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The Lake
Leigh is young, rebellious and beautiful -- and she yearns for a summer of excitement by the lake. Maybe she'll find it in the arms of the handsome boy who rows her out to the abandoned beach house. Or maybe she'll stumble into a legacy of terror which will shatter her life... — Eighteen years later, Deana has no knowledge of her mother's troubled past and not that much interest. She just wants to make out somewhere cool with her boyfriend -- to let her hair down and live a little. If only living were that simple. But that summer at the lake casts a long shadow. And when the horrors of the past meet the perils of the present, both mother and daughter are plunged into a nightmare of blood and terror from which there is no escape.
402 pages, Paperback
First published April 5, 2004
125 people are currently reading
1457 people want to read
About the author
Richard Laymon
216 books2,268 followersRichard Laymon was born in Chicago and grew up in California. He earned a BA in English Literature from Willamette University, Oregon and an MA from Loyola University, Los Angeles. He worked as a schoolteacher, a librarian, and a report writer for a law firm, and was the author of more than thirty acclaimed novels.
He also published more than sixty short stories in magazines such as Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock, and Cavalier, and in anthologies including Modern Masters of Horror.
He died from a massive heart attack on February 14, 2001 (Valentine's Day).
Also published under the name Richard Kelly
He also published more than sixty short stories in magazines such as Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock, and Cavalier, and in anthologies including Modern Masters of Horror.
He died from a massive heart attack on February 14, 2001 (Valentine's Day).
Also published under the name Richard Kelly
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews
June 9, 2021
This certainly is among Laymon's best novels because he came up with quite a catchy story here. Leigh has sexual intercourse with a boy named Charlie while being on vacation with her aunt and uncle. She's rather a wild young lady. After that a child is born, Deanah. Now, 18 years later we hear about a serial killer, killing black haired women. Why is he focused on that type of woman and what is the relation to the featured female characters of the novel? Who is Mace, a police detective who fell in love with Leigh? Laymon put in everything here: violence, gore, explicit sex scenes, women undressing, huge breasts, detailed descriptions but this time he has a great underlying story here, a terrifying serial killer on the loose. He will strike again and again but you'll never know when! Will the main characters survive? How is the twisty plot solved? Past and present are interwoven in a great way by the author. The novel is extremely compelling and nail biting. To me very convincing. Laymon on top of his game. Highly recommended!
July 21, 2015
Oh man. What did I just read? What a convoluted mess this is. I get it, though. This was released posthumously, and I figure Laymon had some story notes that he never arranged into a cohesive plot, and someone unwisely filled in the blanks and released it to make a few bucks. What a shame. I pat myself on the back for seeing it through, but that's pretty much a couple of days I will never get back. I need to read a real Laymon novel now, to cleanse my pallette.
Best advice: steer clear of this one.
Best advice: steer clear of this one.
July 23, 2021
“He might have left the car here as a message,” Mace suggested. “A warning that he can get to you if he wants. Or maybe he’s toying with you.”
“Toying?”
“This guy is not a normal person. He’s probably totally different from anyone in your experience.”
“You mean like a psycho?” Deana asked.
“That’s what I mean.”
“Move over, Norman Bates.”
“So there’s no telling what he might do.”
More graphic sex than thrills in this last published posthumously novel from late Richard Laymon, and characters having midnight runs with a killer on the prowl or showing up psychic powers just to save the day in the end were a real letdown for me, but unlikely events and a soft spot for breasts always been author's trademarks so I knew what I was gettin' when I started reading this one.
“It’s in the lake.”
“What?” Leigh asked, uncertain what Charlie meant.
“My old man, he took it out on the lake and tossed it in with an anchor. Guess it’s still down there.”
Leigh frowned, trying to make sense of what Charlie had said. Suddenly, she realized that “it” was his stillborn twin. Charlie’s father had weighted the body with an anchor and left it in the lake.
She’d been swimming in the lake…
Not Laymon's best one, but I mostly enjoyed the mistery with its creepy lakeside setting and backstory.
The woman’s sobs grew fainter. They were fading away now into whimpering little gasps.
Nelson doubled up. He started to heave at the soft, gurgling, bubbling sounds that came next.
