Book Review: Buried Beneath the Boarding House by Ryan Green

Oh, boy. Sometimes impulse buys pay off! I cannot remember what prompted me to pick this one up, maybe it was the synopsis about the sweet old lady with the cats, maybe it was that intriguing title... but this was a crazy ride that I thoroughly enjoyed!

“To the horror of the police, the watch on the wrist of one of the fresher bodies was still ticking.”

In 1988, detectives were called to investigate the disappearance of an elderly man from his last known address, a boarding house for the elderly, homeless and people with mental health problems. The owner was a sweet old lady who cared for stray cats and the rest of society’s castaways. But there were also reports of graves being dug late at night... and guests who had fallen ill and seemingly disappeared...

Reading about the life of Dorothea Puente just felt like I was reading fiction. This should be a MOVIE. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any crazier, something else came along. It’s quite a tragic story though, especially what Dorothea grows into. To exploit some of the most vulnerable people in society is truly horrendous. And to go relatively unnoticed for so long. Insanity.

However, the book contained a few spelling errors, and for some reason the author didn’t indent new paragraphs? Like... why not? That was a strange choice. But I let these minor grievances slide because he told a great story!

Short and sweet, Buried Beneath the Boarding House delivers a fascinating true crime story in less than 150 pages. 4 stars.

Johann