Crawlspace

By: Herbert Lieberman

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

In this novel of mounting suspense from award-winning author Herbert Lieberman, a terrifying surprise waits beneath a couple’s New England home. Albert and Alice Graves live a normal, if monotonous, domestic life. They never had children; they spend their days tending to their home and enjoying their time together.

One day, when the oil man, Richard, is refilling their furnace, Alice invites him to dinner, never suspecting that a casual act of charity will lead to a horrifying, morbid discovery in the crawlspace underneath their beloved house.

The Graves take Richard into their lives, becoming attached to his presence as though to the son they never had. Their town, though, is not nearly so welcoming. When the locals lash out against the Graves and their strange houseguest, the contented household is irrevocably drawn into a darkness they could not have imagined.

©1971 Herbert Lieberman (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Menacing Story

Love the build up of anxiety and tension until the inevitable happens and we are left with deeper insights into people who are different in society

a true thriller.

it will haunt you. this story sticks with you for awhile after you read it. what would happen if some guy decided to take up residence in your house?

Wonderful Story!

My mom and I read this story when it first came out in the 70's. We really enjoyed it and remembered it fondly through the years. I felt like I was the one experiencing what this couple was going through. Joe Barrett did an excellent job, all the characters' voices were believable.

Lastly, it is a pleasure to read a book without having to endure unnecessary obscenities and swearing.

Mom would've loved the audio version.

get past initial premise

if you can get past the initial premise a strange friendship develops and a touch of Straw Dogs and Lord of the Flies. It is an odd story and not a horror story as it is advertised. the Richard Atlee character is a bit of an elemental man of the earth type who doesn't fit in and you can come to sympathize with him. but it is hard to accept the situation and so the story may not work at all for you. odd but interesting, it kind of works and then again it doesn't.

Horror????

I chose this book because of her review that stated it was suspenseful, psychological terror, etc. The story itself is a fairly entertaining story. However, how this book found its way under Horror Category, blows my mind. It was about as far away from horror as you can get. I listened to the whole thing because I refused to give up after spending a credit on it. I found myself rooting for the “terror” that lived in the crawl space.
If you are looking for a good, suspenseful or scary story, skip this one. However, I must add, the narration was fantastic.

Very good story!

I love Herbert Lieberman's stories. They are eerie and very very captivating. I equally love the voice and narration of Joe Barrett. I've had to return several good stories simply because of the narrators inability NOT to sound like they were reading to group of 5 year olds.......but not so with Mr. Barrett! He has the ability to make you feel what the author intends one to feel but always maintains that smooth voice, that to me is oddly comforting even when the story line is full of excitement, fear, etc.

Not what I expected but still very good.

Any additional comments?

The story starts out slow and although there is a peak it leaves you more melancholy than afraid, sad or upset. It was pleasant and thoughtful and at times depressing when you consider what the story says about humanity; both the good and bad points. Although not a thriller it is a very enjoyable story and would come highly suggested for people who enjoy a slow burn and easy listening.

Great Story!

What did you like best about this story?

Loved each character and couldnt wait to turn the page and see what happened next!

Which character – as performed by Joe Barrett – was your favorite?

Joe Barrett did a great job!

Best Narration

Joe Barret is as good as it gets when it comes to narration in my book. its so easy to get lost in his voice and emotion. This story not so much. I really wanted to like this story but it left me feeling like there was something missing. I could not keep myself tuned in whichis highly unlike myself considering the crush I have on the narrators voice.

I feel like this book is missing something.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The story itself sounded interesting but once I started listening, it became all to clear that this was all building up to nothing. I needed more suspense and some form of build up to a climactic end, I hate to sound rude but it was very bland.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The main characters behaved so oddly that it didn't seem realistic whatsoever.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narrator did very well and seemed a good fit for the main character.