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When She Comes Knocking
A new house seems the perfect remedy to mending Ben Decker's scars.
He's a pill pusher that loves movies.
He's a family man that looks to the future.
But with every home, comes neighbors, and Jean Jackson wants more than a cup of sugar. It'll take more than green grass and picket fences to slay his demons.
Lock your doors and close the shades. This suburban nightmare begins now!
He's a pill pusher that loves movies.
He's a family man that looks to the future.
But with every home, comes neighbors, and Jean Jackson wants more than a cup of sugar. It'll take more than green grass and picket fences to slay his demons.
Lock your doors and close the shades. This suburban nightmare begins now!
- GenresHorror
176 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2023
42 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Dan McDowell
5 books63 followersAppreciator of nostalgia, thrills, and chills. Story maker-upper. Wordsmith dodging mediocrity.
Psychological Thriller- When She Comes Knocking, now released!
Author of Nightmare in Riverton series:
Level Zero, current release, May 13th, 2021
Oak Hollow, current release, Oct. 28th, 2021
Pool Man, current release, July 21, 2022
Psychological Thriller- When She Comes Knocking, now released!
Author of Nightmare in Riverton series:
Level Zero, current release, May 13th, 2021
Oak Hollow, current release, Oct. 28th, 2021
Pool Man, current release, July 21, 2022
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 2, 2023
There’s an emotionally nuanced tale as Ben Decker’s perfectly crafted family starts to unravel. Page by page, the slippery path to insanity overcomes the crew at 1737 17th Street. Don’t expect to put it down anytime soon. It’s a one sitting sort of affair!
July 13, 2023
really wanted to love this (SPOILERS)
I really wanted to love this book. I love a psychological thriller. I enjoyed the gist of the story, the mixing of themes, and most of the characters. However, and maybe I’m just too stupid to appreciate this book, it was confusing as fuck. Unclear timelines, and obtuse language made this book really hard for me to read. I was mostly able to clarify things on my own, but the last 3 chapters made literally no sense to me. The wrap up was unhinged, which I know was intentional, but it really ruined the story for me. I couldn’t make heads or tails *SPOILER* of if jean was real, what her motivations were, if Ricky was, who did what & when, why they did it, really anything.
I really wanted to love this book. I love a psychological thriller. I enjoyed the gist of the story, the mixing of themes, and most of the characters. However, and maybe I’m just too stupid to appreciate this book, it was confusing as fuck. Unclear timelines, and obtuse language made this book really hard for me to read. I was mostly able to clarify things on my own, but the last 3 chapters made literally no sense to me. The wrap up was unhinged, which I know was intentional, but it really ruined the story for me. I couldn’t make heads or tails *SPOILER* of if jean was real, what her motivations were, if Ricky was, who did what & when, why they did it, really anything.
June 2, 2023
McDowell portrays a damaged couple trying to come to terms with their past trauma in this incisive and disquieting tale. Trying to put the traumatic tragedy of their past behind, Ben and Hannah Decker move into a new home, hoping to begin afresh. But things quickly take a strange turn when the couple’s new neighbor, Jean Jackson, comes knocking at their door. Despite her initial dislike of Jean, Hannah soon forms a close bond of friendship with her. But Ben doesn’t trust Jean’s friendly demeanor. His suspicions come to life when a shocking nightmare descends upon the family.
McDowell excels at constructing the unsettling atmosphere of a dark psychological thriller, contrasting the mundane routines of family life with the grimness lurking in the background driving the plot. Moving seamlessly between his various characters’ backstories, he slowly establishes the connections between Ben and Hannah’s inner disquiet, Jake’s tragic death, and Jean’s ulterior motive.
His prose is expert, and the surprising tenderness at the story’s heart is only magnified by the lingering disquiet in the protagonists’ lives. Readers watch as Ben, Hannah, and Jean’s backstories are peeled, layer by layer, revealing a tangled web of dark secrets.
Instead of shoveling gruesome details into the narrative, McDowell uses heavy foreshadowing, all the while maintaining a sense of human connection: he enhances the story line with a deep dive into Ben and Hannah’s psychology, highlighting the couple’s complex responses to their son’s traumatic death. The multilayered characterization and depth of the emotions make this stand out. Riveting.
McDowell excels at constructing the unsettling atmosphere of a dark psychological thriller, contrasting the mundane routines of family life with the grimness lurking in the background driving the plot. Moving seamlessly between his various characters’ backstories, he slowly establishes the connections between Ben and Hannah’s inner disquiet, Jake’s tragic death, and Jean’s ulterior motive.
His prose is expert, and the surprising tenderness at the story’s heart is only magnified by the lingering disquiet in the protagonists’ lives. Readers watch as Ben, Hannah, and Jean’s backstories are peeled, layer by layer, revealing a tangled web of dark secrets.
