In the Dark

Rating:
Summary: Middle of the road
Review: Many of the other reviews have mentioned the general premise of this book, so I will try and avoid repetition as best I can.

This is typical Laymon writing. I've noticed that his stories start off at first with a unique premise, yet sadly, never come to fruition. Of the three of his books that I have read, I found this to be the only one I didn't actually skim through. But I was still disappointed when it was all said and done.

How shallow, greedy and bored the main character Jane that she'd willingly continue, nightly, to risk life and limb for cash?! Take the 50 bucks and go have a nice dinner, Jane! Sheesh!

The characters, what few there are, are really laughable. The character of Brace is thrown in as a red herring. Is he or isn't he the Master of Games? Is he or isn't he? Hmmmm.

There are two common themes I have found in Laymon's books:

The first being bizarre S&M scenes that are thrown in more to "shock" than to advance the narrative. One of Jane's midnight excursions to a supposedly abandoned house is oddly familiar to the basement sequence in the film "Pulp Fiction." It served no purpose in this story whatsoever, other than to gross out, and also to propel the character of Jane to do something utterly unredeemable. Life's that cheap, eh Jane?

The second is his use of rape against the lead female character. In this novel (and one other by Laymon that I can name) there is a rape scene that is supposed to shock the reader. His flippant treatment of the act and Jane's incomprehensible attitude over the ordeal I found to be highly insulting.

One question readers will come away with is: "Why was Jane picked by MOG in the first place?"

Juvenile writing, pretty much. Ridiculous plot-line and character actions, oh yes. The smug and gratuitous introduction from Mr. Koontz aside... if you're seeking a gripping horror read... keep looking.

The three star rating is for its quick read and nub of a story line. It will thrill some and marginally entertain others.

Rating:
Summary: First & Last
Review: This was my first & last Laymon novel. The concept is great but his characters ruin the otherwise fast plot. Jane, the protagonist, is a flat character who who is hard to like. Greed is the only thing that drives her. She runs into the situations set up by Mog without a care or worry, even though her life is a risk every time. Then she shows no signs of stress or depression or guilt afterward. She is a charicature of a woman the likes found in Friday the 13th movies: totally unbelievable.
I must admit the plot was fast and kept the suspence high, but the ending was a complete let down.

Rating:
Summary: Great read, but the ending left me cold.
Review: As stated, I loved the book. It kept me reading non-stop. The book makes you think you might know who MOG is several times, but you just cant figure it out. Without giving anything away, the plot is tight, the action keeps coming, but, I have to say, the ending left me cold. (Little spoiler coming here) But you never do find out what or who MOG is,,,its maddening! I had hoped to learn why he is what he is and why he does what he does, but you dont. Other than that,,,read it, its worth your time.

Rating:
Summary: I was hooked from the first page to the last!
Review: I just finished this book tonight so I had to come on here and write my review. This is undoubtedly a roller coaster of a book as another reviewer put it. Each page has something interesting, suspenseful or bizarre on it. Jane begins to receive notes from MOG, a sick and demented rich weirdo who thrives on games. She begins to do increasingly bizarre things in order to get the money. Jane is a local librarian with a boring life who thrives on this attention and greed. She's just as abnormal in a way as Mog.

Throughout this book, I was never disappointed by the events that began to unfold. There is a definite Twin Peaks aspect to this book. In some ways, it was reminiscent of the film "Blue Velvet", one of my personal favorites so I enjoyed it greatly. If you are put off by bizarreness, this wouldn't probably be for you. But for those who like suspense, strangeness and campiness, you will enjoy it greatly.

One thing I liked about this book is the freaky and frightening characters, Jane meets along the way. There are also scenes that are extremely disturbing and frightening and sure to make you lock the doors. It builds from an innocent letter to bloody mayhem. There is even a question you ask yourself at the end - what was Mog? Human or supernatural? I think he might have been the latter.

