There Was a Crooked Man, He Flipped a Crooked House

By: David Erik Nelson

Narrated by: David Sadzin

Length: 2 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's Summary

"Downtrodden architect Glenn Washington and his none-too-bright sidekick Lennie help a crooked real estate baron flip houses in downtrodden Detroit. A house comes up that is too good to gut for parts. Too good to be true. Waaaay too good. Thing is, nothing leads where it should - go through the front door, step out the door on the back porch. Best library ever. And why are the cops nosing around? Non-Euclidian architectural petty-crime adventure, and all that implies." (Adrian Simmons, writing for Black Gate magazine)

"This is a very entertaining and readable story, and what makes it even better is the sheer amount of incidental detail that Nelson includes. At the end, just when I thought it was coming off the boil a little, there is a neat little twist that pulls it back up again, as well as allowing for sequels. One for the ‘Best of the Year’ collections." (Paul Fraser, writing for sfmagazines.com)

"Absorbing horror novella." (Rich Horton, Locus)

©2017 David Erik Nelson (P)2018 David Erik Nelson

A very fun listen. Well crafted short

There Was A crooked Man... was a very interesting take on the “haunted house” story. The characters were unique and well performed by David Sadzin. The story moved along at a perfect pace with just the right amount of humor to keep it from being a dark horror story. The chills happen, but not so much in the typical scare fashion, this is not a jump scare type of horror. It is more of a Sci-fi horror. Looking forward to more from both this writer and this narrator.

I requested a free review copy of this audiobook and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review.

4 people found this helpful

Great writing, great narration...definitely a win!

Writing a successful short story or novella can be a tall order. The author has to create characters and a plot that engages the reader, give sufficient description and explanation, and still keep the story focused and moving forward at an appropriate pace. Many stories don’t do enough, or go overboard, but Nelson does it right.

A haunted house story is a classic for a reason, and Nelson does great things with the premise. His characters are well-developed and engaging, the plot unfolds at a perfect rate, and information is revealed at just the right time and with the right amount of detail. I also loved the modern cultural touchstones, such as the world of flipping houses and the references to Wheaton’s law. It made the story feel unique, and added a fresh feeling to the concept. It also prompted me to look up several things that the characters mentioned, not because I needed to know more to enjoy the story, but because the great writing piqued my interest in the things they discussed. That definitely reflects a high level of engagement.

I absolutely loved David Sadzin’s narration. I love to read and definitely read more than I listen, so I’m really looking for a narrator to enhance the experience I could get from reading something on my own. Sadzin delivers a fantastic listening experience, and I’ll be looking for more from him.

I was given a free review copy of the audiobook, at my request, and am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions expressed are my own.

2 people found this helpful

Still gripped by this damn house!

If you're a fan of smart, artfully-crafted horror fiction, David Erik Nelson's "There Was a Crooked Man, He Flipped a Crooked House" is a must. The gritty backdrop of Detroit makes a great setting for this eerie tale, and the way the subtly-bizarre details of the story unfold is excellently done. This piece doses out just the right amount of anticipation, surprise, and satisfaction to grip the reader to the end.

I loved this piece as an audiobook, particularly because of their choice of voice actor. David Sadzin brings the characters to life, and gets the pacing just right.

I swear, that crooked house still has its hooks in me...

2 people found this helpful

Great

I enjoyed this story very much and the narrator did a great job I got this audiobook from audio book boom and I was given a code from the author
Thank you

1 person found this helpful

Absolutely Fantastic

This short book successfully surprised me at every single turn. I kept thinking "oh, I know what's next" and I couldn't have been more wrong, which has got to be the most highly desired element of horror - being genuinely surprised by the plot. 'There Was a Crooked Man, He Flipped a Crooked House,' is a truly unique and bizarre tale around a 'haunted house' that is unlike any other. The characters in this story felt fully fleshed out, diverse and satisfyingly likeable and hate-able, respectively. With some good doses of real life thrown in (of the racist and mentally challenged variety) this short book felt real to me and I can't quite tell if that's because Nelson did such an incredible job of writing a short, tight, compelling story, or if the houses simply has it's hooks in me too....

David Sadzin is a stand out talent in this one - he delivers a performance that I won't soon forget and added an extra layer of awesome to this tale. I would recommend this story to absolutely anyone who enjoys the horror/mystery genre - this is an excellent one! 10/10

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

1 person found this helpful

Great Standalone piece

This story feels like classic Stephen King mixed with modern Peter Clines. There are various elements here that hearken back to both of these authors (whose works I greatly enjoy) and yet it stands firmly on its own.

This is one of those stories where what makes them great is hard to describe to someone. The characters, the atmosphere, the writing, all of it comes together to form a very enjoyable piece.

Dialogue is one of the many ways Nelson establishes and develops his characters, and Sadzin does a great job bringing them to life. There's quite a bit of swearing at certain parts, but it doesn't feel gratuitous. Indeed, it helps make all the characters feel "real".

I was provided this audiobook free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I honestly loved it and will be checking for more.

1 person found this helpful

I keep coming back for more.

