Very informative book. We get real good insight on the hows and whys of this shooting. Howard Unruh, the shooter, was himself a victim of his neighborhood, he was made fun of, insulted and more. I understand he couldn't take it anymore but what he did is still not excusable. I liked this book, there are many information on people who knew Unruh and we learn about how they managed (or not) to get on with life after this tragedy

This was a fascinating book about several people being murdered in a neighborhood in Camden, New Jersey in 1949. The murderer , Howard Unruh, was one of their neighbors. It narrates the crimes and their aftermath through the eyes of a young neighbor of Unruh's as well as Unruh's mother. These were crimes I had never heard of, and I read a lot of true crime books. I highly recommend this book to other true crime readers.

Ellen J. Green’s new novel, Murder in the Neighborhood: the True Story of America’s First Mass Shooting (Thread 2022) is an in-depth look at the gun violence in post-war America through the lens of one man’s violent crime in a small community.

The text begins in East Camden, New Jersey on 6 September 1949, when Howard Barton Unruh descended from the apartment he shared with his mother onto the street and proceeded to shoot and kill thirteen people in less than twelve minutes. His victims were known to him, and the shooting was planned. Howard was the oddball of the neighbourhood, obsessed over perceived slights and taunts from his neighbours. The shooting constituted his revenge, and in the process, men, women, and children died. The shooting galvanized the small neighbourhood and many were never the same. Furthermore, Green points out that, in committing this act of violence, Unruh became the one of the first mass killers in US history.

The story is told primarily from two perspectives. First, twelve-year-old Raymond, who was on the street the day of the shooting and who witnessed his friend and neighbour Howard gun down people Raymond had known his entire life. Raymond’s narrative is deeply personal and entrenched in the community that surrounds him, as well as the trauma that follows such an act of violence. The second perspective. Second, Howard’s mother Freda’s perspective provides the other half of the narrative. Her voice serves as the “other side” to the story, highlighting Howard’s childhood, his trauma after serving in the second world war, and his life after the shooting. Told in alternating chapters, the book explores the impact such a shocking act of violence had on the people close to the victims and the perpetrator.

The structure of this book is highly narrativized; it reads almost like a work of fiction. This might be due to the fact that the author is also fiction novelist, but the book had the cadence of fiction rather than nonfictive true crime. For some, this might appeal; Murder in the Neighborhood certainly has an immersive and narrative quality that speaks to its careful structure. For me, I was looking for a more “zoomed-out” tone that took into account the social and political contexts of the text’s events. Freda and Raymond seem at times like characters, and I think a little more editorializing for context would have helped in this book. The final pages provide the kind of authorial voice I was looking for throughout, and these were my favourite sections.
Overall, this book was thoroughly researched, well informed, and very interested in the microcosmic issues, traumas, and outcomes of the case and the people involved. Murder in the Neighborhood paints a thorough picture of life in 1940s New Jersey, and transports the reader into the narrow confines of one city block. The way that a shocking act of violence cuts in on an otherwise average and idyllic scene is well crafted and serves to underscore just how unheard of and world-shattering such an act was for those involved.

What I would have liked to see more of was a comment on the way this case and its reverberations map onto the state of mass-shooting violence in the US today. In the current climate, it seems impossible to write a book like this without grounding it in the increasingly horrific lack of gun control and resources to prevent the now countless mass shootings occurring in the US every year. Although the text does some of this, Green chooses to focus much more centrally on the people involved in this specific case, rather than overtly reflecting on the throughlines apparent in this crime and, sadly, in so many contemporary crimes.

Overall, I highly recommend Murder in the Neighborhood for those interested in historical and landmark true crime that focuses on character portraits and individual consequences.

Please add Murder in the Neighborhood to your Goodreads shelf and follow Ellen J. Green on Twitter.
Don’t forget to follow True Crime Index on Twitter and please visit our Goodreads for updates on what we’re reading! You can find Rachel on her personal @RachelMFriars or on Goodreads @Rachel Friars.

About the Writer:
Rachel M. Friars (she/her) is a PhD student in the Department of English Language and Literature at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She holds a BA and an MA in English Literature with a focus on neo-Victorianism and adaptations of Jane Eyre. Her current work centers on neo-Victorianism and nineteenth-century lesbian literature and history, with secondary research interests in life writing, historical fiction, true crime, popular culture, and the Gothic. Her academic writing has been published with Palgrave Macmillan and in The Journal of Neo-Victorian Studies. She is a reviewer for The Lesbrary, the co-creator of True Crime Index, and an Associate Editor and Social Media Coordinator for PopMeC Research Collective. Rachel is co-editor-in-chief of the international literary journal, The Lamp, and regularly publishes her own short fiction and poetry. Find her on Twitter and Goodreads.
A digital copy of this book was graciously provided to True Crime Index from the publisher in exchange for an honest 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.