There was more grunting and—slurping. Then disgusting wet noises, growling, and a low humming, like animals feeding.
More slurps.
Vomit shot from Nelson’s mouth. Gasping, struggling for breath, he clamped a hand to his mouth and ran.
2.5 stars rounded up to three.
September 3, 2023
Review to come after it's been discussed in the Richard Laymon Book Club. 3.5 stars down to 3.
UPDATE: 3rd September 2023.
The Lake was Augusts pick for The Richard Laymon Book Club on instagram. It's entertaining and confusing at the same time. Not one of the best I have read of his work so far that's for sure.
Leigh is a rebellious hippy teen who has a run in with the law. Her parents ship her off to her uncle and auntie who live in a remote vacation area by a lake to hopefully prevent her getting into any more trouble from bad influences. During this trip she meets a boy Charlie she becomes infatuated with. Charlie has an overbearing mother who has sheltered him from the world. During this trip Leigh becomes pregnant and tragedy strikes the couple.
18 years on Leigh is a successful business owner and Denna her daughter is showing her own wild streak. What follows is Leigh's past catching up with her and Deena and her present problems with her business decisions also coming to the forefront with violent consequences.
So for the majority of this I had no real idea of how this story was all going to make sense. We meet a list of characters such as Nelson, Mace, Warren and Sheena all connected to the family and all a little weird and off. I was wondering who the killer was and how they were connected to Leigh's past. Who can be trusted out of this group of characters and who is going to make it out alive?
It has scenes of violence and gratuitous sex but not on the level of some of his books I have previously read. The mystery of this is the best part for me trying to figure out who could be trusted and who the actual killer was and why. It's very sloppy in its narrative as plot points are resolved in unrealistic or "easy" ways such as how Denna is saved from the killer. There is some absolute mind boggling stupid decisions our characters make in this as well which made me roll my eyes. There are scenes which make zero sense and are added which bring nothing to the plot ( looking at you old hags ). It also for the most part has very little to do with a lake.
This was published posthumously and there has been suggestions online that it was not finished completely and someone else has finished the manuscript on his behalf. If that is true or not I'm not sure.
It's good I did enjoy this even if it is nonsensical for the majority of the story. Its still very entertaining. The best part about reading this book was the actual discussion for the book club it has me laughing so hard reliving how stupid alot of the plot was.
.
UPDATE: 3rd September 2023.
The Lake was Augusts pick for The Richard Laymon Book Club on instagram. It's entertaining and confusing at the same time. Not one of the best I have read of his work so far that's for sure.
Leigh is a rebellious hippy teen who has a run in with the law. Her parents ship her off to her uncle and auntie who live in a remote vacation area by a lake to hopefully prevent her getting into any more trouble from bad influences. During this trip she meets a boy Charlie she becomes infatuated with. Charlie has an overbearing mother who has sheltered him from the world. During this trip Leigh becomes pregnant and tragedy strikes the couple.
18 years on Leigh is a successful business owner and Denna her daughter is showing her own wild streak. What follows is Leigh's past catching up with her and Deena and her present problems with her business decisions also coming to the forefront with violent consequences.
So for the majority of this I had no real idea of how this story was all going to make sense. We meet a list of characters such as Nelson, Mace, Warren and Sheena all connected to the family and all a little weird and off. I was wondering who the killer was and how they were connected to Leigh's past. Who can be trusted out of this group of characters and who is going to make it out alive?
It has scenes of violence and gratuitous sex but not on the level of some of his books I have previously read. The mystery of this is the best part for me trying to figure out who could be trusted and who the actual killer was and why. It's very sloppy in its narrative as plot points are resolved in unrealistic or "easy" ways such as how Denna is saved from the killer. There is some absolute mind boggling stupid decisions our characters make in this as well which made me roll my eyes. There are scenes which make zero sense and are added which bring nothing to the plot ( looking at you old hags ). It also for the most part has very little to do with a lake.
This was published posthumously and there has been suggestions online that it was not finished completely and someone else has finished the manuscript on his behalf. If that is true or not I'm not sure.
It's good I did enjoy this even if it is nonsensical for the majority of the story. Its still very entertaining. The best part about reading this book was the actual discussion for the book club it has me laughing so hard reliving how stupid alot of the plot was.
.