There Was a Crooked Man, He Flipped a Crooked House is an awesome short story. It's well written and compelling with excellent narration by David Sadzin. Whenever I hit the doldrums on Audible, I recollect past stories I really enjoyed and always remember this one. Short, yes, but fascinating. I wish there was more available by David Erik Nelson, it'd be in my library too. So if you want a story that grabs you and doesn't let go, even long after you've finished it, look no further.

A Different Type of Horror Story

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

It took me a little while to get into this story. It isn't one of those books that gets into the action right away. There are anomalies that are precursors of what to expect but it's not until well into the narration that the actual paranormal activities take place. It's not a true horror story either, which is fine, but I did find it a little hard to get into the plot. I'm still not sure what the cops represented even though they became the ultimate sacrifice. I guess some stories don't grip you as much as others. The writing however was good as was the narration.

Modern Day Horror Story

Crooked Man, Crooked House is a short (a little over 2.5 hours), entertaining story with a “haunted house” theme. The story begins with an introduction to the main character, Glenn Washington, a decent guy who works as a locksmith for an unscrupulous fellow who rehabilitates houses in the rough part of Detroit to sell (flip) them for profit.

The story begins in front of the house that Glenn and Lenny (Glenn’s mentally-disabled coworker) have been assigned to work on. They are approached by two members of the Detroit police, who suspect them of breaking into houses. Although the police are rude to Glenn and Lenny, and treat them poorly, they come to learn that Glenn and Lenny are legit, and drive away (of course, without apologizing).

Glenn looks through the glass of the house and is amazed by its condition-it is pristine and appears to be “frozen in time”-very different from what he’d expect to see in modern-day Detroit. The house is locked and is initially literally impossible for any person to enter. He soon discovers that this is just one of the many things about this house that makes it unique!

And thus begins our horror mystery.

I really liked this audiobook! The characters were well-developed, interesting and memorable. Glenn is formally educated, but street-smart and cool. Lenny is mentally-challenged, but endearing in his sincerity and kindness. The dialogue between characters really bring them to life for the listener.

The plot unfolds at a nice pace with a perfect combination of humor and suspense. The characters, writing, setting and suspense all combine to move the story along well.

I appreciated the many subtle and often humorous modern-day cultural references, my favorite being the repeated use of the phrase, “Wheaton’s Law” (from the Big Bang Theory: “Don’t be a Dick.”)

The narrator was a pleasure to listen to. He did a great job bringing each character to life, and his timing and pace were perfect.

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review.

Take Me Down, O' Crooked One...

Short but awesome! I'm mostly into looooooong stories, but once in a while I grab a short story/novella to bring me back down the world of manageable time. This one is awesome! Cool, dark, gritty novella took me away, filled with suspense and a little mix of old & new. I'm sufficiently creeped out! (and I've been creeped out by the best of em, takes a lot to creep me out!) Excellent story/writing and narration, it all came together beautifully!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Wonderful little tale

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

I actually finished this a week ago but held off writing the review until I had time to give it thought. Honestly I can't fault this quirky, wonderful little tale. Likeable characters, an entirely unique (to my knowledge) story and spot-on narration. Top marks.

Absorbing Horror

I loved everything about this book - the story is brilliant, with such a clever premise, the characters come to life immediately, the dialogue between characters is exceptional, at times such dry humour I laughed despite the scenario being horrific! The narration is at the absolute top end of excellent, the narrator just 'gets' the characters. When he's narrating the dialogue at the crooked house he totally brings the characters, the house and the oddities of the scenarios to life.

This is a short story that packs a big punch in 2.5 hours. It took me back to the pleasure and fascination of when I first discovered Stephen King - those wierd and often horrific situations people found themselves in, written in such a way that you're right there with them, wide eyed in fascination and trepidation of what could possibly happen next, willing it to be something you could never dream of, it pushing your imagination to new places and then yearning for more to feed the habit of expanding your mind into the impossible. Well this story is like that.

I received a foc review copy of this story from the author/narrator via Audiobook Boom. I don't personally know either and this is an unbiased review.

A theory of colour.

This short story by David Erik Nelson is a tightly woven tapestry of personality and evoked mental images, well written to roll pictures through the mind, and although a tale of horror, is also one of beauty.
An old house in Detroit is bought by a developer who send his two men in to determine if it was a fixer-upper or a tearer-downer. What they find is a really old place in extremely good condition, not only the fabric of the building but also internally - exquisite furnishings, all in pristine condition, shelves loaded with books with unusual titles, nothing vandalised and, even more strange, nothing weather damaged, mildewed or invaded by leaves or rodents. It's locked, of course, and two cops seem to have a more than usual interest in it.

David Sadzin's narration is calm and steady. No histionics to invade the story. His voicings for the individual characters captures well the people as written including, especially, that of Glenn, the first person narrator, and his colleague, Lenny, who might be considered a slow learner but is a fountain of information. The whole is performed with a sensitivity which allows for the horror to seep darkly into the reader's mentality rather than come crashing down on them.

My thanks to the rights holder for freely gifting me a complimentary copy of There was a Crooked House, at my request, via Audiobook Boom. Creepy, rather than horrific, this is a book which will linger in my head.