Good Neighbors

By: Russell C. Connor

Narrated by: Jeffrey A. Hering

How well do you know your neighbors?

Elliot Jefferson moved to the isolated Estates of North Hills to work on his sobriety and avoid other people at all costs. But when the electric transformers around the complex begin emitting a horrible buzz that he calls "the Squall", neither is easy to achieve.

Because some of his neighbors are acting strange. Twitching, fighting, and muttering about voices only they can hear.

Soon Elliot will find himself face-to-face with the worst humanity has to offer, as wives imprison husbands, children butcher parents, and those under the Squall's influence go to insane lengths to keep their secret safe. If he wants to survive, Elliot must discover the awful truth for himself, and lead a small group of innocents to safety...before they're all just as doomed as their neighbors.

©2015 Russell C Connor (P)2017 Russell C Connor

Not for the squeamish...

I'm not sure if the author would describe his style as scatterpunk horror, but you could say that this story contains elements reflective of that genre - violent sex, rape, near-rape, cruelty to animals, mutilation, forcible confinement, near-rescues/escapes. It's not a genre that I read frequently and it nudges old memories of reading authors such as Richard Laymon during the 90's. It's not a sandbox that I'm entirely comfortable playing in, but I would definitely recommend it to fans of this flavour of horror fiction.

Here are some things I liked about the story: the author's observation that we don't really know our neighbours, with whom we live in close proximity; the idea that there's a flimsy neuro-chemical boundary between our civil selves and our 'id' selves; the idea that when there's nothing governing our 'id' selves, we inevitably and immediately revert into ultra-violent and ultra-sexual animals; our tendency to make sense of anomalous behaviour; the behaviours/emotions of the captives in the apartment; and, the ending.

Here are some things that I didn't enjoy as much: the protagonist (I didn't like him. I had more sympathy for his ex-wife than I did for him, and I didn't have much respect for him as a teacher. And I scratched my head about his relationship with his new neighbour. And I read more about the temperature and emotion-driven movement of a man's testicles in this story than in any other story I've read in a long time - it's like they have a life of their own...); and, the plot link between the main antagonist character and the technological menace (I'm still a wee bit confused about how they're related).

The narration was good, except I winced each and every time the narrator pronounced 'amygdala'. In every instance that I've heard this term, the emphasis is placed on the second syllable, not the third. (As an aside, if this topic is an area of interest to you, may I suggest that you read 'Unthinkable' by Amanda Ripley. As someone with a background in search and rescue, I find it to be a topic that's both fascinating and relevant.)

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Watch Out P. Clines, Russell Connor is moving In!

What a great, dark and well crafted thriller. Right on the good side of edgy that keeps you listening till the end. If you are a fan of 14, then this is right up your alley. Looking forward to more of his books getting added to the Audible library! Well worth the credit!

What a good book.

It keeps you on the edge of your seat. I enjoyed every minute of it. I received this audio book for free at my request and voluntarily reviewed.

Weird and graphic

This book was so weird. It’s also pretty graphic so if your put off by that best skip this one. Still I did enjoy it and it keep my interest till the end. I liked the narrator. Good performance.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

Love Thy Neighbor...

This book was freely given to me for the purpose of an unbiased review. Well written, unique in story and good narration. I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked this book. I don't give spoilers but if you want a different twist on horror, you will not be disappointed.

A twisted tale with sexual aspects that may offend

**First off, if you are easily offended by sexual things such as descriptions of sex, masturbation, etc. then you shouldn't get this book. In addition, animals are killed via decapitation, etc. There are quite a few references to both of these things as the tenants of the Estates of North Hills go nutty due to the Squall and it can get a little graphic.**

That being said, Good Neighbors by Russell Connor is an entertaining novel. If you're a fan of early Stephen King, you should enjoy Good Neighbors. The story is simple-The Squall, an electric noise coming from what they think are the transformers, is turning the residents of Elliott's complex into crazy madmen/women. Not everyone is affected by the sound though. Those that are are murdering people and having crazy sexual experiences while doing so. Others are killing animals. Elliott goes crazy one night and wakes up missing his dog, while realizing that someone (he?) basically annihilated his apartment. There's a lot of craziness happening and before you know it, Elliott and his arch enemy Jacob have to rely on each other to save the day. This was a complex, multi-layered horror/suspense story that is well thought out and moves along at a quick pace.

Jeffrey Hering did a good job with the narration and I felt, brought life to the various characters. I could definitely picture his normal reading voice as Elliott and there was good variation in his voice for the various other characters. I'd be more than happy to listen to other performances of his and had no problem understanding him. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher for an honest review.

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Welcome to the suburbs.

In a quiet out-of-the-way suburb lies the Estates of North Hills apartment complex. Within the complex an evil change is taking place among the apartment dwellers. The electric transformers spaced around the complex are emitting an ear-splitting sound that not all of the residents can hear. The residents seemingly unaware of the sound have begun to act very strange; physical twitching, abnormal anger, and whispered comments about a voice in their head. On the other hand, the residents aware of the terrible noise have noticed this odd behavior and are becoming more and more concerned. Our heroic protagonist Elliot Jefferson has become the more-or-less leader of the aware and begun the opposition to the behavior of the others who are becoming more violent. Elliot is forced to discover what is behind his neighbor’s strange behavior and whether the horrible sound has anything to do with it. The story is quite exciting, the characters interesting, and the action keeps you riveted. The narration is well done and projects the tense atmosphere of the story. I really enjoyed this tale and will look for more from Mr. Connor. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

Great story read by Epic Trailer Movie Voice Guy

The story itself had an interesting premise. I always was annoyed by the electrical hum of transformers, TVs and other electronics but this book takes it a step further. I found the characters relatable and I like that the danger in the story always felt real.

The narrator sounds like Epic Movie Voice Over Guy (youtube). While this is amusing it gets tiresome to hear the whole book read out like that. Also I noticed weird pauses were parts of the audio were stitched together or where the sound of his voice changes completely. Possibly due to different recording environments. While it wasn't a struggle to listen through it also wasn't the most amazing audio experience.

I was provided with a free copy of this audiobook at my request in return for an honest review.

pretty good

the book was good the narrator was absolutely fabulous I think he did a lot for this book the book was very specific and very graphic but very good I don't know how to explain this kind of weird book but if you like something weird and not regular you will love this book as I did
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

good listen!

Would you consider the audio edition of Good Neighbors to be better than the print version?

I have not read the book, only listened to the audio book. but Jeffery did a great job with the book!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Elliot Jefferson. he is the main character, and we are seeing the story though his eyes.

What about Jeffrey A. Hering’s performance did you like?

He had a great tempo a great pace, and did the characters very well.

If you could take any character from Good Neighbors out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Oh my gosh I would love to take all of them out to hear their experiences first-time! What a great dinner that would be.

Any additional comments?

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.