Either way, I think we lost a great writer when Richard Laymon passed away. He will be missed.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing premise, but.....
Review: I was recently at my parents' house and my dad was reading this book. In a spare moment, I picked it up and started reading it. I finished the first two chapters and thought "Wow, what an interesting idea! I have to read this book." I asked him if I could borrow it when he finished.

I have now finished it myself, and I have to say that the intriguing premise has been wasted by some very pedestrian writing. The idea of a mysterious stranger creating a game and having a woman do increasingly dangerous things to get more and more money is nice. The mystery builds nicely. Who is this stranger, and what does he want with Jane? Could the stranger actually be Brace, the young man that Jane meets while doing the first task?

The whole story is gutted, though, by the writing. The constant waffling by the Jane character, while very possibly true to life, really got annoying to read after awhile. Internal monologues that read similar to "He's a typical man.....I love him.... he's scum...he's wonderful...is he really who he says he is...I don't care....." really got on my nerves after awhile.

Then there is the sexual aspect of the writing. It is extremely juvenile. I don't object to sexual content in books that I read, but this got a bit ridiculous. There are constant references to Jane's underwear and how it sticks to her when she sweats, references to her breasts that come out of nowhere, and things like that. I realize that Laymon is trying to add a sexual atmosphere to the book, considering what the villain is like. But most of the time it seems very out of place. It doesn't add to the atmosphere at all, but instead rips you out of the book in order to notice the words.

Also, there are no explanations given for the Master of Games' (the villain's name) ability to come and go at will without disturbing anybody. Some people may be comfortable with this level of ambiguity, but it left me cold. This book did not have any supernatural elements in it, basing itself in real life ugliness. I liked that, but MoG's skill at sneaking just seemed too superhuman, and took away from the "realistic" feel of the book.

There is some nice tension in the climax of the book, but the tension doesn't escalate like the cover blurb promises. MoG doesn't push Jane to do increasingly illegal and immoral things, forcing her to make choice after choice. Instead, once it gets to a certain point, the novel turns into a chase book. There's nothing really that horrifying in this book, with the exception of one sequence which will be obvious once the reader gets there (and if you want to know what it is but don't want to read the book, let me know and I'll tell you).

I raced through this book in a little over a day. It captures your attention and keeps it, but sometimes for the wrong reasons. It's a fast book to read, whether that's due to the language or the to the plot, I don't know. It certainly didn't seem like it had 503 pages of plot.

For the premise and the quickness, I'll give it 3 stars...probably would be 2.5 if it were allowed.

Rating:
Summary: Not bed-time reading!
Review: It all begins when librarian Jane Kerry receives an envelope with money and an invitation from MOG (Master of Games) to join him in a game. Intrigued, yet not sure what she should do, Jane hesitatingly joins the game with the help of a new library customer, Brace a local professor, she runs into the same evening. Together they work out the first few clues, and perform the first few missions, with the pay-out being doubled in each event. As their friendship deepens, it is all too soon made apparent to them that MOG is not happy with Brace's involvement, and so it seems, neither is Brace. So Jane forges ahead alone as the missions become more and more threatening to her safety and her sanity. Although her life is now filled with excitement, a dubiously welcomed change from her previously dull existance, Jane knows she is entering a world she is ill-adapted for. And then when the missions become even more frightening, Jane is ready to quit, but MOG has other things in mind. Realizing what she has lost in Brace, and in her comfortable but ordinary life, Jane faces her worst nightmares with increasing dread and remorse. Can she survive, and somehow get it all back, or will she end up a victim of the game?

This book is wonderful in showing us how an ordinary person can so easily get swept away with the promise of excitement and money. It also shows us how strength and determination, although not always obviously present, may still be there when needed. Word of caution though...be careful when you start this book, because it may be impossible to sleep until you've finished it.

Rating:
Summary: Lock Your Doors Before Beginning
Review: Richard Laymon is sick and demented in this book. The story is unbelievable. The heroine is very dumb to be going on this scavenger hunt based on anonymous notes......AND I couldn't put this book down. Excitement, with hair raising events on every page. I have read two of Laymon's books. With the exception of the vampire books, I will read more.