A really interesting way of telling a true crime story that gives a unique perspective on the motives of the perpetrator. I really enjoyed this and found it a very thoughtful approach.

Honestly given everything that has happened recently I was unsure how I’m would feel about reading this book. Overall, I felt this book was very well done and it thought it was interesting how it was written like a thriller where you start with the main event and the piecing together what happened through multiple POVs. If you are a fan of true crime you will definitely want to pick this one up!

There’s nothing quite like reading a well researched true story, the facts are revealed allowing the reader to be privy to an intriguing part of history!
The storyline is engaging, the mystery of how one man walked through his neighbourhood, killing 13 people and becoming America’s first mass murderer is enthralling!
Raymond Haven is a twelve year old boy, he befriended Howard Unruh and was an unfortunate witness of his murderous actions.
The characters are all real people who interacted with Unruh and, one way or the other, led him to believe that killing was the only answer.
I couldn’t stop reading about those left behind, the emotions that leap from the pages and the tragedy that was woven into the lives of ordinary families.
Unruh was found to be criminally insane, sentenced to life in a psychiatric hospital, a sad existence for all involved.

Thanks to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for a well researched, superbly written book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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 was an interesting look at the first mass shooting, specially because it lets you see both sides (murderer and victims). In my opinion, a well researched and bittersweet read.

This book was a great account of what is believed to be the first mass shooting. The writer did an excellent job of all research and interviews. The book was well written and very interesting. I enjoyed this and would recommend it., it was sad though so prepare yourself.

This was an incredible story. I can’t believe that I have never ever heard anything about this mass killing before reading this book. Many people are affected by a mass shooting and not just the dead and wounded. There is a whole community that is hurt and has to deal with the aftermath. The attention to detail was amazing and I found myself so caught up in the book that I didn’t want to put it down. It will definitely leave you thinking how our words and actions affect people around us even though we may not be aware of it. You will not be sorry that you read this book. I received an advance copy of this book and this is my honest review.

What an amazing true crime book! Full of facts and relevant information without being dry or boring, it was engaging and left me with lots to think about after I had finished.

Told from the perspective of Raymond Haven, a twelve year old buy that knew Unruh and witnessed the shooting, it is perfectly pitched. We find out lots of details about the neighbourhood itself, the layout (to help understand Unruh's movements that day), the people that lived there and were murdered, the families left picking up the pieces afterwards and what became of them all in the years to follow.
In just 12 minutes Unruh walked a rote, which became know as the "Walk of Death" through the streets of Camden, New Jersey, and cold bloodedly shot 13 people, 3 of them children. He was arrested but never convicted, instead he was hospitalised and spent sixty years in a psychiatric hospital after being found to be criminally insane.

Documented as the first mass shooting in America, this sad tale of Howard Unruh and the people he murdered in his neighbourhood one Summer's day in 1949, is tragic to say the least. It's not often I feel empathy for a killer but having read about the incessantly poor treatment Unruh experienced at the hands of his neighbours it's almost impossible to feel that he was pushed too far and inevitably snapped under the weight of this mistreatment.

In response to the tragedy newspaper stories in the early 50's spoke of new gun laws and restricting the amount of guns that could be legally owned by the public (the police found an arsenal of weapons, including a machete at Unruh's house). But as we all know that has not been the case and the ironic link between this first mass shooting and the Parkland school shooting in Florida comes full circle at the end of this book.

This is by far one of the best true crime books I've read in a while. Exceptionally researched, cleverly plotted with a clear timeline and all the relevant facts without getting too bogged down in unnecessary details. However, it still let room for interpretation, especially the discussion of mental health and how much a person can be bent before they break.

Ellen J. Green wrote an engaging recap of America's first mass recorded mass shooting. The writing is brilliant and is told from the perspective of a young boy who witnessed it all. We also get the perspective of the killers mother and doctor. Ellen also shares the killer's diary and psychiatric records which really give me as a reader in sight on what was going through the killer's mind.
In the Neighborhood was a haunting and emotional read.

Great story that provides a lot of history and information. I grew up not far from here and even though it was way before my time, I still had no idea what happened. Will be recommending this so others I know who are fans of this type of read.

I do like a true crime book and this one did not disappoint.

A really interesting read about a crime I was unaware of.

Would definately recommend

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book initially, but it went far beyond what I thought I might get out of it.

