Murder Two Doors Down by Chuck Storla Book Review

About the Book:

Brad Hanson’s life in his suburban Atlanta subdivision is unremarkable. He investigates insurance fraud, which is as dull as it sounds, though if he’s able to get a good bonus this year, his wife, Rhonda, will finally get to have her new kitchen. His highest achievement in life is being secretary and de facto parliamentarian on the homeowners association board, which is the center of all the neighborhood drama.

As frustrating—and heated—as the arguments over tennis court resurfacing and dog droppings may be, much like his subdivision compatriots, Brad would never kill a neighbor, but… he might enjoy thinking about it from time to time. (Who hasn’t?)

When someone murders cranky old Inga Oskarsdotter—a frequent source of complaints to the HOA board—a literal smoking gun turns Brad into the chief suspect. But Brad is not waiting around to be arrested—after all, he is an investigator by trade—and he takes it upon himself to find the real killer. Then the body count starts to rise.

One thing is sure: A murderer on the block is not good for property values.

My Review:

Usually when I read a novel billed as humorous I might smile here and there. I actually laughed out loud with this novel. It is funny. It includes some good satire too. There are a number of quirky characters, including Brad himself. The complaints people bring up at the HOA meetings are funny but so real. There is a pretty good mystery too but it was not hard to anticipate the villain as Storla gave plenty of hints. How the villain was made to confess was a hoot.

This is a fun novel for readers who like humor and mysteries. I hope Storla has a sequel in the works.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

You can get an idea of Storla's humor by reading this bio from his website.

This page is about me which is why it has the clever title. The picture to the right (left here in my blog) is me and if the name of the website did not clue you in, my name is Chuck Storla. I am a writer, among other things. The nice thing about being a writer is that the barrier to entry is incredibly low. Anyone can claim the title and I have done just that.

His debut novel, MURDER TWO DOORS DOWN, released October 14, 2025. 

You can find out more at https://www.chuckstorla.com/

Crooked Lane Books, 304 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. Mine is an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)