Customer Reviews

Lonely One

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"Just forget about me, okay? You'll live longer."

That's the response Ron gets when he tries to pick up the pretty, sad-faced girl beside him on the carousel at the Santa Monica pier. Doreen admits she is tired of doing everything alone -- living, working, eating -- but if she likes someone, he always ends up dead. When Ron refuses to be put off, Doreen flees and hides in the darkness under the pier -- where a mugger tries to knife her. Ron arrives just in time to help defeat her attacker. To him their victory is more proof that he is safe with Doreen. But Doreen's hunger rises, and Ron learns that muggers are not the only dangerous things in the darkness.

Maybe he should have known better than to stay with a woman who fights off muggers with her teeth.

If you're expecting a vampire, you won't find Doreen's idiosyncrasies nearly as surprising as Ron does. You may, however, find that her self-pity gets old a long time before the end of this very short (26 pages) book. Only adequately written, THE LONELY ONE nonetheless has enough suspense and action to make it an interesting one-time read.

I have never understood the chapbook industry. Paying a lot for a single short story just doesn't seem right. But, when I can find one used for a decent price, I might check it out.

The Lonely One is the story of Doreen. She is at the Santa Monica pier and she is lonely. On the carousel she meets a young man and tries to convince him to go away. She says that if he goes away he will live longer.

Well, such a statement merely increases curiosity and the young man refuses to be put off by the lonely beauty. The rest of the story involves a little cat and mouse as she tries to avoid him and he refuses to be left. Finally we learn the truth of her loneliness and her warning.

A nice little tale. It is a very quick read, only a few pages in regular size, but crafted so that the story moves and reaches an acceptable resolution.

I wouldn't recommend paying a lot for this one but it is worth reading.

this is not a novel - in fact it is only 26 pages long. i made the mistake of thinking it was a full length novel. i hope i can help some other Laymon fans here.