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The Neighborhood
A missing girl.
A found fingertip.
A puddle of blood without a body.
A small town neighborhood full of rumors and imagination through the eyes of its youth. Their world is a combination of grass stains and dried mud—the badges of childhood, that often look like blood in the right light.
A found fingertip.
A puddle of blood without a body.
A small town neighborhood full of rumors and imagination through the eyes of its youth. Their world is a combination of grass stains and dried mud—the badges of childhood, that often look like blood in the right light.
- GenresHorror
106 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Kelli Owen
52 books151 followersKelli Owen writes dark fiction, thrillers, and suspense that explore characters, consequences, and the uneasy shadows of everyday life. Her novels dig into psychological tension, while her short fiction has earned her a reputation for sharp, character-driven storytelling in bite-sized doses of dread.
She has been a reviewer, editor, podcaster, and indie film producer, and has spoken at countless conventions and events, including the CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA about the craft and field of writing. Her work has appeared in anthologies and magazines alongside authors such as Stephen King, Robert McCammon, F. Paul Wilson, and Josh Malerman, and in multiple Bram Stoker Award-nominated collections.
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Kelli now lives in the dark woods of Pennsylvania. For news, updates, and the occasional ramble, visit www.kelliowen.com
She has been a reviewer, editor, podcaster, and indie film producer, and has spoken at countless conventions and events, including the CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA about the craft and field of writing. Her work has appeared in anthologies and magazines alongside authors such as Stephen King, Robert McCammon, F. Paul Wilson, and Josh Malerman, and in multiple Bram Stoker Award-nominated collections.
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Kelli now lives in the dark woods of Pennsylvania. For news, updates, and the occasional ramble, visit www.kelliowen.com
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 29, 2014
A powerful novella with excellent atmospheric writing! In a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business, there's no shortage of finger-pointing .
We have a cast of characters that focuses mostly on the children--with the exception of the creepy bus driver, re-located pedophile, and foster-home mother. Sinister things seen from their point of view were so much worse--I felt--than if we had been observing them through an adult narrator. However; it was the little things left "unresolved" that left that creeping feeling coursing through me after the conclusion of the book....
I really enjoyed Kelli Owen's style, and will absolutely be reading more from her in the near future!
Highly recommended!
We have a cast of characters that focuses mostly on the children--with the exception of the creepy bus driver, re-located pedophile, and foster-home mother. Sinister things seen from their point of view were so much worse--I felt--than if we had been observing them through an adult narrator. However; it was the little things left "unresolved" that left that creeping feeling coursing through me after the conclusion of the book....
I really enjoyed Kelli Owen's style, and will absolutely be reading more from her in the near future!
Highly recommended!
November 4, 2025
Ooh, this was a good one! Brought my back to Something Wicked This Way Comes quite a bit. Only I could tolerate the perspective of the children much better here. Kelli Owen created such wonderful intrigue and eeriness in this small town that it kept me totally engaged from start to finish. Growing up in a similar environment, I really related to this. Seeing strange occurrences and questioning if I should say anything or just ignore it, hoping whatever it was just worked itself out without my involvement. And that is truly a mind fuck for any child. That growth and maturity as we decide which battles to pick and what hill to die on, to use that old expression, versus which situations to be more passive with. And the author absolutely nailed it here. I did wish it had a bit of a better flow, losing me at times with some of the jumping around, but a very minor critique for an otherwise very strong showing.
August 5, 2011
So.
Who are the people in your neighborhood?
Not just a fun little song from Sesame Street, but an important question. Especially if you live in one of those small little towns where everyone knows everyone else. The kind of town with only one school, church, police department, where parents do triple duty on the school, church and Town Boards. The kind of place where everyone has heard every little thing about everyone else. Where the men all meet at the general hardware store to shoot the bull, and the women meet twice a month for their bridge or book or wine of the month club. Where there are no secrets...
Except the ones everyone willfully turns a blind eye towards, and keeps from themselves.
Thus forms the basis of Kelli Owen's creepy new novella The Neighborhood, out from Thunderstorm Books, September 2nd. In perhaps her most understated, restrained work yet, Owen builds her story and its suspense slowly, brick by brick, using even, smooth brushstrokes to paint a chilling portrait of a small little town where everyone is happy.
At peace.
Going about their business. And even though rumors spread like in any small town and everyone seems to know the tick and click of everyone else's social affairs, certain things are not discussed. Some thoughts not entertained. The only shadows here in Neillsville hide in the corners. Ones townspeople are too willing to shy away from and ignore. Until the blood comes spilling out into their lives. But even then, the adults “circle their wagons.”
