Originally posted: June 3, 2006 @ 11:45pm PST

Published: 1994 (re-print 2001)

Pages: 503

"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)."

I have to admit that when I first saw In The Dark I wasn’t all that impressed. The cover wasn’t particularly striking, nor was the title all that inspiring. I’d like the other Richard Laymon books I’d read so far and this convinced me to go ahead and give it a shot. I’m extremely glad I did.

The story is relatively straight-forward. The main character is Jane Kerry, a rather nondescript young librarian for the Donnerville Public Library. One night she stays late in order to close the place and that is the same night she finds the envelope the blocky letters of her name written on it. Inside she finds $50 and the note above preceding this review. From this moment on the paranoia begins to creep into her life and throughout the remainder of the book she never manages to shake it. This leads her through some of the most teeth-grindingly anxious pages of fiction I’ve read to date…

On this same night, Jane is startled to find that Brace Paxton had remained in the library late, as well. The subject of her note from MOG comes up and Brace helps her to solve the first riddle of the game. From here they set out on a date and even against Jane’s better instincts, a relationship between the two of them begins to blossom. Of course, as the game goes on, the stakes get higher terms of both reward and risk.

There’s was a certain uniqueness about this novel for me. I didn’t like Jane a bit. There were many times when I felt that if I’d known her in person there would be no way I could keep myself from screaming obscenities at her. Laymon casts her at first as a somewhat indecisive gal who’s insanely curious with a strong streak of defiance running throughout her personality. Not only is she somewhat of a nerd, she’s not much of an athlete, either. None of these things are that big of a deal unless you’re taking on the kind of risks that common street thug would have the presence of mind to think twice about.

It’s difficult to define just how grating Jane’s personality is. She’s not after the money, even though she likes it. She’s simply got something to prove to herself. Apparently what she’s trying to prove is that she possesses some level of rational thought and doesn’t have an overshadowing inferiority complex. I found her decisions to be incredibly frustrating throughout most of the book but she does develop over time so I suppose I should give her some token credit. Honestly, though it felt like Jane was on some quest to join the BDSM scene the entire time.

Fortunately for me the villain of In the Dark is much more interesting. I’m obviously not going to give away who this person is but I can tell you that I was extremely pleased to see him once he was revealed. I enjoy the clever villain and it’s even better if he’s somewhat of a sarcastic jerk (when you don’t like the hero). MOG devises some of the most torturous scenarios that are genuinely freaky and Jane volunteers herself to go through each situation. See? You can’t even really blame MOG. He’s simply an archetype of the devil, never forcing his victim to do anything, merely luring them in and then outsmarting them - repeatedly. Three cheers for MOG for keeping things interesting!

I find it fascinating that this book was first written in 1994. The game element of the story really reminded me of some sort of reality show, yet those weren’t so popular at the time of this book’s first publication. There’s a definite element of voyeurism within these pages. We witness the inner conflicts of Jane from a first-person perspective, we get to see how she comes to her decisions, not just the results of those decisions. It’s a real statement about what certain people will put themselves through and how many times, being the victim is a choice.

This book was difficult to put down. I found myself constantly looking forward to each new challenge from MOG. Watch for the scene in the mansion and you’ll see what I mean by "genuinely freaky". As always there’s the copious sex and gore required from any Laymon novel, but there’s also a solid dose of humor that comes in watching the jumpy Jane continually guess incorrectly who MOG is and make an ass out herself leaping to conclusions. A seriously fun read with the lightest touch of seriousness. It’s one of those books I found myself babbling to my friends about, knowing full well I’d be ruining the story for them later but being too carried away by enthusiasm to care.

In the end I have to give this novel a 4 out of 5. Why? Because I don’t like seeing dogs portrayed negatively and I don’t like Jane.

Bookmark This Story!

Hide Sites