April 26, 2023
Leigh is young, rebellious and beautiful, she yearns for a summer of excitement by the lake. Maybe she'll find it in the arms of the handsome boy who rows her out to the abandoned beach house. Or maybe she'll stumble into a legacy of terror which will shatter her life. Eighteen years later, Deana has no knowledge of her mother's troubled past and not that much interest. But that summer at the lake casts a long shadow, and when the horrors of the past meet the perils of the present, both mother and daughter are plunged into a nightmare of blood and terror from which there is no escape.
I really enjoyed this until the final 20% of the book. The characterization was strong even though the protagonists weren't particularly likable. The tension and mystery of a creepy lake setting during the summertime, haunted by the presence of a demented family carrying a dark history closing in on an unsuspecting valley girl was unnerving. The subplot regarding the lake ended in a completely unexpected way, where I was expecting one character to end up being evil only for them to be innocent and killed off in a tragic accident which sparks the wrath of the other members of the depraved family. The shocking twist here really impressed me. It was disturbing and creepy for most of the book, but logic and pacing were completely thrown out the window during the last 20% of the story. Leigh and Deana were always reckless and impulsive, but they were never quite stupid or illogical until this part of the book. Not just them either, everyone.
A character suddenly gains psychic vision which instantly gives them the ability to capture one of the primary villains. Conspiracies and plot twists are tossed around willy nilly with little buildup and questionable explanations. Characters start acting uncharacteristically rash and downright silly. A character seemingly dies only to reappear a few chapters later with no real explanation. The smart female cop suddenly turns into an idiot that throws herself and the people she's in charge of protecting in harm's way when it can easily be avoided. A group of evil old ladies harass Deana for several chapters only to end up having no relevance or resolution in the grand scheme of the plot. A lot of stuff goes unfinished with no explanation which destroys the point of introducing them in the first place and there's so many leaps in logic that are hard to take seriously, all of this is only a problem in the last 20%.
Despite my criticisms, I still enjoyed this for the most part. The shock, gore and extreme wackiness were on point like always. I can't blame it for feeling choppy and unorganized because it was published after the author passed away, meaning it wasn't officially finished or properly edited. The author had some great ideas here, unfortunately, he wasn't around to bring them to their full potential. I still have a lot of respect for Laymon though, the guy pulled no punches.
My rating: 3.0/5
I really enjoyed this until the final 20% of the book. The characterization was strong even though the protagonists weren't particularly likable. The tension and mystery of a creepy lake setting during the summertime, haunted by the presence of a demented family carrying a dark history closing in on an unsuspecting valley girl was unnerving. The subplot regarding the lake ended in a completely unexpected way, where I was expecting one character to end up being evil only for them to be innocent and killed off in a tragic accident which sparks the wrath of the other members of the depraved family. The shocking twist here really impressed me. It was disturbing and creepy for most of the book, but logic and pacing were completely thrown out the window during the last 20% of the story. Leigh and Deana were always reckless and impulsive, but they were never quite stupid or illogical until this part of the book. Not just them either, everyone.
A character suddenly gains psychic vision which instantly gives them the ability to capture one of the primary villains. Conspiracies and plot twists are tossed around willy nilly with little buildup and questionable explanations. Characters start acting uncharacteristically rash and downright silly. A character seemingly dies only to reappear a few chapters later with no real explanation. The smart female cop suddenly turns into an idiot that throws herself and the people she's in charge of protecting in harm's way when it can easily be avoided. A group of evil old ladies harass Deana for several chapters only to end up having no relevance or resolution in the grand scheme of the plot. A lot of stuff goes unfinished with no explanation which destroys the point of introducing them in the first place and there's so many leaps in logic that are hard to take seriously, all of this is only a problem in the last 20%.
Despite my criticisms, I still enjoyed this for the most part. The shock, gore and extreme wackiness were on point like always. I can't blame it for feeling choppy and unorganized because it was published after the author passed away, meaning it wasn't officially finished or properly edited. The author had some great ideas here, unfortunately, he wasn't around to bring them to their full potential. I still have a lot of respect for Laymon though, the guy pulled no punches.
My rating: 3.0/5
November 24, 2024
One of the cringiest books I have read in a long time.