Instead of shoveling gruesome details into the narrative, McDowell uses heavy foreshadowing, all the while maintaining a sense of human connection: he enhances the story line with a deep dive into Ben and Hannah’s psychology, highlighting the couple’s complex responses to their son’s traumatic death. The multilayered characterization and depth of the emotions make this stand out. Riveting.
June 1, 2023
Overall Rating = 4.25
Storyline & Concept = 4
Writing and Delivery = 4
Editorial = 4.75
When She Comes Knocking takes us inside the life and mind of Ben Decker, a not-so-straitlaced pharmaceutical salesman, husband, and father. Trying to escape the pain of his past, he moves his family to a new home, but it comes with a neighbor who seems secretive, manipulative, and perhaps dangerous, placing Ben’s family and future in a precarious situation.
In Ben Decker, author Dan McDowell has created a wonderfully damaged character seeking change and release from the demons that haunt him. He is surrounded by equally well-developed personalities: a loving wife with limits to her understanding; a mysterious and demented neighbor; and a Russian boss with a broken moral compass. The author’s strength definitely lies in his ability to create memorable characters and a highly imaginative plot. As in McDowell’s previous novel, Pool Man, the storyline is filled with twists, turns, and suspense, making it another page-turner with a surprising ending.
Sublime Line: “A memorable psychological thriller that will drag you through a series of mind-bending twists to a surprise ending.”
Storyline & Concept = 4
Writing and Delivery = 4
Editorial = 4.75
When She Comes Knocking takes us inside the life and mind of Ben Decker, a not-so-straitlaced pharmaceutical salesman, husband, and father. Trying to escape the pain of his past, he moves his family to a new home, but it comes with a neighbor who seems secretive, manipulative, and perhaps dangerous, placing Ben’s family and future in a precarious situation.
In Ben Decker, author Dan McDowell has created a wonderfully damaged character seeking change and release from the demons that haunt him. He is surrounded by equally well-developed personalities: a loving wife with limits to her understanding; a mysterious and demented neighbor; and a Russian boss with a broken moral compass. The author’s strength definitely lies in his ability to create memorable characters and a highly imaginative plot. As in McDowell’s previous novel, Pool Man, the storyline is filled with twists, turns, and suspense, making it another page-turner with a surprising ending.
Sublime Line: “A memorable psychological thriller that will drag you through a series of mind-bending twists to a surprise ending.”
June 15, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The writing was gripping and the dialogue was natural and captivating. Each chapter fired on its own and they were short enough that I found myself reading a chapter before work, one while waiting for dinner to cook, a few before bed. I was fully invested by only a few chapters in and knew I had to know how it all played out.
The action moves fast and keeps you wanting to see what happens next. Sometimes, I felt like there was a bit too much movement, to the point where I found myself confused as to how so much of the scene had passed in so few words, but I will fully admit that may just be a stylistic decision that I didn't agree with.
The characters were all believable and seemed realistic, even if some of the choices they made were not. Toward the end, I was scratching my head in a few places wondering how it all fit together, but I think (as another reviewer said) that helped highlight the fractured state of the main character. It left me trying to sort out the story in my head after it was finished, and that's the kind of thing I'm all about. I'll have to look into some of his other works after this.
The action moves fast and keeps you wanting to see what happens next. Sometimes, I felt like there was a bit too much movement, to the point where I found myself confused as to how so much of the scene had passed in so few words, but I will fully admit that may just be a stylistic decision that I didn't agree with.
The characters were all believable and seemed realistic, even if some of the choices they made were not. Toward the end, I was scratching my head in a few places wondering how it all fit together, but I think (as another reviewer said) that helped highlight the fractured state of the main character. It left me trying to sort out the story in my head after it was finished, and that's the kind of thing I'm all about. I'll have to look into some of his other works after this.
August 23, 2023
Trauma has a way of distorting memories, warping the past into discrete pieces that the damaged psyche thinks will be less painful to recall. Such is the case with Ben Decker, a jaded pharmaceutical salesman. Ben sells—and recklessly indulges in—a highly addictive product of questionable efficacy, then justifies his substance abuse with his desperate need to blur the excruciating truth underlying the tragedy that has befallen his family. His escape plan includes buying his wife and young son a charming home in the ‘burbs, where they hope to bury the past and start afresh. But then their eccentric new neighbor Jean turns up on their doorstep, and the Deckers’ already-fragile marriage is turned on its head. What’s real, and what’s merely an illusion conjured by the powerful blur pills that Ben peddles? This novel is the ultimate psychological thriller—a man’s unstable mind is poised to unravel, and his whacked-out neighbor holds the end of the loose string, ready to give it a firm tug. Or does she? You’ll have to sort that out for yourself by reading this complex and haunting story.
