I really find it funny how things work out in life sometimes. They say it is a small world, and I am beginning to believe it is. Kelli Owen and I used to chat about horror all the time on the Horrorfind message board years ago. She was also the creator of Horror-Web.com and wrote under the persona HorrorWench. Then she sold the site and began to write fiction. It’s a great thing that she did, because there is a lot of talent hidden within Kelli’s dark mind that is just ready to explode on the page. The Neighborhood, the first of many of her works I plan to read is a mind fuck like no other.
Here’s the problem with explaining the plot. If I go into too much detail, I’m going to give the away twists, so I’m going to try to write the basics of the story and hope that you will take my word for it.
In a small neighborhood, everyone knows everyone, especially if you have kids. Gossip, politics, popularity, race, religion and wealth always seem to be the factors connecting friends. However, everyone has their secrets and their problems. In Kelli Owen’s book, a big problem rocks the neighborhood when a girl goes missing, a boy finds a finger, a boy dies by accident and two other boys witness an unknown horror. No one really knows what is going on. Is there a murderer on the loose? Are the deaths in the town a result of simply accidents? You really don’t know what’s going on in The Neighborhood. It’s all a mystery until it comes together at the end.
When I first started reading this book, I was in the middle of reading two others. I just wanted to browse through the book and see what it was about. I ended up reading the first twenty-five pages and had to stop myself. I kept saying to myself, “Wow! Kelli is a really good writer.” The story is very well-written and she puts a lot of other horror writers to shame. I was left wishing I had that talent. Anyway, after finishing my other books, I jumped right onto this one and finished it in two days. It’s a short read and yes, I’ll admit, I started to get confused a little with the plot halfway through. Then when I got to the end, I was left with this bad taste in my mouth, I felt like I got my ass kicked, then I started thinking about the book over the past few days and the fear set in. Little excerpts from the book began to run though my mind and the smile came across my face as I shook my head and said to myself, “That’s fucked up!” I felt like a detective who failed to solve the crime. It was all there, but I failed to connect the dots until after the fact. It was when I did that I was blown away by this book. Kelli got me. I won’t explain how, but I can relate to this book in more ways than one. A certain fear of my own was exploited, and let’s just say I’m going to keep an eye on my kids when they’re playing in the neighborhood, and I’ll be driving them to and from their destinations. I have no problem wasting gas, just as long as they are safe.
Readers beware, especially if you have children. This is not a book where you read about a monster, get scared and then forget about it after your finished. This is one of those books where real life situations come into play. Get ready to get your ass kicked. You may get confused, you may feel lightheaded and need to put it down for a bit, you may even think you got it all figured out. However, after all is said and done, you will sit and think about this one. Kelli Owen 1, you 0! This is a great book full of real life scares. There is a bit of a personal demon kicking my ass in this book, which may have heightened it a bit for me. However, this is one book that you won’t forget. Kelli Owen is not here to just be another horror writer, she is here to kick your ass and scare the hell out of you. Now just say to yourself, “It’s only a book.” But it’s not. You won’t get some freaky little kid opening up a window saying “There goes The Neighborhood” for comic relief in this one. Hell, you won’t hear the crickets chirp.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
