Buried Beneath the Boarding House

A Shocking True Story of Deception, Exploitation and Murder

By: Ryan Green

Narrated by: Steve White

In 1988, detectives from the Sacramento Police Department were called to investigate the disappearance of a man at his last known address - a boarding house for the elderly, homeless, and mentally ill. The owner, Dorothea Puente, was an adorable old lady who cared for stray cats and the rest of society’s castaways. She had a strong standing in the community and was celebrated for her selfless charitable work.

The search revealed nothing untoward but one of the guests recalled some unusual incidents leading up to the disappearance. He shared stories about holes being dug in the garden and filled in overnight. Guests who were taken ill and vanished overnight and a number of excuses why they couldn’t be contacted. This was enough to launch a thorough investigation and on November 11, 1988, the Sacramento police department headed back to the boarding house with shovels in hand.

Were they wasting their time pursuing a charming and charitable old lady or were they closing in on a clandestine killer who exploited the most vulnerable members of society? The investigation gripped the entire nation and the answers lay buried beneath the boarding house.

Ryan Green presents a dramatic and chilling account of one of the most bizarre true crime stories in American history. Green’s riveting narrative draws the listener into the real-live horror experienced by the victims and has all the elements of a classic thriller.

Warning: This book contains descriptive accounts of abuse and violence. If you are especially sensitive to this material, it might be advisable not to listen to it.

©2019 Ryan Green (P)2019 Ryan Green

great author great narrator

loved it big fan of true crime books and just started listening to audio books this was my first one and cant wait to hear others by ryan green Im hooked!

Always a great ride!

I’m a big fan of Ryan’s books, and this one didn’t disappoint! He gives details and facts, but isn’t too wordy, and he tells stories so I can actually picture the events in my head.

If you’ve not tried any of Ryan’s books, this one is great to start with! Also, the narrator has a nice voice and doesn’t overdo it with voicing the different characters.

Highly recommend!

Buried Beneath the Boarding House

Ryan Green has a really great talent for making his shorter books seem so long and in depth. The length of this audio book is only just under 4 hours - but so much happened! I felt like I was right there throughout Dorothea's childhood and her life and eventual death. I can't believe she got away with her crimes for as long as she did! I can't imagine living in this boarding house of horror. What a witch!
I was given this free review copy audio book by the author courtesy of Audiobook Boom at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

True story

I can remember when this story broke on the news. It was great reading about it. Actually I love audio because I can just lay back. Relax and listen to this great writer. Write these amazing stories. Hard to imagine this woman actually got away with this for so long.

Her Wonderful Rose Garden . . .

This might be one of my favorite Ryan Green books so far! It’s amazing how much you can get away with when you’re nice, sweet and VERY helpful to those around you! Quite convenient if you ALSO happen to be in the business of knocking off the sick and elderly that get government checks. And she did it without hardly batting an eyelash it seems. Done. Nexxxxxt. She apparently didn’t have a care in the world or even consider that she’d ever get caught. Im sure her rose garden must have looked absolutely stunning with all that ahem....natural fertilizer.

I thoroughly enjoyed how this story was told. Never a dull moment, it just rolled along wonderfully. The trivial details that set the scene truly make it come to life! The narrator is most pleasant, and makes it easy to listen to despite the subject matter.

I was gifted this in exchange for a review - and if I had used a credit, I still would NOT have had any regrets. I liked this, and will for SURE listen to it again! Especially if my roses start looking poorly . . .

Well researched

If you do a Google Search, you'll only find a quick story on this case.

The author gave a detailed description of the killer's childhood, thus providing us an underlying cause for her psychosis. The details and timeline of her atrocities are well chronicled. Great story.

Great Read

Buried Beneath the Boarding House: A Shocking True Story and Deception Exploitation and Murder was a good read by Ryan Green. Dorothea Puente was an older lady whoowned a boarding house for the homeless, elderly and mentally ill. She had good standing in the community and was celebrated for her charitable work. In 1988, detectives were sent there while investigating the disappearance of a man who was last known to live there. This was a good writing of a true crime case. I can't wait to read more by Ryan Green.

Sweet evil old lady

I had heard about Ms. Dorothea Puente before and always wanted to know more, thus I couldn't wait to listen to this one. It was what I had suspected, a very interesting lead up to the murders at the boarding house. Little Ms. Puente had quite a past, quite a salacious past. She had a hard knock life and a determination to pull herself up by her bootstraps, but eventually things went too far and she gave in to evil. This was a great telling of her life's story and ALL the gruesomeness that went down at the boarding house. I really like the narrator as well, his voice is almost like a throw back to those old movies. I don't know how to explain it but his voice just makes listening to the story more enjoyable. Steve White is now my 2nd favorite narrator.
-This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

a good disturbing story

I really liked this story and the narration was good too. Easy to listen to. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because a few times I had to rewind and listen again because I got confused or lost. That's because of the story line. The main character fabricated so many stories about her life that I sometimes got lost as to what happened. This happened early on and as the book went on it made more sense and got better. I still think its a good book and I suggest it just not a favorite of mine. I did enjoy that you get to hear about her some life and what made her the person she was.

Great Story

First time listening to a book. I found it very enjoyable. Story was very good and the story teller did an awesome job telling it. I look forward to Mr. Green's next story on Audible.