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

Matthew O'Brien (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2007

The catacombs of ancient Rome served as houses of worship for Christians. When surveyed in the early 1800s, the sewers of Paris yielded gold, jewels and relics of the revolution. And thousands of people lived in the subway and train tunnels of New York City in the 1980s and '90s. What secrets do the Las Vegas storm drains keep? What discoveries wait in the dark? What's beneath the neon? Armed with a flashlight, a tape recorder and an expandable baton for protection, Las Vegas writer and editor Matthew O'Brien sought to answer these questions. Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas chronicles O'Brien's adventures in this uncharted underworld. He follows the footsteps of a psycho killer. He two-steps under the MGM Grand at three in the morning. He chases the ghosts of Benny Binion, Bugsy Siegel, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, and Howard Hughes. He learns how to make meth, that art is most beautiful where it's least expected, and that there are no pots of gold under the neon rainbow.

Editorial Reviews

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.

Review

While Beneath the Neon is an often saddening and sometimes disturbing book, it's also an incredibly important one. O'Brien gives those who have been circumscribed, silenced, and removed from the brightly lit streets of Las Vegas a voice, something that few authors in the city have ever attempted before, and the result is breathtaking...it's the most important, incredible, and moving title to be published on the city to date. It almost goes without saying that Beneath the Neon should not be missed. --CasinoOnline.co.uk

[O'Brien] takes you on a dizzying trip through the various drains to meet the people that live, party, and sometimes die in the tunnels. This is a must-read for anyone who has ever broken into an abandoned building, explored dirty sewers, hopped freights across the country, or enjoys a late night stroll into the unknown. More than just a documentation of one's experience in the storm drains, Beneath the Neon is equal parts Las Vegas history book, drunken biography, and psychological thriller where your worst enemy may just be your imagination. --Beautiful Decay Blog

From retracing a murder's escape route and learning how to make meth from a tunnel dweller to partying naked with crackheads and dancing under the MGM Grand, this photo-filled account proves that the only place more surreal than the Vegas Strip is beneath it. --Wired Magazine

[O'Brien] takes you on a dizzying trip through the various drains to meet the people that live, party, and sometimes die in the tunnels. This is a must-read for anyone who has ever broken into an abandoned building, explored dirty sewers, hopped freights across the country, or enjoys a late night stroll into the unknown. More than just a documentation of one's experience in the storm drains, Beneath the Neon is equal parts Las Vegas history book, drunken biography, and psychological thriller where your worst enemy may just be your imagination. --Beautiful Decay Blog

From retracing a murder's escape route and learning how to make meth from a tunnel dweller to partying naked with crackheads and dancing under the MGM Grand, this photo-filled account proves that the only place more surreal than the Vegas Strip is beneath it. --Wired Magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 281 pages
• Publisher: Huntington Press (June 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0929712390
• ISBN-13: 978-0929712390
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 0.7 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #412,729 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

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

By I. Truman

Format: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! June 29, 2009

By Daniel J. Penksa

Format: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.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful

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

By Allen Ryan

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.