Suburban Legends: True Tales of Murder, Mayhem, and Minivans

by Sam Stall, Melissa Grimes (Illustrator)

It's a Terrible Day in the Neighborhood

They told you the suburbs were a great place to live. They said nothing bad could ever happen here.

But they were wrong.

This collection of terrifying true stories exposes the dark side of life in the ’burbs—from corpses buried in backyards and ghosts lurking in fast food restaurants to UFOs, vanishing persons, bizarre apparitions, and worse.

Consider:
•  The Soccer Mom’s Secret. Meet Melinda Raisch of Columbus, Ohio. She’s the wife of a dentist. A mother of three. A PTA member. And she has enough murderous secrets to fill a minivan.
•  Noise Pollution. More than 100 residents of Kokomo, Indiana, claim their small town is under attack by a low-pitched humming sound that erodes health and sanity. Too bad they’re the only ones who can hear it.
•  Death Takes a Holiday Inn. There’s nothing more reassuring than a big chain hotel in a quaint small town—unless it’s the Holiday Inn of Grand Island, New York, where you’ll spend the night with the spirit of a mischievous little girl.

So lock your doors, dim the lights, and prepare to stay up all night with this creepy collection of true tales. We promise you’ll never look at white picket fences the same way again!

Sam Stall lives with his wife, Jami, in the quintessentially Middle American town of Indianapolis, Indiana. Their home sits on quiet, tree-lined Primsrose Avenue, part of a beautiful suburban area where nothing bad ever happens (except the tragic events described on pages 16, 178, and 216).

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, True Crime, Folklore, Urban Legends, Paranormal, Crime

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Diane in Australia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of true tales ranging from humorous to scary. Sam writes in a very journalist style, and since there are so many tales, he hasn't room to devote heaps of pages to each one. I have included the table of contents, for your reference.

Section 1: INHUMANLY BAD HOUSEGUESTS
The Prime-Time Poltergeist
The Little Girl in the Window
Disturbing Developments
Guess What's Coming to Dinner?
Windbreaker of the Damned
Surreal Estate
The Haunting of 2115 Martingale Drive
Ghost Dad
Terror by Design
Light My Fire
Make Room for Danny

Section 2: THE GHOUL NEXT DOOR
Historic Preservation
Family Guy
Demolition Man
The Randy Rabbi
The Game of Death
Shreds of Evidence
The House of Horror

Section 3: HELLISH COMMUTES
Roadside Assistance
Resurrection Mary, Quite Contrary
Close Encounters of the Worst Kind
Death Takes a Holiday Inn
The Dead Zone
The Parkway Phantom
Our Lady of the Savings and Loan
Highway to Hell
The Devil's Lawn Ornament
The Haunted Car
The Spectral Horsemen of Route 895
Making Tracks Through Devil's Swamp

Section 4: BACKYARD BEASTS
Leaping Lizards
The Beast of Bray Road
Big Birds
Better Lake than Never
Hello Kitty
The Dover Demon
Attack of the Killer Spores
The Terror of Levittown
The Goatman Cometh

Section 5: REALLY DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
Death Becomes Him
The Soccer Mom's Secret
Serial Mom
Love and Bullets
Rest in Pieces

Section 6: LAWN OF THE DEAD
The Backyard Boneyard
Concrete Evidence
Graveyard Shift
Frozen Asset
Army of Darkness
On Dangerous Ground
Home Improvements from Hell
The Vanishing Pattersons
Groundbreaking Discovery

Section 7: SUNDRY CUL-DE-SACRILEGES
Ghosts "R" Us
Noise Pollution
You Want Frights with That?
Water, Water Everywhere
The Runaway Retention Pond
Hanging by a Thread
Ho, Sweet Ho
The UFO in the Attic
The Ring
Fly Away Home

3 Stars = I'm glad I read it.

[Wulfwyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It is an interesting book to have on hand when you want to read a bit but don’t have a lot of time. The tales in the book are only a few pages each making it very easy to put down and pick up later. I knew some of the tales but that did not affect my enjoyment of reading them in this book. What did was the flat voice. The tales are written in a journalistic style. There is no spooky atmosphere which I do think would have enhanced the enjoyment of each story. The stories are good and have a range from humorous to scary, but the telling fell flat for me. If you are just looking for straight, bare bones, tales, this is a good choice. If you want more flavor than you probably will enjoy a different writing style. I don’t want to discourage anyone from reading this as the stories in were interesting. Just be aware of the writing style and what you are looking for. Some of the stories are ghost stories, (which I happen to enjoy), but others are actual murders. There are a few photos included. Interesting but dry.

[Charlene (Char)🍁☕️📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book way back in 2007 and I love the legends and truth filled stories of mystery , mayhem and downright unbelievable.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s something simple and satisfying about Suburban Legends...especially for anyone who is a fan of true-crime, ghost stories, and unexplained happenings. Stall does an amazing job and conveying the essentials of each entry in a no-nonsense, tongue-in-cheek kinda way that makes even the most absurd funny and believable at the same time.

Suburban Legends is a super quick read, with each story being only a few pages, and some even have accompanying pictures! And who doesn’t love a book that includes pictures??? Several times I found myself lost in the story. I was drawn to the true-crime the most. I find that sorta thing fascinating! So fascinating that I strive to watch Dateline on Friday nights for the whodunits! I guess that makes me a geek of some sort, but I’m cool with that.

There is so much crazy, creepy and confounding in Suburban Legends, that it’ll leave you shaking your head, questioning reality, and gape-jawed at the same time. Guys, honestly, pick this up.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intresting book, some stories I had heard before. Some stories I decided to take with a grain of salt. It filled in time, reading this.

[Bente · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories got a little repetitive at times but overall it was a fun (and sometimes even scary) read.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was originally excited to read this book but was quickly disappointed. Most of the stories can in no way be proven as "true;" many are about possible hauntings, creature sightings, or other speculations. The writing itself was sub par at best and it just felt like I was reading a long BuzzFeed article.

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

entertaining enough; there's a definite lack of citation, and so it reads more like an extended website "listicle." I was afraid that it would be a collection of stories I've read before, as a true crime and haunting enthusiast, so I was pleasantly surprised to find quite a few stories I'd never heard.

[Alicia O'Donnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping this would act as a filler in between waiting for other books to come in from the library and it worked perfectly for that. There was a lot more supernatural stories than I expected, which was fine. It won’t knock your socks off, but it fit the bill for what I needed.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing was OK - mostly just short excerpts or stories to go over the different events that happened. There were some really interesting ones (such as Frozen Dead Guy Days). Most of the stars go to the narrator cuz I listed to the audiobook.

[Diana Lester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

A variety of stories about hauntings and strange goings-on. I would read more books by this author. His books would be great at the cottage or anywhere that someone would like pick up a book and start anywhere.

[J. Wootton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mean, sure.
Amusing.

[Rob McMonigal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catnip for people who love this stuff.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection of weird and interesting stories (some I had known of before, but many I hadn't) and I liked the author's writing style.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not too meaty, but very fun.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some stories weren't complete.

[Olivia Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

a clever well curated collection of spooky stories and mysteries- The audio book was well read- with good cadence and relaxing voice

[Diana Dunlap-lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short stories were very interesting. I’m not sure how many I actually believe, but it was worth reading.

[ashe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute collection of interesting stories

[Lori L (She Treads Softly) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suburban Legends: True Tales of Murder, Mayhem, and Minivans by Sam Stall is being re-released as an e-book just in time for some scary October fun. This is one of those books full of brief, easy-to-read stories that, and I'm being honest here, are just plain fun to peruse from time to time. Most of the stories are known and not new to this collection. Not one will make sleep difficult, but several should give you a queasy feeling or at least acknowledging the gross-factor. (Certainly several did when they first came out in the news.) The stories range from traditional stories of ghosts and unexplained phenomena, cryptozoological entities, and urban legends to well-known stories of deranged killers. The collection is divided into seven sections and includes several photos.

Contents include:

I. INHUMANLY BAD HOUSEGUESTS: The Prime-Time Poltergeist; The Little Girl in the Window; Disturbing Developments; Guess What’s Coming to Dinner?; Windbreaker of the Damned; Surreal Estate; The Haunting of 2115 Martingale Drive Ghost Dad; Terror by Design; Light My Fire; Make Room for Danny

I I . THE GHOUL NEXT DOOR: Historic Preservation; Family Guy; Demolition Man; The Randy Rabbi; The Game of Death; Shreds of Evidence; The House of Horror

III. HELLISH COMMUTES: Roadside Assistance; Resurrection Mary, Quite Contrary; Close Encounters of the Worst Kind; Death Takes a Holiday Inn; The Dead Zone; The Parkway Phantom; Our Lady of the Savings and Loan; Highway to Hell; The Devil’s Lawn Ornament; The Haunted Car; The Spectral Horsemen of Route 895; Making Tracks Through Devil’s Swamp

IV. BACKYARD BEASTS: Leaping Lizards; The Beast of Bray Road; Big Birds; Better Lake than Never; Hello Kitty; The Dover Demon; Attack of the Killer Spores; The Terror of Levittown; The Goatman Cometh; Snakes in a House; The Beast of Sunset Circle

V. REALLY DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: Death Becomes Him; The Soccer Mom’s Secret; Serial Mom; Love and Bullets; Rest in Pieces

VI. LAWN OF THE DEAD: The Backyard Boneyard; Concrete Evidence; Graveyard Shift; Frozen Asset; Army of Darkness; On Dangerous Ground; Home Improvements from Hell; The Vanishing Pattersons; Groundbreaking Discovery

VII. SUNDRY CUL-DE-SACRILEGES: Ghosts “R” Us; Noise Pollution; You Want Frights with That?; Water, Water Everywhere; The Runaway Retention Pond; Hanging by a Thread; Ho, Sweet Ho; The UFO in the Attic; The Ring; Fly Away Home; Lighting Up the Neighborhood

Obviously there are a lot of stories packed into a few pages so no one story is delved into in great detail or new facts researched and exposed. The tone is fun and informative - just a guy sharing some creepy stories with you. As Sam says, "You’ll never look at planned communities the same way again."
Highly Recommended

Excerpt
www.samstall.com/suburbanlegends.html

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Quirk Books via Edelweiss for review purposes.

[Karissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got a copy of this book to review from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This was a decent collection of tales involving ghosts, UFOS, murderers, serial killers and other strangeness all set in suburban settings.

The book is broken into seven sections:
1. InHumanly Houseguests.
2. The Ghoul Next Door
3. Hellish Commutes
4. Backyard Beasts
5. Really Desperate Housewives
6. Law of the Dead
7. Sundry Cul-de-sacs

The stories are told in a very reporter like style, but with a tone of irony. They all start out by giving the location, date, time, and people involved.

The stories themselves are a bit inconsistent throughout. That is to say, some of the legends are debunked and some aren't...some of them are very thoroughly researched and reported on and some are just based on hearsay. Some are quite detailed and lengthy, while others are just quick snippets.

I really did not enjoy the first chapter of the book, the one on poltergeists. These stories were extremely repetitive and got very boring to read. The next section on serial killers was much more well done. Maybe it’s because the serial killers are real people and these stories involved a lot more pictures and real data and just seemed much more interesting. There is only so much you can say about poltergeists, since by definition they are all kind of the same phenomenon.

I also enjoyed the references to external sources. Like for the snake house, you were given information to look up the YouTube video on The Snake House (which I recommend watching, it’s super creepy). It was kind of nice to be able to go out and get more information on the stories that were interesting to you.

The other thing I enjoyed were the pictures. Some of the stories have pictures throughout, they really drive home just how creepy these houses and people are.

As with many of these types of books much of what is talked about is only supported by heresay and conjecture. Stall does try to back the story up with facts when they exist. I still found some of the stories to be a bit hokey at times.

Overall it is a decent read if you like reading about creepy and unsavory things. It is a non-fiction account (at least as much as ghost haunting and UFOs can be non-fiction). To be honest though you could find out about any of these things by yourself if you did a quick wikipedia search (which I did on a couple of the stories to get more information) and the stories are a bit inconsistent in both quality of writing and content. Still, it’s kind of fun to have all the craziness and creepiness in one book though and would make a great coffee table book or gift for the resident conspiracy or supernatural fanatic in your life.

[Mishel Forte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t really recall what I was expecting out of Suburban Legends when I agreed to review it. I don’t remember it sinking in to my brain that the stories within were true tales of the “dark side” of suburban life. (Despite being stated right in the beginning of the synopsis… DUH! *smacks head*) I must have been thinking this was going to be a cool, fictional anthology filled with strange but equally as entertaining tales of the oddities that can occur in Suburbia. Uhhh, not exactly…

Granted some of these stories were entertaining, creepy, and weird but I really lost interest a time or two while reading it. The stories include ghost sightings/hauntings, UFO encounters, monsters, random mysterious happening, and even murder. I admit I was more interested in the murder stories than anything else. I didn't like how there was really no atmosphere to the book. I know it was a Hodge-podge of true facts but I could have seen the exact same thing on a television show or browsing the internet. The only difference in doing that was all these stories were already put together for me…but there was no real storytelling; just a “wham-bam-thank-you-mam” kind of spread. *shrugs* Am I too picky here?

The book is quick, light, and an easy read. The re-release in eBook format is great for the upcoming Halloween season. There is a definite audience for Suburban Legends…it’s the same audience who can watch haunted ghost or urban legend TV shows all the time. I had fun but not enough to really want to go through it again.....

[Pamela D · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was generously donated by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Just like the blurb suggests, this book is a collection of true stories that range from funny to fairly scary. Most of the stories take place in the suburbs but some of them take place in slightly more rural areas. There are 66 stories in the book (I have to wonder if that was intended or not) and are each less than five pages.

This book is perfect for an October afternoon or evening when you want to curl up in some blankets and scare yourself silly. During the Halloween season, I love reading scary stories that are going to keep me up at night even when I read the book in the afternoon. I enjoyed reading these books; however, some of the tales were fairly gruesome (the events that the Amity Horror movie are based on are discussed). Although some of the tales are a bit, well, horrifying, I didn't feel anything was too over the top in terms of graphic details. At the same time, I wouldn't hand this book to someone who wasn't at least a teenager.

[Gofita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Received this book for free from the publisher for an honest review.

As a whole, the book had interesting stories to share. But legends are just that legend. I had a hard time with the premise of the book...true tales. Sam stall provided no bibliography, no notes at all at the back of the book. These are all interesting stories, yes. Portray this as that and then provide the links, the references so I can look into these stories for myself, and then I can have the evidence necessary to decide whether or not these tales are true.

The human stories and how people perceive their own stories and what's happening around them; these are the stories I enjoy, but if one is going to say they are true please provide those references so others who want to follow the evidence can.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked it up on a whim at a used bookstore, and I'm glad I did. This would make a great bathroom book, because the stories in it are all two pages, and they're all interesting. Some are murders, some are ghost stories, some are UFOs or other mysterious happenings, all in suburban areas of the country.

My only beef with the book, and this is about the book edition itself, not about the writing, is that it's the kind of binding where it's impossible to read the book without breaking the spine. No matter how careful you are, by the middle of the book, you'll have broken the spine, I promise. After that, it's all downhill.

[Crystal Alvord-Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. I love mysteries and thrillers, but most of the time they are fictional. It was a nice change of pace to pick up a book and read several short tales of "true" mysteries! I enjoyed that the chapters were very short, made it an easy, quick read. And honestly fiction thrillers are nice, but sometimes it's the true thrillers that get you just a little more freaked!! :0) I would def. recommend this book to someone looking for a quick, enjoyable read!

[Jay Knioum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has something for everyone. Ghosts, cryptids, true crime, UFOs, weird history, and mysteries that defy classification, all within the context of manicured lawns and strip-mall sprawl. Stall's lively style gives the yarns a fun spin.

Some of the stories could have used an accompanying photo for added context, and a magnifier would help the tiny type if you plan on picking up a paper copy. Those are my only gripes.

Recommended for fans of the stranger-than-fiction.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this bric-a-brac of stories, the tales involve haunted and murderous goings on that happen in suburban areas. There were several chapters that included ghosts which were somewhat interesting. But the ones that were the most shocking and gruesome were the ones that revolved around murder. This was a quick, entertaining read.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not great at all. The stories weren't legends so much as just really strange anecdotes. Also, author Sam Stall didn't seem interested in doing much research for the book, as each story was extremely short without much background information or follow up. Couple that with the very informal and trite writing style and one has a very dull book indeed.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

It only took 3 days to read this book. I really enjoyed it. The chapters were really short. Haunted houses, ghosts, poltergeists and people like John List, Betty Broderick, and the Amityville Horror were all covered. The pictures were very retro. Very reader friendly :)