I was fascinated by this book. It is a deep dive into the first recorded mass shooting in the United States. The shooting took place in Camden, NJ in 1949 and claimed the loves of 13 people. The author does a fantastic job of introducing us to the victims and the events leading up to that tragic day. It also reveals the many other secondary victims, which in this case included he suspect’s mother and a childhood friend, as well as the surrounding community. The book is interesting and relevant.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Cramer Hill in 1949 was your typical, idyllic, east coast neighborhood. The men were back from WWII and everyone had jobs and was working together to eke out a life in the relatively quiet Philadelphia suburb. All except one man. Howard Unruh.

Howard had always been different. He was quiet, sensitive, and bright. As he grew older he became more sensitive and when he returned from WWII he carried with him the phantoms of war. Unaccepted by his neighbors because of his differences, unable to find steady employment, and fighting his own secret demons, the anger inside him grew until one day it came out in the worst possible way. The lives of 13 people ended that day. The lives of countless others were changed forever.

The frightening thing about this book is all the warning signs that were ignored. Howard kept a diary of every way in which he was wronged or perceived that he had been wronged. He talked to his mother at length on a daily basis about all the things the neighbors were doing to him. Howard refused to defend himself in the way most people would, instead taking it all inside as fuel for the fire. His mother thought nothing of it, that's just how Howard was. Back then, mental health wasn't something that was discussed. Now we discuss mental health but often nothing (or not enough) is done to address those mental health issues until it's too late. Which is worse? The end result is the same.

Another aspect of the book that I found frightening was the fact that the neighbors bullied Unruh relentlessly, taking his refusal to fight them as an invitation to do their worst. The neighbors fed off of one another, harassing him, following him, making fun of everything about him. In today's society we've made this type of bullying an art form and people are able to do it from behind a curtain, they don't even have to face their victims. What happened to Howard Unruh on River Road in the days leading up to September 6, 1949, is happening to thousands of people all over the country right now.

Though disturbing on so many levels, this book was very interesting and very sad. It's written almost like a fiction book with so many personal details and background information.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

God! I can't get enough of it! I wish I could read the book for the first time again!
This was a fantastic novel for me. This is a deep and dark read, in my opinion. Very interesting, and congratulations to the author on the thoroughness of his research.
NetGalley provided me with an advance copy.

First, this is my first Net Galley read! Thank you for letting me read this book & review it! Wow!
This story was something I hadn’t heard about before , which led me to do more research after finishing.

Told by a young boy Raymond & a mother Freda, this is a story about the first mass shooting in America. On September 6, 1949 Howard Unruh went into the streets of Camden, New Jersey on a 12 minute spree & shot & killed 13 people. The way it was written I think was perfect, going back and forth between little Raymond who happened to witness the whole thing, and a mother just trying to find answers on why her son would do this & could she have stopped it.

I think this really opens your eyes as there are so many pieces to this story. It tells you about possible motives to why he walked the street that day and killed those 13 people, including 3 children. It shows how it affects a community, and what it does to the family’s or community members that survived.

I will say this is a deep and dark read. Very interesting and great job to the author for the research that was done.

The true story of the mass shooting of 13 people in Camden, New Jersey on September 6th, 1949 by Howard Unruh. The book gives a general overview of the lives of each of the victims which included 5 men, 5 women, and 3 children, as well as those of their families and others who lived and worked in the neighborhood. The days leading up to the shooting and the months and years after are primarily told from the perspectives of Freda Unruh, Howard’s mother, and Raymond Havens, a young boy from the neighborhood who witnessed some of the shootings and was a friend of sorts to Howard. Included are their thoughts and feelings about what happened and what could have possibly lead up to it, as well as the guilt they both felt for not being able to see the warning signs or stop the shooting from happening. Some of the factors leading to the shooting that the book explores include Howard’s time in the military during World War II, the constant bullying he endured from numerous neighbors and acquaintances, and a possible mental health disorder (Howard was diagnosed with dementia praecox, now known as schizophrenia, while he was being treated at a psychiatric hospital in Trenton, New Jersey following the shooting). The one precipitating factor that everyone seems to agree upon, however, is the disappearance of a brand new gate that Howard and his father installed the day before at the edge of their yard to give him and his mother easier access to the street. The gate was returned shortly after the shooting.
The author is an expert storyteller who makes the retelling incredibly interesting and engaging, so much so that I could hardly put it down. Although there was an entire neighborhood of characters, each one was incorporated carefully and seamlessly into the overall tapestry of the story and a vivid picture of the area and residents came to life on the page. This story may have taken place over 70 years ago, but the overall themes of community, mental health, and gun violence are still very relevant today.