The story of Howard Unruh was one of a person haunted by the war he had fought in, and the treatment that he received from his neighbors. As he tried to do something for his mother (a simple gate), it was torn off and removed. I believe that was the final straw that forced Howard to snap. His short rampage was one that filled an entire neighborhood with horror, as people were gunned down, children included, in just a few minutes. Innocent bystanders never stood a chance.

Howard was never convicted, instead he was sent to the New Jersey Insane Hospital, where he would stay until his death, but the devastation of his crimes lived on. The eyewitness, a young boy who had spent time with Howard, was someone who could not understand why Howard would do what he did, and the haunting way the book unfolds shows the healing and eventual forgiveness of young Raymond.

I enjoyed reading through this book.

This is a brilliantly written, highly engaging non fiction book. Written from the perspective of a witness who was a young boy at the time, and the killers mother and doctor, this story of the first mass shooting in the US is both shocking and everyday.

My thanks to Thread Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Murder in the Neighborhood’ by Ellen J. Green in exchange for an honest review.

This work of true crime nonfiction is subtitled ‘The true story of America’s first recorded mass shooting’. It chronicles the events of 6 September 1949, when 28 year-old Howard Barton Unruh shot thirteen people in less than twelve minutes on his block in East Camden, New Jersey.

The story is partially told through the eyes of 12-year-old Raymond Havens, who witnessed his neighbour Howard open fire on the customers inside the local barbershop. Raymond struggles with understanding why Howard did what he did.

In her Foreword Ellen Green writes of her interest in this shooting. She first heard about it from her mother, who had spent part of her childhood in East Camden and vividly recalled the day of the shooting and the events that followed.

She also details her sources including Howard’s diaries, police reports and psychiatric records and interviews with surviving family members to uncover the chilling story of this quiet loner who meticulously plotted his revenge on the neighbors who shunned him and became one of America’s first mass killers.

Overall, I found this an interesting book. I hadn’t heard anything about this shooting previously and felt that Green did well in presenting the events as well as examining the roots of the epidemic of mass shootings in the USA.

You know it is going to be a good book when the author writes in such a way that you absolutely feel empathy for the person [Howard Barton Unruh] who shot 13 people in 12 minutes. This was that kind of book [I have only ever read a book that did this one other time - Jodi Picoult's "Nineteen Minutes" about a fictional school shooting. I had the same struggle then as I did with this one - HOW do you justify the empathy for someone who does something so heinous? I still do not have the answer for that] and the story is deep and compelling and a lesson is what can happen when a person who is odd but quiet, a war veteran [he fought at the Battle of the Bulge, which would have messed with anyone], is bullied relentlessly by the very people that were around him every day that one day he just snapped. Do I condone what he did? Absolutely not. Nothing justifies killing. That said, one can see how it happened. These people were cruel and brutal to him and his mother, and add in mental illness and PTSD and one can see just how it all unfolded [it should be noted here that Howard Unruh was never violent again, not even when the mental hospital he was in erupted in riots - he was one of the inmates that was not involved and didn't engage].

The author does a really good job of telling this story, using letters, diaries, court documents and conversations with survivors and their children and grandchildren [the slight twist at the end nearly broke my heart] and made you feel you were right there with Ray that morning Howard shot all those people. It makes you look at the people around you, makes you look at yourself - are you kind to those who are odd, or are you a bully? Does it cost anything to be kind? No. Would it have cost the people that died anything to be kind to Howard Unruh? No. Not at all. And while again I absolutely do not condone what he did and the horrors he caused for the immediate families and for generations, I have to wonder just would have happened if just one of those people that chose to bully Howard had chose kindness instead. It honestly makes me think about my own interactions. I hope it does the same for you.

I also received an audiobook ARC and WOW. Sometimes a narrator can totally make a book - they tell the story and said story come alive and you are transported there and you can barely surface because you are so sucked in and sometimes they cannot. Thankfully, John Chancer is the first one. He tells this story so well and I was totally engrossed every-time I was listening. He made the story come alive and really added to the words the author wrote. I am so grateful that I was able to listen to this book. SO Excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ellen J. Green, John Chancer [Narrator], Thread Books, and Bookouture Audio for providing the ARCS in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an insightful dive into the thoughts and feelings pre & post mass shootings.

With dynamic interactions and the ability to empathize with the shooter, Ellen J. Green is able to immerse the reader into 1949.

This book works through real life topics such as war, being a veteran, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and acclimating back to Civilian life.

It also explains education, generational trauma and what it means to lead a double life.

Murder In the Neighborhood was a vivid and raw documentation of how mass casualties effect the neighborhood, the victims & their families, as well as the shooter & his.

Thank you to NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book for an exchange of my honest review.