In the Dark [Mass Market Paperback]

Richard Laymon (Author), Dean R. Koontz (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2001

When the new librarian, Jane Kerry, receives a letter enclosing a 50-dollar bill and a note signed MOG (Master of Games) with a clue to another pay-off, she is hooked. But when violence begins to occur she has second thoughts and wants to quit, but MOG has other ideas.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 503 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843949163
• ISBN-13: 978-0843949162
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,115,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sit back and enjoy the ride!, February 15, 2002

By 

Henry W. Wagner (Rockaway, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Dark (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced and loads of fun, March 21, 2005

By 

Craig Clarke "Living After Midnight: Hard and... (New England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: In the Dark (Mass Market Paperback)

This is my kind of book. I had a hunch after reading the blurb on the back, and I knew it once I had gotten through the first thirty pages. I love games and In the Dark is about one long game, the Master of Games (MOG) who sets it up, and the librarian whose life it changes forever.

One night, while closing up the library, Jane Kerry finds an envelope with her name printed on it in bold, dark letters. Inside the envelope is a fifty-dollar bill and a typed instruction to "look homeward, angel." Locating the Thomas Wolfe novel upstairs, she looks inside to find one hundred dollars and another note. She also meets Brace, a patron who had lost track of time, whom she takes with her to the next rendezvous point.

Thus, as Sherlock Holmes would say, the game is afoot.

The great thing about Richard Laymon's novels lies in how much pure fun they are. I discovered this during the first book of his I read, Island, and in several of his short stories that I read subsequently. So, I was more than eager to read another novel. Seeing a promotional display for him at my local Borders, I picked up In the Dark and it more than lived up to my heightened expectations.

In the Dark is not only about the game, but also about how it affects Jane and her quickly-blossoming relationship with Brace. As the amount of money doubles each time, Jane becomes more obsessed with following the instructions in order to get to the next payoff, and more willing to do the increasingly strange things that are requested of her. At one point, about two-thirds in, the events in the story take an extremely disturbing turn really quickly, and things are never the same after.

Although, In the Dark is a real roller coaster ride, Laymon does leave us with an unsatisfying conclusion. However, the book is so freakishly cool that it is easy to forgive him. I'm not a fast reader, but I finished the majority of the 500 pages in just a few hours, and couldn't go to sleep the next night until I was finished. That alone assures that I will be dipping into more Laymon very soon.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A suspenseful and well crafted mystery, November 20, 2004

By 

Freddy Jones (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Dark (Mass Market Paperback)

Jane is a librarian that leads your everyday average existence. That is until she receives a mysterious envelope with her name on it. Curiousity gets the better of her and she looks inside. Jane finds a fifty dollar bill, and a note giving a clue where to find more money, that is mysteriously signed with the initials M.O.G. ( Master of Games). Everytime she manages to find an envelope, the amount of money doubles and the tasks to find the next envelope become increasingly more difficult and degrading. As Jane becomes obsessed with earning more and more money, she soon begins to realize that the person behind the game knows a lot about her as well. As Jane gets herself in deeper and deeper to become richer and discover who the "Master of Games" really is in the process, she may be forced to do things where the risk outweighs the reward.

Richard Laymon's " In The Dark" is the best mystery that I have read in quite awhile. It is hard to remember a book that keeps you glued to the pages and hooked like this one. You are literally unable to put the book down after the first page. There are two things that really keep your interest in the story. The first is the lengths that Jane will go for the money. It is very interesting watching Jane pushing herself to the limit and then some. The second aspect of the story that really drags you in, is trying to discover the identity of the MOG and what his motivation behind all of it is too. Laymon hides the identity of MOG really well. The whole time, you are thinking that it could literally be anyone. You are usually able to nail down at least a couple of suspects, but it is impossible in this book! The ending is spectacular. Many times , a good book can be ruined by a horrible ending. But not in this case. It is the perfect end, to an enjoyable thrill ride.

Richard Laymon's "In the Dark" offers great characters, realistic and funny dialogue, and a hard to solve mystery. I highly recommend this book to fans of the mystery genre or those who are looking for a suspenseful story to read.