As someone who loves true crime, this book was right up my alley. As soon as I read the description of the book, I knew it was one that I would enjoy. Ellen J Green definitely had my attention the entire book and it was so hard to put down. This was one that you never knew what the next thing that would happen which is one of the reasons its a great book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves history, true crime and suspense to read this book! It didn't disappoint at all!

I have to admit I had never heard of Howard Unruh and the shooting spree he went on in 1949, but this book did what all good True Crime books do, it had me reaching for Google.
Ellen J Green has pulled together some accounts of the day and the effects it had on people for decades afterwards.
Most poignantly from a man who was a young boy when he witnessed the shootings, and from Unruh’s mother.
This is an absolute cracker of an account of the day, and the far reaching effects it had.
Brilliant

Highly recommend!! This book is a definite page-turner! You'll be left thinking about the story long after you put the book down. First book to read by this author but definitely not my last!

An arresting, exciting compelling tale of true crime. Meticulously researched and pieced together into a narrative that is difficult to tear away from. A case that is lesser known but a tragic and important piece of history. I look forward to more work from Ellen J Green.

Well researched book. Told from 2 perspectives, killer's mother and young neighbor. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Told through the eyes of Raymond, a young boy, and Freda, his mother, this is the story of Howard Unruh, who on a sunny day in September 1949 committed a mass shooting in his neighborhood and killed thirteen people.

Funnily enough I had recently listened to the Last Podcast on the Left series on this crime (which, you will know if you also listen, puts me rather far behind in the archives). The podcast focused more on Unruh - his early life, his military career, what led him to the place where he would kill thirteen people, as well as the shooting itself. In a way this book picks up where that left off, focusing on the aftermath of the case through two characters trying individually to make sense of how someone they'd been close to could do such a thing.

The author does a good job recreating the setting and what kind of people lived there. I knew that there was conflict between Unruh and the neighbors, but Green brought this into focus, hinging the book around the question of who stole Unruh's gate, which was allegedly what set him off. But the book acknowledges the inability to find satisfactory reasons for such acts, and goes into how the residents of the block were impacted, directly or indirectly, by the murders.

I am a little confused about the genre of this book. On NetGalley, it is filed under Mystery & Thrillers, Nonfiction, and True Crime - all of which felt accurate to me. The facts and people are real, but how Raymond and Freda felt about Unruh's crimes - which makes up the majority of the story - has been speculated upon, Raymond I believe with the help of his family. This did leave me with some lingering confusion about how the various people who lived in the neighborhood were recreated, if the author knew their personalities from family and news reports or if she speculated about them - in short, how much was hard fact and how much fictionalized.

Overall, an interesting work of narrative nonfiction that will likely appeal to even though who are not true-crime lovers.

Murder In the Neighborhood is a nonfiction book that follows America’s first recorded mass shooting. This book is written in a very accessible way that I think anyone could read from without getting bored with straight facts. Despite this book taking place in the past, it has a very contemporary feel while reading it.

We follow two main perspectives throughout the book. The perspective of a child living in the neighborhood at the time of the shooting and the mother of the shooter. Interspersed throughout the book are letters that the shooter wrote his mother while he was serving in World War 2.

I feel like this book does a good job at explaining how harrowing the situation was. There were times especially in the beginning of this book that felt very intense. I am someone who is very sensitive to gun violence so it may have just been my personal reading experience but I feel like the author did a great job at describing the events without be gratuitous. It would have been very easy to go overboard on the descriptions for the sake of shock value but this was handled nicely.

I thought the chapters from the mother’s point of view were absolutely devastating as she tried to figure out a reason for the tragedy. This book has a lot of discussions about how war can change people and desensitize soldiers when they come home which I believe is a very important conversation. I think this book is perfect for what it was trying to say. It feel very relevant in today’s world.

I find true crime reads fascinating, but I appreciate them more when I’m giving the facts rather than the author expressing their own thoughts. Green has written a true crime thriller that sticks mostly to the facts. It’s clear that she has meticulously researched her subject, resulting in an in-depth, fascinating read.

Murder in the Neighbourhood tells the story of the first recognised mass shooting in the United States. On September 6,1949, twenty-eight-year-old Howard Barton Unruh shot thirteen people in East Camden, New Jersey. The story of that day is told from the viewpoints of Ray Havens, a young boy witnessed the murders and Howard’s mother, Freda Unruh.

With access to Howard’s diaries, police and psychiatric reports and interviews with surviving family members and residents of the neighbourhood. Green blends fact with a sprinkling of fiction, creating a fascinating insight into the mass shootings. The way the author has retold the story through Freda Unruh and Ray Havens eyes made this book such an original read, you get a real sense of place and time, as well as the shock, fear and anger experienced by the local community in the aftermath.

The author lays out the facts and explores the factors that could have contributed to Unruh’s crimes. She looks at the complexities of his life story, distorted thinking, and destructive actions that escalated.  I found Murder In The Neighbour Hood to be an interesting view of one of the first mass shootings in United States history.

Review added to goodreads and will post on my Instagram page and all relevant book sites

Murder in the Neighborhood is not simply a true crime book. It's a cautionary tale about the effects of bullying. Howard Unruh was a troubled man. A veteran, a closeted gay man in a time when being gay was considered perversion and even illegal, a man who never fit in with his neighborhood-they'd never let him. He couldn't walk down the street without being mocked, called names such as Nancy-boy and Mary, bullied relentlessly-by adults. The one friend Howard had was young Raymond, who would trade stamps with Howard and then listen to Howard's stories with genuine interest and who genuinely enjoyed visiting. with Howard.
One summer day Howard, his father and a neighbor build a small gate so that Freda, Howard's mother, would not have to walk through mud to get to the apartment they shared (since the Coopers, also bullies would not let them cross through their yard). That very night the fence was stolen while Howard was in Philadelphia to meet his secret male friend and Howard decided he'd had enough and that it was time for "them" to pay.
The interesting thing about this book is that it not a police procedural or a psychological study of what makes a spree killer. The entire book is told from first person accounts of before, during and the aftermath of the murders. Most interesting were Raymond's and Freda's stories. They knew Howards best. Also, Raymond witnessed the shootings and was actually in the line of fire. The fact that he treated Howard with kindness and respect probably saved his life. Howard looked him right in the eye, lowered the firearm, and then moved on to kill more. 13 people died, countless more lives were changed forever.
This is an excellent read. Thank you #netgalley for the opportunity to read #MurderInTheNeighborhood

Thank you to NetGalley and Thread Books for this ARC!

You can tell they researched this extensively and it is well written.

This book discusses the events that lead up to what is recorded as America's first mass shooting Labor Day 1949.

It is multiple perspective.

I honestly had no idea this even happened before finding this book. I am a huge fan of true crime and this story really opened my eyes about mass shootings.

This story is about a war veteran who came back from the war as a different man and committed the first mass shooting recorded in history. There were a lot of things I think lead up to his actions. Being harassed, made fun of, bullied, attacked in a way, and trying to cope with being gay in a time where it is illegal and frowned upon.

This book is mainly seen through the eyes of Howard.s mom Freda and a twelve year old boy Raymond, who seemed to really be the only person who was nice to Howard. Possibly that’s why his life was spared in the awful events that took place. I know they stated he has schizophrenia but I think he also suffered from PTSD.

This book is honestly a great and educational read for anyone but if you like true crime then I 100% recommend you read this book.

Murder in the Neighborhood far exceeded any expectations I had for this true crime story. Until I read this book, I knew nothing about what is held to be the first mass murder in America, occurring on September 6, 1949. On that day, Howard Unruh, a veteran of WWII, an avid stamp collector, and a maligned and bullied gay man, murdered 13 of his neighbors and wounded 3 others on the little working-class block where he lived in Camden, New Jersey.

Reading like a novel, the story of that day is told from the viewpoints of Ray Havens, a young boy who witnessed the murders, and Howard's mother, Freda Unruh. The book delves into graphic details of that day, and speculation as to what caused Howard to suddenly snap in a cold, deadly rage.

All of the characters, including Ray Havens, the neighbors, and the psychiatrists who treated Howard were real, and the author, through detailed research, has given both a damning and compassionate interpretation of the tortured Howard's psyche that led to the tragedy that shook America at the time.

The book is very well-written, and kept my interest throughout. Five healthy stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Fantastically researched and well written. Written like a journal, this book shows the events that lead up to what is recorded as America's first mass shooting Labor Day 1949 from multiple perspectives including the shooter's mother and an eyewitness.

Very insightful and vey well researched.

Murder in the Neighbourhood tells the story of the first recognised mass shooting in the United States. Ellen Green narrates the tale in a charmingly disarming blend of third and first person perspective and it works well.

The book brings us close to those around the killer, specifically his mother and a 12 year old neighbour (these two characters take up the bulk of the book) plus the prosecutor and a psychiatrist.

Starting with the killing and flashing back to previous encounters with the killer a portrait gradually emerges of a man pushed to the brink, fuelled by paranoia of being 'outed' and slowly crumbling into inevitable psychosis as the petty grievances with neighbors builds to boiling point.

There is no great revelation here, the book just tells how those close to the killer tried to make sense of what he had done.

An interesting read.

Wow!
This is a wonderfully written account, in diary form, of the earliest recognised mass shooting in America.
I LOVED the style of writing, and the empathetic and non-judgmental way the story is told.
It was a horrific tragedy on so many levels, and I can’t believe I’d never heard of it before!
A really gripping read.