Rating: 
Summary: Sit back and enjoy the ride!
Review: Returning to her desk in the Donnerville town library just before closing time, librarian Jane finds an envelope on her chair. Inside she finds a fifty dollar bill and a message: "Dear Jane, Come and play with me. For further instructions, look homeward, angel. You'll be glad you did. Warmest Regards, MOG (Master of Games)."Guessing that the mysterious Mog is referring to the classic book by Thomas Wolfe,Jane locates it on the shelves. In its pages she finds a hundred dollar bill and further instructions. Thus begins a high stakes game of cat and mouse between her and Mog, a game where risks and rewards escalate at each stage. Appealing to Jane's greed and competitive spirit, Mog gradually ups the ante to the point where Jane is battling for her very life, a battle where the odds are most definitely against her. I'm pleased Leisure saw fit to reprint In the Dark, one of my favorite Laymon novels. Displaying all his strengths--expert pacing, a great sense of atmosphere and a winning sense of humor--it also features two of the most fully developed characters he's created, the aforementioned Jane, and her
companion Brace, a man she meets at the beginning of the game. The novel focuses on Jane's transformation from a dowdy wallflower to an assertive, aggressive and attractive young woman, equal to any opponent, even an apparent psychopath. Laymon captures her inner turmoil quite well, making her reactions to Mog's increasingly outrageous,dangerous
tasks are that much more believable. He's also careful in his approach to chronicling the budding romantic relationship between Jane and Brace, taking great pains to show an initial chemical attraction blossom into a deeper love based on shared experience and mutual respect. It's nice to watch Laymon tackle an
adult relationship for a change, instead of providing yet another (albeit accurate)glimpse into the skewed psyches of the horny teenagers who populate so many of his stories. What's most interesting about the novel is the nature of "the game" itself. Mog's tactic of offering money to Jane to provoke uncharacteristic behaviors, and in placing her in increasingly untenable situations, prefigured reality shows like Survivor, Temptation Island and Big Brother by several years. The sad thing about reading quality work like In the Dark is recalling Laymon's sudden death last year, and the fact that there are no new Laymon books to look forward to.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm still in the dark!
Review: I am still in the dark after reading Laymon's "In the Dark". There is no explanation as to why Jane was "chosen" for the games nor for her quest to go on through torture as she did. Would one not think the injuries she suffered have been noticed by co-workers. We didn't hear any thing of any of them questioning her. Nor is there an explanation at the end of any of those doing the terrorizing, who was MOG? Satanists? And can we believe that the good professor can get by with that story of falling through a window and cutting off his ear? Why didn't the medical help ask him to have some one bring the ear in to be reattached. A nail puncture for the ice pick stab? And please, how did the writing and carving on her body go undetected? I didn't read any thing about her being drugged. Was I supposed to have assumed that? Did I miss something? I must admit I was determined to finish the book just to see what the author had to say ... I must have skipped some important pages. I don't care enough to go back and re-read it. I am on the search for a new author! Although I had to give this one star, I would have preferred to give it a -0!
Rating: 
Summary: Reads Like a Horrifying Reality Show!!
Review: Richard Laymon's suspenseful 500 page yarn starts out with a bang and doesn't stop.
Jane Kerry is a lonely small-town librarian, who one night discovers an envelope containing $50.00 and a clue as she is closing up for the night. The clue is signed MOG (Master of Games) She solves the clue, finds the next envelope with another clue and double the cash.
And so begins this chillingly creepy tale. As each clue gets a bit more dangerous, sending her out on risky missions, the reader is left amazed at how desperate and depraved Jane becomes. A sense of dread is cast over the novel from page one, and the paranoia that pervades the book is distinctly Hitchcockian.
This book also contained some of the most gruesome scenes I've ever read in recent years. Be forewarned: this is not for weak stomachs.
However, with the ghastly images of horror Laymon creates, comes an insight breathing life into his simplistic writing style. The book goes fast; I managed to finish it in an evening. You won't find a lot of conventional characterization, true, but their true natures are revealed through the actions they commit.
All in all, this was a very interesting, thought-provoking, and frightening novel. Kudos to a great yet underappreciated author.
Rating:
Summary: I loved it, BUT.....
Review: I loved this book, finished it in 2 days. At each chapter's ending, I found I could not easily put the book down. It was very interesting to see what MOG would come up with for Jane to do next. I do have some issues with the lack of follow up on who/what MOG really was. I did love the twist in the game towards the end, but we never really know how MOG chooses his players. All in all, I greatly enjoyed the book, I just think some more explanations about the Master might have made it a GREAT book.
Rating:
Summary: I'm still in the dark!
Review: I am still in the dark after reading Laymon's "In the Dark". There is no explanation as to why Jane was "chosen" for the games nor for her quest to go on through torture as she did. Would one not think the injuries she suffered have been noticed by co-workers. We didn't hear any thing of any of them questioning her. Nor is there an explanation at the end of any of those doing the terrorizing, who was MOG? Satanists? And can we believe that the good professor can get by with that story of falling through a window and cutting off his ear? Why didn't the medical help ask him to have some one bring the ear in to be reattached. A nail puncture for the ice pick stab? And please, how did the writing and carving on her body go undetected? I didn't read any thing about her being drugged. Was I supposed to have assumed that? Did I miss something? I must admit I was determined to finish the book just to see what the author had to say ... I must have skipped some important pages. I don't care enough to go back and re-read it. I am on the search for a new author! Although I had to give this one star, I would have preferred to give it a -0!
Rating:
Summary: What Would You Do For Money?
Review: Our heroine Librarian Jane Kerry finds an envelope at work. It's addressed to her, her name written on it in big block letters. Inside is fifty dollars and a note from MOG (short for Master of Games). The note asks to take a look in a book in the library. She does and finds a hundred dollars and another note which leads her to still another and more money, and so on and so on. However, with each note Jane must perform a task. They star out simple enough, but as the money escalates, so do her tasks and they get kinky (for example she has to climb atop a statue on the campus while nude, another task has her lying in a nightie in a coffin), then they get dangerous. Jane's greed puts her life in danger. As always Laymon takes the most outrageous situations and draw us in, keep our fingers flipping through the pages. Laymon was so good and he's was up to his best in this five star kinky thriller-slash-horror story. Reviewed by Stephanie Sane
Rating:
Summary: What a WILD RIDE!!
Review: This is one of the best books I've ever read!! It grabs you from the first page and you just hang on for the ride. This book is about a woman playing a very deadly game for money and thrills. At first, it's like taking a dare, then the risks start getting higher, but also with a higher pay off of money. It makes you stop and think, what would I do if the price was right? The suspense is great, right up to the ending. This is a book you'll want to read again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Laymon fans have no fear!
Review: This is by far one of my favorite Laymon novels. Originially published in 1994, it has been reprinted in America in 2001 by Leisure. I keep seeing people talking about books "released after his death." This and many of the other ones published by Leisure are reprints from the last two decades. Don't worry new fans of Layomn, there's still over 20 novels of his never before released in the U.S. Sorry, got a little carried away. But, as I was saying, this is one of the spookiest novels I've ever read. It grabs you and eats at you and drags you from scene to horrific scene. Definitely one of his best, be sure to read this one at night.
Rating: 
Summary: Lame Laymon
Review: This is the first Laymon book I've read and it's a disappointment. The premise is solid - the plot synopsis on the back cover piqued my interest, but the novel doesn't really deliver. Laymon's characterizations are flat. Jane's motivation of scoring cash begins to ring false as she is constantly thrown into more and more gruesome situations. At some point the will to live would probably override the will to collect envelopes of money, don't you think? As mentioned by other readers, the way women in the novel shrug off torture and rape is offensive. The motivation of MOG, the book's villain, is woefully underanalyzed. A more capable writer could've turned the kernel of a plot (a lunatic leading an innocent on an elaborate treasure hunt) into something worth reading, but Laymon flubs it. It has the feel of a quickly dashed-off work, definitely not something that was painstakingly crafted. I may give Laymon another shot in the future, but I was, to say the least, unimpressed by this rather amateurish book. SPOILER ALERT:
How does a person remain asleep when someone is using an Exacto knife to carve messages in their flesh? Just curious.
Rating:
Summary: Excelltent but a bit disturbing
Review: Although a fairly long book i read this in no time. A real good read but i found myself shuddering at a certian part which involes deranged hostage cannabils. It has a good twist at the end making it a all round good read from the master Richard Laymon.
| 
