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The Girl Next Door

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The Girl Next Door

By: Jack Ketchum
Narrated by: Jack Ketchum
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About this listen

Suburbia. Shady, tree-lined streets; well-tended lawns; and cozy homes. A nice, quiet place to grow up. Unless you are teenage Meg or her crippled sister, Susan.

On a dead-end street, in the dark, damp basement of the Chandler house, Meg and Susan are left captive to the savage whims and rages of a distant aunt who is rapidly descending into madness. It is a madness that infects all three of her sons and finally the entire neighborhood. Only one troubled boy stands hesitantly between Meg and Susan and their cruel, torturous deaths. A boy with a very adult decision to make....

©1989 Dallas Mayr (P)2016 Tantor Horror Suspense Thriller & Suspense Scary

Critic Reviews

" The Girl Next Door is alive...it does not just promise terror but actually delivers it.... It's a page-turner." (Stephen King)
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At times it gets nearly as gruesome as Saw. The true horror however comes from reminding yourself its based on a true story while you listen to the situation get worse and worse. Not recommended for the faint hearted.

Very sad story

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Multiple times this induced feeling physically sick. The portrayal of the spiral into madness, sadism and othering is truly incredible, so realistically written. Absolutely horrific that this can and does happen in our communities.

Absolutely shocking

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woah it's a hard listen...gut retching descriptions and unthinkable tortures....a good look at the darkside of the 50's.

chilling

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This is an excellent novel, and it is read wonderfully by the author. The characterization and setting are richly drawn, and entirely believable. The novel is disturbing and violent, but it has depth and humanity within it.

A must read.

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I struggle with this one. It is disturbing. More so because it is based on a true story. The writing wasn't overly masterful but the content keeps you coming back in a weird perverted way.

This did not sit well

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I knew this story would hurt, but it went beyond just hurting. There were parts I struggled to get through, especially knowing it is based on the true story of Sylvia Lykens, that a lot of the horrible things really happened to this poor girl. But I did get through it, and it will stay with me forever, as has Sylvias story. However I couldn’t give the story five stars, how can a story like this be called good. It is a good book but the story is painful.

Heart wrenching

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Slow start, but gets better at holding your attention more at the end. Very realistic story telling. Gruesome in a psychological way but not scary.

worth a read but not highly memorable

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it was the first time I've read a book that stirred so much emotion, a jaw-clenching unrelenting but compelling read.

unrelenting

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I've had this in my collection for ages but had never got around to reading it. boy am I glad I did. it's an absolutely harrowing tale but it's very well written and an amazing story all the same. 5/5

lives up to the hype

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How can someone become so evil?

A terrifying tale that will leave you sick, scarring your minds eye.

This will tear your soul out

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