Keep their own counsel. Don't talk to the kids. And by all means, don't LISTEN to the kids, when they tell strange tales too fantastic and dreadful to be true. Because they're only kids, after all. With wild imaginations too prone to carry them away. This is Neillsville, where everyone takes care of their own. And minds their own, too.
So. Who are the people in your neighborhood? Do you know them?
Really? Because Kelli Owen's The Neighborhood may very well cause you to doubt what you think you know...
Who are the people in your neighborhood?
Not just a fun little song from Sesame Street, but an important question. Especially if you live in one of those small little towns where everyone knows everyone else. The kind of town with only one school, church, police department, where parents do triple duty on the school, church and Town Boards. The kind of place where everyone has heard every little thing about everyone else. Where the men all meet at the general hardware store to shoot the bull, and the women meet twice a month for their bridge or book or wine of the month club. Where there are no secrets...
Except the ones everyone willfully turns a blind eye towards, and keeps from themselves.
Thus forms the basis of Kelli Owen's creepy new novella The Neighborhood, out from Thunderstorm Books, September 2nd. In perhaps her most understated, restrained work yet, Owen builds her story and its suspense slowly, brick by brick, using even, smooth brushstrokes to paint a chilling portrait of a small little town where everyone is happy.
At peace.
Going about their business. And even though rumors spread like in any small town and everyone seems to know the tick and click of everyone else's social affairs, certain things are not discussed. Some thoughts not entertained. The only shadows here in Neillsville hide in the corners. Ones townspeople are too willing to shy away from and ignore. Until the blood comes spilling out into their lives. But even then, the adults “circle their wagons.”
Keep their own counsel. Don't talk to the kids. And by all means, don't LISTEN to the kids, when they tell strange tales too fantastic and dreadful to be true. Because they're only kids, after all. With wild imaginations too prone to carry them away. This is Neillsville, where everyone takes care of their own. And minds their own, too.
So. Who are the people in your neighborhood? Do you know them?
Really? Because Kelli Owen's The Neighborhood may very well cause you to doubt what you think you know...
March 26, 2015
My first foray into the world of Kelli Owen was, sadly, not an enjoyable one. The writing itself was very solid, but the way her story was laid out felt rushed, incomplete and wholly unsatisfying. Yet several threads still managed to be fairly superfluous to the plot; while others which definitely were important were barely touched upon and then never revisited.
I might try another Kelli Owen tale, but I'd have to be confident it provided a more complete read than what I found here.
2 Small Town Busybody Fails for The Neighborhood.
I might try another Kelli Owen tale, but I'd have to be confident it provided a more complete read than what I found here.
2 Small Town Busybody Fails for The Neighborhood.
December 27, 2017
Welcome to Neillsville small town America where nothing is quite what it seems and secrets lie hidden waiting to be uncovered. Kelli Owen takes us on a little trip behind the curtains where a bloodied finger will be discovered in a pair of jeans, a pool of blood in a long abandoned house, missing children, untimely death, and a bus driver that the children long suspected hides evil secrets. The story contains some fine descriptive prose all adding to the creeping feeling of uneasiness..."The sensation of wetness lining the pocket hit her just as her fingers found something soft."........"the nice looking but apparently unremarkable home-empty since Jeff and his family moved away two summers before."..... "slid across and toppled into a puddle of what appeared to be blood."...."first the finger, then the blood, then"....(to insert a name here would spoil the fun for you dear reader) Many thanks to the author for supplying me with a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review on a fine piece of writing that has much to offer.
November 3, 2011
If you grew up in a very small town then this novella will strike a chord with you from the get-go. Everyone knows everyone else's business, in part because the town offers so little by way of distractions the townsfolk are left with no choice but to turn their attentions on each other. Gossip abounds, especially among the young.
In Kelli's story, the town's name is Neillsville and a teenage girl has gone missing. She's presumed by some to be a runaway, while others seem to revel in the idea she was murdered. Suspicions especially focus on the registered pedophile living in town. The town has no shortage of residents who become the usual suspects whenever something shady happens. It's like cow patty bingo: hardly high-brow entertainment, but if you win you feel like you accomplished something.
The story is told predominantly through the eyes of the town's children and teens. One boy discovers a piece of a finger, which his mother later finds in his jeans while doing laundry--explain that one to mommy dearest. A girl warily suspects the family cat has been killed by her sister. And a bus driver becomes the target of accusations and hearsay by the children he drives to school for no real reason beyond his unsettling appearance and surly demeanor. Kelli gives each kid a bright spotlight as they tell their piece of the tale, while the adults who surround them are prone to lump them all in the same category.
