Housebroken

By: The Behrg

Narrated by: Don Warrick

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Some Rules Hurt when Broken. Others Can Kill.

Meet the Crotchets, the quintessential American family; so perfect, that complete strangers decide to learn from them...at gunpoint. But these psychotic kidnappers offer no motive; want no ransom. They are here only to "observe".

What begins as a harmless experiment soon escalates into a maddening descent as the very definition of "family" is torn asunder. As the Crotchets fight for their lives, they'll learn the consequences for both action and inaction are more frightening than they could imagine.

But while these home invaders may not be what they at first present, the Crotchets harbor secrets far darker - and more dangerous - than these kidnappers might be prepared for.

"Fast-paced and relentless ... Housebroken is a read not to miss." (Review by HellNotes)

"Horror and thriller fans that pick up this book will have to ready themselves for an experience that will affect them mentally and physically.... Put Housebroken on the list of must-read horror novels." (Review by Horror Palace)

"This book was terrifying...an emotionally brutal read from beginning to end. Highly recommended!" (Review by Horror After Dark)

©2015 The Behrg (P)2020 The Behrg

Housebroken

I really liked this book but also hated it.The cruelty and torture this man 'Geoge'put his victims through were horrific.I nearly stopped a few times.An encounter between a new neighbor and a 'dolt' from outisde the neighborhood leads to home invasion and terrible events.I hope to never meet someone like Geoge. Don Warrick was fine at all but Jennas voice.At least he gave me a laugh among the wincing. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'

Whew, this is a brutal one!

This is a book that is absolutely not for everyone. Honesty, I feared it wasn’t for me because I have a weak spot when it comes to animals being harmed but I kept going because my friends' reviews convinced me not to be a quitter. I’m going to warn you though if you cannot handle <spoiler>dog death</spoiler> please be very careful when picking this up. I nearly put the audio down forever after a certain scene because it was graphic and it hurt me to the very core.

With that said, this book turned out to be a very surprising and brutal, horrific thriller. It is not for the squeamish but if you can handle the rougher stuff you might not be sorry you read it.

Blake is a wealthy guy who has received a new job and relocated his family to Malibu. He gets up one morning and steps in dog poo. The poor dog is a little out of sorts with the move but Blake, being the awful person he is, rubs the dog's nose in it and leaves the poop sitting there on the floor for his wife to clean up! FOR HIS WIFE TO CLEAN UP!!. AFTER HE STEPPED IN IT! I apologize for screaming but damn what a jerk! He is totally deserving of death from the get-go. I hoped it would happen soon but then there wouldn’t be much of a story then, I suppose. Soon after a stranger rings the doorbell asking for an interview and everything goes sideways from that moment on.

This book takes some wild and unexpected turns and no one here is exactly as they present and I liked that best about this story. The characterization and tension are so well done. It kept me guessing and it has some secrets! It’s violent and cruel and it will make you cringe. It gave me some major Funny Games vibes at times and trust me there is nothing funny about that movie! As I listened, I kept thinking “why am I doing this to myself?” and I still cannot answer that question properly. In the end, I would not reread this book but it was a compelling and horrifying story that surprised me and I’m glad I saw it through to the very end.

As for the audio? The narration was absolutely excellent and spot-on when it came to the men but oh sweet Satan the lady voice! The lady voice will send shivers down your spine with its unidentifiable accent and piercing falsetto but it does break up the tension, so there’s that.

I’m going with a four here, I think. I hate number ratings but they’re a necessary evil. Read this story only if you want to give all bell ringing people a hard side-eye for the rest of your life.