The Girl Next Door

A teenage girl is held captive and brutally tortured by neighborhood children. Based on a true story, this shocking novel reveals the depravity of which we are all capable.

This novel contains graphic content and is recommended for regular readers of horror novels.
Amazon.com ReviewThe Girl Next Door is a dark and twisted story told through the eyes of a preteen boy. Set in the 1950s, the book mixes true life experiences from author Jack Ketchum with a fictionalized account of one of America's grizzliest true crime stories. With an engaging story and believable characters, this is a book that no one will want to put down.

The Girl Next Door follows a young man named David and the relationship he shares with a teenage girl named Meg. Meg lives next door with her younger sister and an older woman, Ruth, who also has several sons. Ruth is the type of woman whom everyone looks up to and teenagers love hanging out with because she gives them alcohol and lets them run loose. Once David discovers the dark side of Ruth and the horrendous things that she does to Meg, he must make a decision to stand up to Ruth or stick with the crowd.

Made into a hit horror film, The Girl Next Door is a harrowing look at what happens behind closed doors. Ketchum writes an unflinching portrait of small-town America, showing that what people do in public does not necessarily represent the way they act in private. From the moment David meets Meg to the last page of the novel, you will find yourself wrapped up in David's story and hoping he does the right thing.

The Girl Next Door is an introspective story that will have you taking a second look at your neighbors and questioning what you would do in the same situation.
Review“Who’s the scariest guy in America? Probably Jack Ketchum.”—Stephen King in Entertainment Weekly
“Ketchum has become a kind of hero to those of us who write tales of horror and suspense. He is, quite simply, one of the best in the business.”—Stephen King
“You never know what you'll get when you pick up a Ketchum story … but you can be sure you'll always be surprised — and scared."–Publishers Weekly
“[The Girl Next Door is] one of the most disturbing reads in the history of horror literature.”–Rue Morgue
“Jack Ketchum is one of America’s best and most consistent writers of contemporary horror fiction.”—Bentley Little