American Murder Houses

A Coast-to-Coast Tour of the Most Notorious Houses of Homicide

By: Steve Lehto

Narrated by: Barry Press

There are places in the United States of America where violent acts of bloodshed have occurred. Years may pass - even centuries - but the mark of death remains. They are known as Murder Houses.

From a colonial manse in New England to a small-town home in Iowa to a Beverly Hills mansion, these residences have taken on a life of their own, gaining everything from local lore and gossip to national - and even global - infamy. Here, writer Steve Lehto recounts the stories behind the houses where Lizzie Borden supposedly gave her stepmother "40 whacks", where the real Amityville Horror was first unleashed by gunfire, and where the demented acts of the Manson Family horrified a nation - as well some lesser-known sites of murder that were no less ghastly.

Exploring the past and present of more than 25 renowned homicide scenes, American Murder Houses is a tour through the real estate of some of the most grisly and fascinating crimes in American history.

©2015 Steve Lehto (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[ American Murder Houses] is an excellent read with useful information about not just the houses but into the killings as well." (Reading Ghost Book Reviews)

Pretty good but if you know a lot about true crime not much new material

I liked the straight talking narrator, who only hammed up the story of the sulton, seeing as it's veracity is in doubt, but I wonder if he could sound just a little more excited, after all these murders are shocking. It took awhile to get used to the summary of the crimes and then a more detailed description-- I assume that format works better in print.

Lots of interesting stories but not much scare.<br />

The book was very informative but didn't have much scare. I did however enjoy the narrator.

MOre about the murders than the homes

Perhaps this book is best for those who, like myself, do not follow, true crime. If you are a devoted reader and follower of historical murders, and those that enter the modern media sensational sphere, it’s probably all repetitive. It covers murders I have never heard of, and some that everyone knows of like, O.J. Simpson and Jon Benet Ramsey. The book focuses on summarizing the murders and less on the homes they took place in which seems counter to the title. I agree with another reviewer, who, likened it to a Zillow summary of the homes, more focused on the architecture of the home, and the sale prices than anything else. I wish it had gone more into what happens to a home after a murder occurs there in terms of investigation, clean up, and the feelings of those who live there afterwards. I’m not talking in terms of crazy things like haunting, but more in general terms of what’s it like to live in a house, where a murder occurred. He does do this for one or two of the houses, but I wish he had done more. What type of person wants to live there? I do like that he put the effort into debunking myths around some of the houses especially the Amityville house. the reader is new to me, and was good with the material. I like the sound of his voice, So, I would disagree with the negative reviews of his performance.

Great book

I watch Steve’s YouTube channel too. Although the narrator pronounces his last name wrong. But does a great narration

audio cuts

truly enjoyed the book. my only complaint is that the audio quality will randomly change for a few minutes during a story.

Fresh info on old cases

Nice job. True crime buffs will enjoy the documentary about the murders that includes fresh information. Good performance, easy to listen to.

Worth the listen!!

Overall a very good book. it seemed well researched and easy to follow. If you are interested in history and/or true crime you will very much enjoy this book. I only wish it could have been longer so I'd have more to listen to. The only downside was it sometimes sounded like something was off with the recording and the reader had a bit of an echo. But it didn't affect the story just something you had to get used to.

The variety of houses was great!

Steve Lehto has a knack for story-telling. He didn't stray into irrelevant facts or overly gory details, either.

Fascinating!

I am oddly fascinated by "stigmatized real estate" due to a love of a history and a philosophical curiosity. Is there a residual feeling in these houses? An energy? Why do some people have little difficulty living in such a property while others can't even imagine it? Who lived in the house, what were they like? Why did the crime occur? Could I live in such a home? On and on. This book served my curiosity well offering a tour of many stigmatized properties and the stories behind them with excellent narration. I'd love a sequel exploring more homes that were not necessarily as notorious. Many houses have a fascinating history!

Great story, but what's up with the narration?

Let me just say that the story is great, but the narration is odd. The narrator himself is fantastic, but sometimes it sounds like he's talking from deep in a barrel or something-- it's odd and distracting. I thought, maybe it's my speakers, so I switched... nope, it's the recording. Maybe redo those portions? Especially since we're paying for this book.