Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas [Paperback]

Matthew O'Brien (Author), Danny Mollohan (Photographer)

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Product Details

Paperback: 281 pages
Publisher: Huntington Press (Jun 1 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0929712390
ISBN-13: 978-0929712390
Product Dimensions: 22.7 x 18 x 1.8 cm
Shipping Weight: 522 g
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #213,457 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #16 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Nevada

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

In 2002, as managing editor of the alternative weekly, Las Vegas CityLife, O'Brien was intrigued when a murderer eluded police by vanishing into the Vegas flood-control system. After O'Brien and CityLife contributor Josh Ellis explored half a dozen storm drains, their adventures attracted such attention on the Internet that the publication's Web site scored a million hits in a day. By then, O'Brien was convinced "there were secrets to be discovered beneath the neon." His first discovery was that, despite the dangers, homeless men and women were living in the tunnels. How did they wind up there? Returning with a tape recorder and flashlight, he interviewed the storm-drain denizens, finding one sleeping in an elevated bed suspended above the watery floor, another residing in a plywood hut and some in the cool tunnels just to escape the heat. The photos capture the inhabitants of these bleak encampments. Continually contrasting the sparkling casinos above with the dank, cobwebbed catacombs below, the observant O'Brien writes with a noirish flair, but his compassion is also evident as he illuminates the lives of these shadowy subterranean dwellers. (June 1)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Book Description

The catacombs of ancient Rome served as houses of worship for Jews and Christians. The sewers of Paris yielded gold, jewels, and relics of the revolution. A slave trade thrived in underground chambers along Portland, Oregon's waterfront. Ukrainian Jews found refuge from the Nazis in a system of caves. And thousands of street people have lived in the subway tunnels of New York City. What secrets do the Las Vegas storm drains keep? What discoveries wait in the dark? What's beneath the neon? Armed with a flashlight, tape recorder, and expandable baton, Las Vegas CityLife writer and editor Matthew O'Brien explored the black-and-grey underworld of the Las Vegas flood-control system for four years. This book chronicles O'Brien's adventures in subterranean Las Vegas. He follows the footsteps of a psycho killer. He braces against a raging flood. He parties with naked crackheads. He learns how to make meth, that art is most beautiful where it is least expected, that in many ways, he prefers underground Las Vegas to aboveground Las Vegas, and that there are no pots of gold under the neon rainbow.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com ^(beta)

Amazon.com: 4.4 out of 5 stars (51 customer reviews)

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A sincere and honest take on Vegas, Jun 17 2007

By I. Truman - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas (Paperback)

I just finished reading Matthew O'Brien's book Beneath The Neon, which is a story as the subtitle clearly suggests about "Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas." It got me thinking about stories, particularly about their beginning and endings; for more reason than that of their natural structure. But because I feel that beginnings and endings can be devastatingly sincere. His stories began with intrigue, mystery, possibility as most good stories should. His endings were honest, painful and in most cases profound. His endings were the kind of endings that make you pause before you turn the page, that make you take a deep sigh of introspection as you search your own thoughts for personal understanding, because what you just read you know, you understand and have found that intellectual conection that only good authors and sincere human beings can provide.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!, Jun 29 2009

By Daniel J. Penksa - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas (Paperback)

When I first got this book, I planned on spending a few weeks reading it--that didn't happen--I found it hard to find a place to stop, as I kept wanting to know what character I would meet next or what sticky situation the author would run into. The author does an excellent job of painting a picture of what life is like in the storm drains of Las Vegas, yet does so in a way that allows the reader's imagination to run wild. As others have mentioned, it is very interested seeing a "different" side of Las Vegas, a side that most do not know exists. The irony of what lies just below the streets of The Entertainment Capital of the World it all is almost overwhelming. Certainly a great read.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Insight for Las Vegas Locals (Spoilers), July 8 2007

By Allen Ryan - Published on Amazon.com

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This review is from: Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas (Paperback)

This book provided me with tons of insight to the Las Vegas Underworld (or lack there of). It also captivated me on the account of the homeless residents of Las Vegas and the amount of time they spent/living in the underworld. Another surprise was the ways that the underground community made money, casino credit hunting.

PROS: Great insight for Vegas locals, sincere writer, fair warning to stay out of the drains

Cons: (SPOILER)Does not satisfy the fantasy/curiosity aspect (no underground society, no jaw dropping secrets) all discoveries made were fairly predictable.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 51 reviews 4.4 out of 5 stars