Rating:
Summary: Closest thing to a rollercoster in print!
Review: Laymon is always a fun read and here he is in top form. As usual there is a deceptively simple premise: A librarian begins playing a game with an unseen person who refers to himself as MOG. She gets increasing amounts of cash for figuring out riddles and going to where the next clue is hidden. But the game gets increasingly sinister and she finds that MOG won't let her stop. Creepy, violent, graphic, twisted, is what you should expect from Laymon, but I for one had a blast playing/reading this book. IN THE DARK is a great horror novel.

Rating:
Summary: Real Fear Factor!
Review: This novel is excellent and suspenseful! I read it in just two days.

It starts out with a young librarian receiving a letter containing $50 and a note with a clue that leads her to a Thomas Wolfe book, where she finds another note, along with $100 and another clue. The young librarian meets a young college professor who quickly becomes her friend. Each time the librarian finds a letter, it contains twice as much money as the one before it, along with ambiguous instructions. She starts out with having to put herself into mildly dangerous situations. She has to do things like climb a statue at midnight, and go under a bridge at midnight. In fact, all of the activities that mog( master of games) prompts her to do, are done at midnight. These midnight adventures quickly begin leading her further and further away from the safety of her normal life, and deeper into the dangers that lurk in the night. The scariest thing about this novel is that the dangers and horrors she runs into are real. There are no vampires, werewolves, or ghosts here. This is a novel that starts out slightly mysterious, and gradually becomes terrifying, as it becomes clear that mog won't let the librarian stop playing the game. This is a disturbing novel, and an enjoyable night time jaunt into horror. Don';t read this one if you are alone at night! This is my first Laymon book, and it won't be my last.

Rating:
Summary: Great premise, horrifying delivery
Review: I was intrigued by the premise of "In the Dark"-a young librarian, Jane, finds a note with her name on it. It contains a $50 bill and a clue insinuating that if she continues her treasure hunt, the money will double; the note is signed by the mysterious "Master of Games". While hurrying to the second envelope, Jane literally runs into a handsome stranger named Brace, who just happens to be a professor at the local university. Together they find the second envelope, which indeed contains $100 and another clue/task.

Brace inuitively solves the next clue, and onward they go; each envelope doubles the previous cash and contains increasingly bizarre and dangerous tasks. All are signed by the Master of Games, or as Jane refers to him,"Mog".

Laymon never bothers to develop the characters of Jane and Brace beyond bare bones; I continually wondered why Jane was so money hungry that she would disregard all common sense, and what it was about either of them that prompted such an instant and magnetic attraction. Jane struck me as downright shallow. This is my first(and probably only) Laymon read, but his attempt at writing from a female perspective is pretty weak. Despite being in life threatening situations every night, Jane finds time to work out daily in a skimpy bikini, and each night we are treated to a description of how various events affect her nipples and panties. How very junior high. The author seems to delight in describing the increasing number of bruises, scabs and cuts revealed by Jane's always skimpy wardrobe. Downright disgusting was Jane's reaction to being brutally raped-she blithely decides to tell Brace "before they make love again", and the next day they are cheerfully holding hands and all is well. As a rape survivor, I found Mr. Laymon's cavalier dismissal of Jane's experience beyond merely offensive. Had this not occurred in the last chapter I doubt I would have finished the book.

Although each chapter made suspension of disbelief increasingly difficult(sorry Richard, only the comatose sleep through the things Jane does), I kept reading because I loved the idea of a scary treasure hunt, and was genuinely curious as to who Mog was, where he got the large amounts of cash he was throwing Jane's way, and what motivated him to plan his game and invite Jane to play. Unlike Jane, I never got my payday.

Read this one if you want a violent and sexist cartoon about some basically unlikable people. If it had been a movie, I would have asked for my money back.