Since the days when my reading tastes were more confined to the horror genre, Richard Laymon has been on my radar. I was never greatly interested in him, knowing only that his books were known for being excessively graphic, where both violence and sex are concerned. It has taken me much, much longer than I ever would have expected to finally try him out. But my God, was this a terrible first experience.
Now, to be fair, this book was released posthumously, meaning (so his fans say) Laymon would have greatly improved the novel had he endured the ordeal of life a little longer. And I have seen the amazing difference in an author's writing when they have died before finishing a book, but it is given to the fans as an unintentional middle-finger to said author's legacy. Just look at Crichton's terribly written Micro and compare it with any book he published when he was still alive. So perhaps it's not entirely fair to blame the mess of this book squarely on Laymon. But it's also hard not to wonder just how the fuck he could have possibly fixed it as even its very foundations are deeply flawed.
As it stands, this novel is one of the worst things I've ever read. It sucks on so many levels that a thoroughly detailed review is all that could be sufficient in placating the anger and disgust I feel from having endured it. Alas, I have not the time or inclination to bother. So, here's my quick, unhappy dismissal of the book ...
Barring one single moment in the only, unfortunately brief section of the story that was enjoyable - Leigh's fling with Charlie Payne at Lake Wahconda - there is nothing remotely scary here. It's just a totally run-of-the-mill "maniac on the loose" cliche ("Oh, the serial killer only targets black-haired women? How intriguing ... Wait! That's the colour of Leigh's hair! And her daughter's! Owowowow, buckle your seatbelts for this one, guys!) - which is in fact an insult to run-of-the-mill stories. Through the convoluted machinations of an entirely incoherent plot, several bullshit psychopaths inhabit the story, and you never really know (or care) who they are, or what the fuck is going on more generally.
Furthermore, anyone who says the villain is "terrifying" (and there are some on Goodreads, with many affirmative likes) needs to have their fucking head checked, because Silence of the Lambs this one ain't. No sense of threat or menace is ever instilled in the situation. Even after literally being attacked at the front door, before the lunatic escapes again, the dumbass mother and daughter (the latter already witnessing the murder of her boyfriend) just keep chilling out in their semi-isolated house, drinking champagne and having sex with their new boyfriends, going out on midnight jogs, not even having a police officer (let alone several) keep an eye on the place at night. Finally, some precautions are taken before the fuck-off climax, and they both stay hunkered down inside their house. But then the mother takes off to attend a supposed call from work ("Hey, I know you're locking yourself in, and you have strict orders from the police to stay inside ... but something up with the oven down here. Can you come?"), leaving her daughter alone in the house ("I knew you'd be sensible about it," the mother tells her).
Later in the book, the villain is literally caught in his apartment, outsmarted and handcuffed. Only Leigh and police officer Mattie decide not to cuff the serial-killer to something immovable and get the cops to escort his ass to the station. Instead, they run off like morons, acting all "how-can-this-be?" when the killer shows up again some hours later.
Despite the characters continuously insisting that Deana (the daughter) is an intelligent girl who should do her mother proud, there is nothing but an abundance of evidence to the contrary. And Laymon writes her so awfully: this came out in the early 2000's, where I feel like many hack writers thought it was somehow charming and relatable to infuse a "valley-girl" dialect into their writing. All weird placements of italics and overuse of exclamation marks, vapid inner-dialogues, a whole lot of shit that leaves you rooting for the bad guy when he kidnaps the stupid fucking girl.
I hated the way Deana just runs from one generic boyfriend to another one, just by chance bumping into Mr. Fucking Perfect (he winks, by the way - several times), who owns his own bookshop and charms the socks off Deana's mother, is full of witty retorts and literary references. And he happens to have a sister who can get visions to help find Deana when she gets kidnapped. Why? Fucking because.
And what the hell happenened to Mace and Mattie? Their characters just totally change halfway through the story. Mattie's all flirty and slutty with Mace at the beginning, then she becomes this hardened, no-nonsense tomboy lesbian. Mace is more or less normal, just a confident and toxically masculine police officer who likes receiving forced blowjobs, but then he turns into a cliche-spouting redneck, with all his "come to Uncle Mace, lil' gal" nonsense in the climax.
