Among the Missing [Mass Market Paperback]

Richard Laymon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2000

A Californian wife has left her academic husband. As she drives through the mountains in the early hours of the morning, she picks up a hitch-hiker - rugged, adventurous - who suggests a romantic stop. But no love takes place at The Bend that night. And, in the morning, a body is found.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The shocking discovery of a woman's body naked and headlessDalong the shores of the Silver River in Sierra County, Calif., sets off a series of interrelated events that will have readers guessing about the killer's identity until the final pages of this thriller. The small-town suspects are many, including the victim's husband, Professor Grant Parkington, who has a reputation for fooling around with his students; Bass Paxton, whoDalong with girlfriend Faye Everett (with whom Parkington once had an affair) found the body; and Merton LeRoy, a gay ex-convict who sells drugs and turns tricks inside a van parked down by the river. At the center of the investigation are Sheriff Rusty Hodges and his hotshot female deputy and daughter-in-law, Mary, nicknamed "Pac" because of her father's allegiance to football's Green Bay Packers. The murder occurs almost immediately, and Laymon (Bite, etc.) devotes the rest of his book to the search for the killer, rarely detouring from his primary aim except to throw in an occasional provocative story twist or a bit of gratuitous sex and gore. Outside of Hodges, few characters are worth rooting for, as all of them display despicable qualities. But such flaws make Laymon's one-track story more intriguing and more realistic. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

Review

'AMONG THE MISSING is strikingly different. From the chilling opening...we are plunged into a disturbing world of twisted psychopathology' -- THE TIMES More reviews for Richard Laymon: 'No one writes like Laymon and you're going to have a good time with anything he writes' Dean Koontz 'This author knows how to sock it to the reader' THE TIMES If you've missed Laymon you've missed a treat' Stephen King --This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843947888
• ISBN-13: 978-0843947885
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #470,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Missing some substance but still good, February 6, 2004

By 

James N Simpson (Gold Coast, QLD Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Among the Missing (Mass Market Paperback)

Not a great book but still a good read. All of the town's female characters, even the police seem to very easy women which makes this book pretty unrealistic. It seems like the author must be a teenager who has never had a girlfriend, even though as we know he is not. If you can accept the constant sleaze and sluttiness of the characters this is a pretty simple fast read book.

A young couple, Bass and Faye out for a canoe picnic come across a naked decapitated female corpse with the killer running off across the river carrying the woman's head when he sees them. Once back in the town Faye disappears and it becomes apparent someone is out to kill Bass before he can identify him to the police.

Among the Missing is no literary masterpiece but it is enjoyable enough to read if you can get it cheap and it will pass the time nicely.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Laymon's Best but darn good, January 21, 2004

By 

PMurphy (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Among the Missing (Mass Market Paperback)

After reading a marathon of Laymon, I think this one falls right in the middle. It's a typical horror/gore/mystery, and I think the biggest flaw is most of the characters are kinda hard to like. However, I was still pretty gripped throughout the entire thing. A must-read for people who like this author.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth a Read, November 11, 2000

By 

Jennifer Whildin "sassy devil" (Vineland, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Among the Missing (Mass Market Paperback)

This was my first book of Laymon's. It starts out with a murder and a beheading, and the fun's only just begun. A couple discover the victim and her killer in the morning, and the killer runs off with the head. Enter the police. Now the search is on to catch the man who did it.

A couple of punk kids may have some answers, but they're not interested in sharing. Sheriff Hodges intends to persuade them, however. He and "The Pac" aren't going to let this guy get away.

The story offers surprises and even a twist, and Laymon does a good job of not giving away anything until the moment it happens. However, one flaw in the book is poor character development of Bass. Fortunately, the rest of the book makes up for this.