written and the narrator makes for a pleasant listen.
Thank you to NetGalley for letting me review this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Murder in the Neighborhood by Ellen J. Green
Narrated by John Chancer

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Thread and I am leaving this review voluntarily

On September 6,1949, twenty-eight-year-old Howard Barton Unruh shot thirteen people in less than twelve minutes on his block in East Camden, New Jersey.

The shocking true story of the first recorded mass shooting in America has never been told, until now.

The sky was cloudless that morning when twelve-year-old Raymond Havens left his home on River Road.

I am not sure why I chose this book as it is not something I would usually read but it was a really interesting read. This true crime book reads almost like fiction - told from the viewpoint of Raymond, a 12 year old boy who witnessed the shooting. Both informative and educational as it has been well researched.

Rating 4/5

Raymond was just going for a haircut. Yet in an instant his world changed as Howard Unruh when on a murder spree. In under 15 minutes many were dead in the town of Eat Camden. New Jersey. This was to become one of the first recorded mass shootings in American history.
The story is told by Raymond perspecand that of Unruh’s mother. Throughout the book you can’t help but feel some empathy towards Howard. A war veteran and stamp collector.
This book is based on a real crime but I had never heard of it before this book. The narrator had a very atmospheric voice .
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listern to an ARC

Thank you to Netgalley, Ellen Green, and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. To start, I was drawn in by the idea that this book would describe the first mass shooting that I had never heard of. It was insane to me to follow this story that I had never heard of as I feel big stories like this usually have some exposure. The author did a great job detailing what happened but also what followed for those involved in the shooting. It was interesting to follow along with the shooter and his treatment after the horrible incident. I also was intrigued by the types of treatments they were using back in the 50s, definitely a different animal then what they do today. All in all, this was a great listen and I would recommend it to any true crime lover. This audiobook will be available on April 28th, 2022!

A book that can make a reader feel empathy for a man who committed heinous crime is one that can be appreciated. The book Murder in the Neighborhood by Ellen J. Greene and narrated by John Chancer did just that.

The date was September 6, 1949 when a young man who had a few years previously returned from the war, age twenty-seven, shot and killed thirteen people in the space of twelve minutes. Howard Unnrah was the shooter and those who perished included men, women, and children. What drove this man to commit such a contemplable act and plan such an event? As this wonderful empathetic story is told, we learn of Howard, a quiet man, who lived with his mother, a man who loved collecting stamps, and a man who seemed daily to be both marginalized and ridiculed by his neighbors. Howard had developed a friendship with a young boy, Raymond Havens, who on the day of the massacre was there to witness the carnage. They were friends and Raymond could not understand why Howard acted the way he did. However, Raymond stood by his friend and endeavored to understand why.

We learn of the ways in which Howard was degraded, the name calling, the Nancy boy rhetoric, that pointed to him as a homosexual. The neighbors never let up, throwing things at him, harassing him whenever the opportunity arose, and after many incidents with the Cohen family over access to his property, Howard had installed a fence. The fence later went missing and seemed to be the catalyst for the explosion of Howard's wrath.

Howard and his brother, James grew up in Camden, New Jersey, raised by a single mom when the father left the scene. All remembered him as a quiet, an exemplary soldier, a reader of the bible. He was devoted it seemed to his mother, but she didn't know for quite some time that her son was gay. Howard would go to Philadelphia for his liaisons with men. Howard also had a practice shooting range of a sort in his basement.

There is no excusing what Howard did. Yet, my heart went out to him as we hear of the numerous times he was ridiculed, made fun of, and degraded. This was a man who had nobly fought for his country, but was made into a pariah in his neighborhood. I recognized his need for retribution and though there was no excuse for what he did and planned, I had to wonder how much abuse could one person stand.

Howard, was later declared to be a paranoid schizophrenic and was never given a trial, but confined to the New Jersey Hospital for the Insane where he spent the rest of his days until his death in 2009.

The visitors he had included his mother and Raymond who maintained a steady friendship with Howard as he knew the kind and gentle man Howard once was. Such a sad story of lives that ended because of prejudice and hate.

I definitely recommend this story and the audio version was done so well.
Thank you to Ellen J. Green, John Chancer (narrator), Thread, and NetGalley for a copy of this book due out April 9, 2022

Uh this was a difficult story. Full od data. Many thoughts were all over and confusing my mind but then everything was clear. It can be right, no way. It is so difficult to understand how one person decide to do something like that. I am sorry, sad all bad feelings in the world but the result is still the same. People are dead. Not accetable.

Thank you Netgalley and Thread publishers for this audio.

This was a really good and really quick listen. I had never heard about the “first mass shooting” before, and this was really well done. I enjoyed the narrator’s voice. Overall, a really well done audiobook with an easy flowing telling.