The writing was shit. The dialogue was terrible. The plot, even the way characters simply respond to events, is embarrassing. As just one example of a thousand, there's a moment when Deana finds out Mace (the villain) is her father's brother. This is discussed in detail. But then, a few pages later, the scene ends with the dramatic moment: "Deana. Mace is your uncle". "OH MY GOD!!!"
There's also some random shit with an old lady who was apparently a transvestite called Mommy Dearest, who you think is connected to the overarching story, but turns out to have nothing to do with it whatsoever. Just more pointless garbage.
As for the sex? Well yes, it is explicit. If you like an abundance of that in your horror reading, then you won't be disappointed. I think Laymon had a hard-on the whole time he wrote this. On top of there being way too many sex scenes that unfailingly amount to the same, fairly commonplace tropes of nipple rubbing, cock touching, oral sex and a weird amount of pubic-hair fondling, not a few pages go by without some kind of mention of someone's nipples hardening beneath their shirt, or that magic place between their thighs "squirming with excitement". I asked my wife if women, like me, get this kind of immediate, lustful reaction downstairs and she said they do. I always thought - I guess because I never once in my life turned on a woman - that is was more of a guy thing. I figured it was all a bit more complex and, I don't know, psychological or something for a woman. Either way, I still don't buy it here. It reads very much like incell-written pornography to impress one's virgin friends.
There was a short period of reading this book where (it makes me shudder to think it) I was actually really into it. The aforementioned section at Lake Wahconda, while hardly superb storytelling, did have me intrigued. But then the story just falls apart. It meanders from stupid, disconnected set-piece to set-piece, with a healthy dose of laughable coincidences, that it's basically just daring you to continue wasting your time with it.
Stephen King (usually a man of class), and Dean Koontz (only rarely so) have both endorsed this asshole's work. Apparently he's one of horror's greatest assets. But the only scary thing about this book is the fact that it was published, and that some people actually like it.
I say Richard Laymon is one of horror's biggest assets ... minus the 't'.
Since the days when my reading tastes were more confined to the horror genre, Richard Laymon has been on my radar. I was never greatly interested in him, knowing only that his books were known for being excessively graphic, where both violence and sex are concerned. It has taken me much, much longer than I ever would have expected to finally try him out. But my God, was this a terrible first experience.
Now, to be fair, this book was released posthumously, meaning (so his fans say) Laymon would have greatly improved the novel had he endured the ordeal of life a little longer. And I have seen the amazing difference in an author's writing when they have died before finishing a book, but it is given to the fans as an unintentional middle-finger to said author's legacy. Just look at Crichton's terribly written Micro and compare it with any book he published when he was still alive. So perhaps it's not entirely fair to blame the mess of this book squarely on Laymon. But it's also hard not to wonder just how the fuck he could have possibly fixed it as even its very foundations are deeply flawed.
As it stands, this novel is one of the worst things I've ever read. It sucks on so many levels that a thoroughly detailed review is all that could be sufficient in placating the anger and disgust I feel from having endured it. Alas, I have not the time or inclination to bother. So, here's my quick, unhappy dismissal of the book ...
Barring one single moment in the only, unfortunately brief section of the story that was enjoyable - Leigh's fling with Charlie Payne at Lake Wahconda - there is nothing remotely scary here. It's just a totally run-of-the-mill "maniac on the loose" cliche ("Oh, the serial killer only targets black-haired women? How intriguing ... Wait! That's the colour of Leigh's hair! And her daughter's! Owowowow, buckle your seatbelts for this one, guys!) - which is in fact an insult to run-of-the-mill stories. Through the convoluted machinations of an entirely incoherent plot, several bullshit psychopaths inhabit the story, and you never really know (or care) who they are, or what the fuck is going on more generally.
Furthermore, anyone who says the villain is "terrifying" (and there are some on Goodreads, with many affirmative likes) needs to have their fucking head checked, because Silence of the Lambs this one ain't. No sense of threat or menace is ever instilled in the situation. Even after literally being attacked at the front door, before the lunatic escapes again, the dumbass mother and daughter (the latter already witnessing the murder of her boyfriend) just keep chilling out in their semi-isolated house, drinking champagne and having sex with their new boyfriends, going out on midnight jogs, not even having a police officer (let alone several) keep an eye on the place at night. Finally, some precautions are taken before the fuck-off climax, and they both stay hunkered down inside their house. But then the mother takes off to attend a supposed call from work ("Hey, I know you're locking yourself in, and you have strict orders from the police to stay inside ... but something up with the oven down here. Can you come?"), leaving her daughter alone in the house ("I knew you'd be sensible about it," the mother tells her).
