The House from Hell

Michael Goodrick’s narration is the kind of performance that lingers—quiet, controlled, and devastatingly effective. He nails the tone of this audiobook, which isn’t so much a story as a slow reveal of pure evil. His delivery of Gertrude Wright’s chilling detachment is masterful; he doesn’t sensationalize, and that restraint makes the cruelty feel even more insidious. The pacing is relentless, matching the story’s suffocating dread, though I wish the final act had spent a bit more time on Sylvia Likens’ perspective—her voice, even in memory, feels too distant by the end. What makes *The House from Hell* stand out isn’t just its subject matter, but its refusal to flinch. Ortiz doesn’t romanticize Sylvia’s suffering, and Goodrick’s narration ensures you never forget the banality of Wright’s crimes. That said, the audiobook’s brevity sometimes feels like a double-edged sword. Wright’s trial gets short shrift, and the omission leaves a few questions unanswered. Still, this is true crime at its most raw—no glorification, no false catharsis, just the cold, hard truth of a mother who weaponized her role into a living nightmare.