Each piece of the story becomes a shade darker than the one preceding it, and by the time the story ended I felt a dark cloud of ambiguity hanging over the town. The revelations that come from a couple of the characters are particularly disturbing, too.
The Neighborhood is a really good introduction to a world that begs to be revisited. If Neillsville becomes Kelli's Castle Rock over time, it's definitely a town I'm up to visit again in future stories.
In Kelli's story, the town's name is Neillsville and a teenage girl has gone missing. She's presumed by some to be a runaway, while others seem to revel in the idea she was murdered. Suspicions especially focus on the registered pedophile living in town. The town has no shortage of residents who become the usual suspects whenever something shady happens. It's like cow patty bingo: hardly high-brow entertainment, but if you win you feel like you accomplished something.
The story is told predominantly through the eyes of the town's children and teens. One boy discovers a piece of a finger, which his mother later finds in his jeans while doing laundry--explain that one to mommy dearest. A girl warily suspects the family cat has been killed by her sister. And a bus driver becomes the target of accusations and hearsay by the children he drives to school for no real reason beyond his unsettling appearance and surly demeanor. Kelli gives each kid a bright spotlight as they tell their piece of the tale, while the adults who surround them are prone to lump them all in the same category.
Each piece of the story becomes a shade darker than the one preceding it, and by the time the story ended I felt a dark cloud of ambiguity hanging over the town. The revelations that come from a couple of the characters are particularly disturbing, too.
The Neighborhood is a really good introduction to a world that begs to be revisited. If Neillsville becomes Kelli's Castle Rock over time, it's definitely a town I'm up to visit again in future stories.
October 22, 2012
First, a note on Kelli's sense of humor. If you were to follow Kelli on Twitter, you'd see it all the time. Here, it is evidenced only in the Author's Note: "If any place, person, event or thing exhists that sounds like those included within, it's purely coincidental...unless you are that new couple that moved in down the street, then you might want to take notes."
The Neighborhood is Neillsville, a very small town, something like 400 people. People who know each other or at least know about each other.
This is a story about the kids in Neillsville. It's also about a "finger, then the blood, then Rick---which she personally didn't believe was connected---and then the body proper." For me, the story was reminiscent of Stephen King's Stand By Me. A compliment to both King and Owen, as I found each story charming and disturbing it its own way.
By the time we get to the story's end, there are more than a few unanswered questions, but that's OK. That's just like life. By the time we get to the end, we rarely have all of our questions answered either.
The easiest way to get a copy of The Neighborhood is probably through Amazon.com.
The Neighborhood is Neillsville, a very small town, something like 400 people. People who know each other or at least know about each other.
This is a story about the kids in Neillsville. It's also about a "finger, then the blood, then Rick---which she personally didn't believe was connected---and then the body proper." For me, the story was reminiscent of Stephen King's Stand By Me. A compliment to both King and Owen, as I found each story charming and disturbing it its own way.
By the time we get to the story's end, there are more than a few unanswered questions, but that's OK. That's just like life. By the time we get to the end, we rarely have all of our questions answered either.
The easiest way to get a copy of The Neighborhood is probably through Amazon.com.
July 21, 2013
This novella is written from children's points of view. As you read this, you will develop strong opinions of the kids. I started to hate one of them. (WELL WRITTEN KELLI!) This story will leave you feeling a little freaked out with a wondering mind. You know when you read a book and find yourself thinking about it at various parts of your day or week, that it was an excellent read! It's really quite funny...I was in the shower listening to my music and started thinking about it, wondering what if this happened, and I wonder what would happen next if there were to be a sequel.... Kelli once again writes a horribly wonderful piece which lets you hungry for more! Download this and read it! YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!
August 15, 2011
Kelli manages to creep the hell out of me again with this short novella. The interconnected stories of this neighborhood could really happen anywhere...once again proving that fear doesn't have to come from some supernatural creature, but rather someone who may live close by.
October 14, 2011
Really loved this fast read. Reminded a little of Stand by Me.
May 10, 2013
One of my favorite...still reading
October 23, 2014
Had the beginnings of something great but never fully realized for me.
February 20, 2016
An enjoyable fast paced thriller.
December 26, 2022
The bad thing with shorter stories is that I WANT MORE OF THE STORY! Well written and really grabs you and pulls you into the neighborhood.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews