Customer Reviews

In the Dark

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.