June 20, 2023
I read the reviews for this book and was very excited to give it a read. Although it took me a bit to get a free moment to sit down and read it I committed and finished it last night and this was not a good book to me. The “”neighbor from hell” premise was what attracted me but this author employs a very choppy style of transitioning to one time period to the next as well as one event to the next with no notice or forewarning. It was very tough to follow and then it devolves into some sort of fever dream and some non-realities at a time when I was already lost a bit after the middle chapters . This style of writing is ambitious to pull off in books..movies yes but a book ….hard. Lastly the characters and their choice of word usage was downright odd at times almost Shakespearean and prose like when it should have been a stressed out couple talking about their stressed lives in the simplistic terms.
July 4, 2023
McDowell delivers a gripping and disturbing tale of a couple haunted by their past and a neighbor who is not what she seems. Ben and Hannah Decker are trying to move on from the tragic death of their son Jake, but their new home brings them more trouble than peace. Their neighbor Jean Jackson seems friendly and helpful at first, but soon reveals a dark and twisted agenda that threatens to destroy the Deckers' fragile lives. McDowell masterfully builds the suspense and tension throughout the novel, using flashbacks, foreshadowing, and subtle clues to unravel the secrets and lies that bind the characters together. He also explores the psychological effects of trauma and grief on the Deckers, showing how their marriage is strained by guilt, blame, and resentment.
The novel is a compelling and unsettling read that will keep you hooked until the shocking finale.
The novel is a compelling and unsettling read that will keep you hooked until the shocking finale.
June 17, 2023
McDowell draws us in with his surreal tale of strained emotions, a couple overwhelmed by the chaos of melancholy memories, fueled by chronic addictions. Ben and Hannah struggle to cope with the oldest son’s death, each relying too much on the blue opioid pain pills Ben sells for a pharmaceutical company. The twists and turns clash together when Jean, the next door neighbor in their newly purchased house adds perplexing conflicts to their already troubled lives. What’s real and what isn’t. McDowell skillfully places us on the edges of reality and insanity, unable to find our way to the truth. Difficult to put down.
August 6, 2023
A gritty psychological thriller immersing readers in the life of Ben Decker, a pharmaceutical sales rep hoping a suburban move will help his family recover and reboot after an unspeakable tragedy.
But then the neighbor shows up...and off we go.
McDowell's voice seizes readers with a perfect blend of protagonistic introspection and external tension, leaving them torn between pausing for existential pondering or flipping pages to calm their racing hearts. A compelling novel of suspense that delves deep into the intricacies of human psychology and suburban nightmares.
I want to have a beer with McDowell. But I'm kind of scared...
But then the neighbor shows up...and off we go.
McDowell's voice seizes readers with a perfect blend of protagonistic introspection and external tension, leaving them torn between pausing for existential pondering or flipping pages to calm their racing hearts. A compelling novel of suspense that delves deep into the intricacies of human psychology and suburban nightmares.
I want to have a beer with McDowell. But I'm kind of scared...
August 17, 2023
Dan McDowell's "When She Comes Knocking" is superb. His writing voice is easy to digest and understand, very creative, and far from mundane. I thoroughly enjoyed the visit to Middleton, Texas and the peek into Ben Decker's existence following a tragic event that threatens to tear his marriage into pieces. The suburbs, in fact, normalcy, is shattered "Shen She Comes Knocking;" shouldn't the suburbs and normalcy be a "safe place?" Not in McDowell's world. A great read and hard to put down - a breakneck-paced page turner.
June 9, 2023
Twisty and intriguing
The first book I've read by the author and I'm ready to see more! The unique format, without numbered chapters created a choppy vibe that highlighted the main character's unstable mind. An unexpected ending for sure.
The first book I've read by the author and I'm ready to see more! The unique format, without numbered chapters created a choppy vibe that highlighted the main character's unstable mind. An unexpected ending for sure.
June 11, 2023
Amazing
When She Comes Knocking is a worthwhile read. It’s been a while since the last time I’ve been so engrossed in a story.
When She Comes Knocking is a worthwhile read. It’s been a while since the last time I’ve been so engrossed in a story.
August 1, 2023
I can't believe I read this...
Please don't waste your time. There was no plot and I'm still trying to figure out the point of this book.
Please don't waste your time. There was no plot and I'm still trying to figure out the point of this book.
August 2, 2023
Details. It’s all in the details. The path to madness is a challenging one. Read with care and it’ll mean more.
August 3, 2023
I did finish this book but several times I found myself confused as to what the heck they were talking about. It jumped around too much.
August 9, 2023
Weird narration.
April 12, 2024
Interesting and dark. Twisted characters and even a little creepy sometimes.
December 2, 2025
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews