Rating: 
Summary: One of the worst books I've ever read - really!
Review: You know, it is such a shame that a great plot kernel could be so badly fouled by the author Richard Laymon. It's safe to say that any writer, let alone a competent one, given the same idea for a story could actually turn out something interesting with it.Charactarizations in this book are sloppy to the point of being absurd. Any thoughtful reader will find themselves thinking 'yeah, right' on just about every page. Laymon just propels his main character (believe me, calling Jane a 'character' is a bit of an overstatement) into situations that are neither believable nor competently described. This novel is a hack in every sense of the word. The dialogue is beyond contrived. Responses to situations are utterly and completely unbelievable. How can anyone be thrilled or scared by a story that they can't ever believe in? Do women get raped and literally forget about it ten minutes later? Do brutalized and injured women start wistfully talking about past relationships rather than asking to be taken to a hospital, or even rubbing their cuts? In this book, that's just the tip of the iceberg. ...
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good, but really not very believable.
Review: Good writing, but the story line is not very believable. Should have been so different that you didn't expect normal logic to apply, or vice versa.
Rating: 
Summary: Laymon's a genius!!!
Review: It's offical, I'm hooked on Laymon. I've read 3 of his books, and he's a genius. All three books I have loved. When I read the back of this book, I know I'd love it, and I was right. Jane is a librarian in a small town, and nothing much happens. Jane wishes something happened. Jane should be careful what she wishes for....One day, she finds an envelope on her chair with a 50 dollar bill in it, with instructions. Jane's life has now changned. Why? Beacuse Master of the Game (MOG) is in her life. Now MOG is making Jane play his game, but the prices starts getting high....really high. Because of MOG (as Sherlock Holmes would say) "The Games afoot....." Laymon is a very talented writer. He had the ability to keep the reader glued to the page with his unique style of writing. He makes characters that the reader can't help to care about. The reader feels the same emotions that Jane feels. This book has plot twists all over the place that will keep the reader engaged to the very last page. I read this book in two days. I just put it down to get some sleep, and sometimes, not even then. I urge you to read this book. I know you'll love Laymon's style of writing. The world lost a very talented writer when he died. Alls I can say is, get this book....you won't be sorry.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Read
Review: As the number of novels Richard Laymon left behind after his death continues to dwindle, I found IN THE DARK to be a real treat. While it's just over 500 pages, I breezed through it in no time at all, thanks to a plot that kept me turning pages. Laymon presents us with a flawed heroine in Jane, the librarian who is chosen to participate in a dangerous, but lucrative game in which she is sent out at midnight each night to retrieve envelopes full of money from increasingly dangerous locations. The fact that the sum of money doubles each time tape into Jane's inate greed, leading her to place her life in jeopardy as she pursues this twisted path to wealth.
As with all Laymon books, the prose here is lean and mean, but the characters are well-drawn an relatable. I'd recommend IN THE DARK without reservation for anyone seeking a gripping experience with a very entertaining book. Tick off another in the finite resource of novels from the late Richard Laymon.
Rating:
Summary: Among the best of Laymon's work
Review: Having read 7 Laymon novels (I realize he has 40) I was captivated from the first chapter until the last. I read this in 3 days and it was hard to put down each night. I can honestly say I had a smile on my face for most of the book... it's that much fun. Granted, it might offend a lot of people with it's graphic descriptions and adult scenes, but if it's horror you want, it's horror you will get. Laymon doesn't ramble on and on like Stephen King. He gets right to the point and brings on the violence and suspense.
Rating:
Summary: Good start, blah ending
Review: I agree with many other reviewers. The core idea of this book is brilliant but it gets lost around the introduction of the house of S&M. I know Laymon has built a career around fast-paced fantastic premises, but this one goes a little too far. And, I am really tired of the fact that at least one female character is raped in every book. Worse is the fact that these women walk around afterwards without any emotional scars at all. I wonder if Laymon had any anger issues with women. Still his books are compelling reads and often overcome the lack of believable characterizartion. Search out the much rarer "Funland" if you want to see Laymon at the top of his game.
Rating:
Summary: In the Dark
Review: Laymon proves that he is really MOT (Master of Terror) in this one. Acting like no librarian you will ever meet, Jane does all the wrong things and digs her own grave deeper and deeper.
The way he ends every chapter with a "cliff hanger" is very good.
Book may be a little too long, but otherwise it is great.
Rating:
Summary: Scary page-turner
Review: I'm not a big fan of gross-out horror books (like Stephen King), but this book is more like a suspenseful, mystery type of horror story. I loved the characters and the plot. I kept turning the pages to see how far Jane would go with this game. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Typical Laymon fare!
Review: If you're a fan of Richard Laymon novels, then you'll no doubt enjoy "In the Dark". All of the Laymon staples are present, i.e. great characterizations, sympathetic lead characters, gratuitous sex and violence, copious amounts of blood and vividly graphic scenes. "In the Dark" is the story of the 2 week adventure of a small town librarian who, starved for excitement and love, finds both as she is manipulated by a heinous villian known only by his acronym, M.O.G. or "Master of Games". Why MOG picks out this librarian named Jane is never really explained, but he sends her scurrying all over town at midnight picking up envelopes of cash as she deciphers his clues and poems. Laymon's books often take ordinary people and puts them in extraordinary circumstances bordering on the unbelieveable. "In the Dark" is no exception. Jane's greed, as she searches for MOG's envelopes of money and clues is sometimes hard to fathom, especially since most of the searches take place during the "witching hour". She's a brave young lady, but portrayed as almost TOO brave! Along the way Jane finds love in the person of Brace, a college professor. As she pursues MOG's money, she begins to lose track of what's really important in life - that the love of a good person is much more valuable than any amount of money. I'll stop here because it is not my intent to give away the entire plot. As long as you can put aside some of the unbelieveable portions of "In the Dark", then you'll find this to be a extremely fast read which will keep you up way into the wee hours of the morning. Laymon has done it again, reinforcing the credo of his fans that "he can't write a bad book!".
Rating: 
Summary: How greedy can you get???/
Review: I have to agree with the other reviewer that said this book and its character Jane were very unlikeable. Does she not have any common sense at all? The things she will do without even thinking about consequences are ridiculous, she is not even concerned by the fact that MOG can get into her house and write on her body when she is asleep...HMMM, can we say 'stupid'? Also rape is used against her and she apparently comes through it with no mental or even physical injury even though the writer of this book portrayed the man as brutal, I find that very upsetting and it downplays a horrible act. I have ususlly enjoyed the books by Layman but I think I wasted my money with this one.
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