Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas

By: Matthew O'Brien

Narrated by: Alan Carlson

Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

The catacombs of ancient Rome served as houses of worship for Christians. When surveyed in the early 1800s, the sewers of Paris yielded gold, jewels, and relics of the revolution. And thousands of people lived in the subway and train tunnels of New York City in the 1980s and '90s.

What secrets do the Las Vegas storm drains keep? What discoveries wait in the dark? What's beneath the neon?

Armed with a flashlight, tape recorder, and expandable baton, Las Vegas CityLife writer-editor Matthew O'Brien explored the Las Vegas flood-control system for more than four years.

Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas chronicles O'Brien's adventures in subterranean Vegas. He follows the footsteps of a psycho killer. He braces against a flood. He parties with naked crack-heads. He learns how to make meth, that art is most beautiful where it's least expected, and that there are no pots of gold under the neon rainbow.

©2017 Huntington Press (P)2018 TalkingBook

Really enjoyed this

Great premise! So fascinating to hear stories of what actually happens underneath the city of Las Vegas. Definitely check this one out!

A new reality

investigation, journalist, homelessness, hopelessness, las-vegas, nonfiction

Matt goes into the flood control drains beneath the surface of Las Vegas in 2004, originally to follow the trail of a convicted deranged murderer. It became something more for him as he met the men who lived down there, some of them for several years. Each chapter is the result of interviews and experiences in a particular drain. The descriptions of sights, sounds, and impressions are as clear as if drawn with more than pen and ink. Well done!
Alan Carlson narrates as convincingly as if he was the writer, and that's a very good thing.

Amazing

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. I typically don't listen to non fiction because life is boring. This wasn't boring. It was so good it almost makes me want to do something with my life.

The Las Vegas Undercarriage

This is a non-fiction work about the storm drains of Las Vegas. Storm drains are not sewers. Storm drains carry off excess rain water and if ever a town needed storm drains it’s Las Vegas. Surrounded by mountains and resting in a geological bowl made mostly of sand, rain water has nowhere to go. Hence, the storm drains.

Now you know they are there the next time you’re wandering down the Strip realize there’s a whole other world going on beneath your feet in those very same storm drains. If you think a book about the storm drains of Las Vegas would be dull, you couldn’t be more wrong. This book is engrossing from start to finish and it is engagingly narrated by Alan Carlson.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. You’ll find yourself amazed by the Las Vegas storm drains and those who call it home.

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

Fascinating! Urban exploration in the city of sin

What a truly fascinating narrative. The author sets about over a period of years the exploration of a variety of storm drains underneath the city of Las Vegas. Having never been there and only having been exposed to the Hollywood and literary fiction of the city I had absolutely no idea about the vast underground of drains that Vegas is built upon. The author gives a detailed narrative of his explorations, the people he met, the lives they lead before, now and hope to live in the future. Without a doubt his comparisons to other locals will lead you to do a google search and discover a whole new set of things to learn and read about. I’m always hesitant to try something by and author/narrator I am not familiar with in case I get stuck with a lemon. This was no lemon. This is a gritty and entertaining glimpse into a world I never new existed. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher

Beneath the Neon: A Gripping Must Read

Beneath the Neon was a detailed, incredible look at the underbelly of Las Vegas life. This audiobook is a must listen. For all the bright lights and big nights, the other heartbeat of Vegas is the storm drains or tunnels. After listening to all these folks stories, even though it doesn't seem possible, it's almost as if they find some of security living in the tunnels. Perhaps they feel safe from being mugged or worse on the streets and find solace being underground. Most of their situations feel hopeless but it's just like the one guy said, God wanted him there at the time. It appears that many of these people aren't criminals at all, they've just wound up homeless for whatever reason. It's not for me to judge and I suppose some were just the black sheep of their families. That's no crime, it's just sad. Given a chance I even think that a lot of these people would thrive if they had a place to live, a job, and healthcare. They seemed pretty nice. This audiobook was so good. It gave them a voice and I would recommend this all day. Mathew O'Brien is an excellent author.

Alan Carlson gave these people a voice. He did an amazing job narrating this audiobook. Each person that was interviewed had a distinct personality and as I listened I could almost picture them. It was all absolutely outstanding.

I was gifted this audiobook.

Awesome

Great read, great narration. I had no idea Vegas had this history and the book is engaging all the way through.

WOW, WHAT AN EYE-OPENING STORY!

THIS is crazy! Matthew O'Brien's research is raw and spellbinding...truth is always stranger than fiction. It's a gripping account of what life is really like for those who are truly the poorest among us, and how they survive. What a harrowing, real, and horrifying experience. Reading it was eye-opening, living it must be.... horrific. I give Mr. O'Brien a lot of credit for going there and exposing that side of our country, and of humanity.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

4/5 Stars: Honest Look at a Harsh Reality

By Matthew O’Brien

Narrated by Alan Carlson

Summary: Matthew O’Brien chronicles his experiences exploring the depths of the underground society that exists in the flood drains beneath Las Vegas.


Additional Comments:

- To be honest, not sure why anybody would want to explore the tunnels beneath Las Vegas for the heck of it, but it makes for an interesting audiobook.

- We get a good mix of personal life tales. They sort of blend together after a while.

- The people there are like the homeless anywhere else. They have hopes, dreams, and often, addictions to deal with. Some have fought in wars. Some get visits from their families. Some are downright crazy.

- Nonfiction’s not really my thing, but since I’d mentioned the tunnel people in a book, I gave this one a shot. Overall, I’m glad I did, even though I can’t in good conscience include the book on my promo list of clean works.

- Content warnings: Very strong language. To be fair, in many cases, it fits as part of the recorded conversations this guy had with real people.

- Descriptions of life inside the tunnels are good. It’s interesting to see how people make it by hustling credits or selling their bodies for food or drugs. Besides the fact that you’re one strong rain from drowning, it’s a pretty nice place to be homeless in terms of temperature being steady.


Conclusion: An honest look at a harsh reality. The book doesn’t offer many answers to the problem of homelessness, nor should it. What it offers is a chance to give a voice to those who for one reason or another call the storm drains beneath Las Vegas home. If you can deal with strong language, I highly recommend it.

Captivating first-person account of hidden Vegas

Matt O'Brien's gripping narrative of the shadowy lives being led under the Las Vegas Strip is as interesting and compelling as it is sobering. This is subject matter that sorely needed to be brought to light and the author does a terrific job of describing a scene that few of us could otherwise imagine. Suspenseful, well-written, and moving, this first-person account gave me an entirely new perspective on the culture of Las Vegas.