Later in the book, the villain is literally caught in his apartment, outsmarted and handcuffed. Only Leigh and police officer Mattie decide not to cuff the serial-killer to something immovable and get the cops to escort his ass to the station. Instead, they run off like morons, acting all "how-can-this-be?" when the killer shows up again some hours later.
Despite the characters continuously insisting that Deana (the daughter) is an intelligent girl who should do her mother proud, there is nothing but an abundance of evidence to the contrary. And Laymon writes her so awfully: this came out in the early 2000's, where I feel like many hack writers thought it was somehow charming and relatable to infuse a "valley-girl" dialect into their writing. All weird placements of italics and overuse of exclamation marks, vapid inner-dialogues, a whole lot of shit that leaves you rooting for the bad guy when he kidnaps the stupid fucking girl.
I hated the way Deana just runs from one generic boyfriend to another one, just by chance bumping into Mr. Fucking Perfect (he winks, by the way - several times), who owns his own bookshop and charms the socks off Deana's mother, is full of witty retorts and literary references. And he happens to have a sister who can get visions to help find Deana when she gets kidnapped. Why? Fucking because.
And what the hell happenened to Mace and Mattie? Their characters just totally change halfway through the story. Mattie's all flirty and slutty with Mace at the beginning, then she becomes this hardened, no-nonsense tomboy lesbian. Mace is more or less normal, just a confident and toxically masculine police officer who likes receiving forced blowjobs, but then he turns into a cliche-spouting redneck, with all his "come to Uncle Mace, lil' gal" nonsense in the climax.
The writing was shit. The dialogue was terrible. The plot, even the way characters simply respond to events, is embarrassing. As just one example of a thousand, there's a moment when Deana finds out Mace (the villain) is her father's brother. This is discussed in detail. But then, a few pages later, the scene ends with the dramatic moment: "Deana. Mace is your uncle". "OH MY GOD!!!"
There's also some random shit with an old lady who was apparently a transvestite called Mommy Dearest, who you think is connected to the overarching story, but turns out to have nothing to do with it whatsoever. Just more pointless garbage.
As for the sex? Well yes, it is explicit. If you like an abundance of that in your horror reading, then you won't be disappointed. I think Laymon had a hard-on the whole time he wrote this. On top of there being way too many sex scenes that unfailingly amount to the same, fairly commonplace tropes of nipple rubbing, cock touching, oral sex and a weird amount of pubic-hair fondling, not a few pages go by without some kind of mention of someone's nipples hardening beneath their shirt, or that magic place between their thighs "squirming with excitement". I asked my wife if women, like me, get this kind of immediate, lustful reaction downstairs and she said they do. I always thought - I guess because I never once in my life turned on a woman - that is was more of a guy thing. I figured it was all a bit more complex and, I don't know, psychological or something for a woman. Either way, I still don't buy it here. It reads very much like incell-written pornography to impress one's virgin friends.
There was a short period of reading this book where (it makes me shudder to think it) I was actually really into it. The aforementioned section at Lake Wahconda, while hardly superb storytelling, did have me intrigued. But then the story just falls apart. It meanders from stupid, disconnected set-piece to set-piece, with a healthy dose of laughable coincidences, that it's basically just daring you to continue wasting your time with it.
Stephen King (usually a man of class), and Dean Koontz (only rarely so) have both endorsed this asshole's work. Apparently he's one of horror's greatest assets. But the only scary thing about this book is the fact that it was published, and that some people actually like it.
I say Richard Laymon is one of horror's biggest assets ... minus the 't'.
November 18, 2015
Intricately plotted horror thriller about the aftermath of a tragic accident that happens on a lake in Wisconsin in the late 60s.The event itself is made even worse by the fact that the victim comes from a family of homicidal lunatics.
18 year old Berkeley-hippie-radical Leigh is sent by her conservative parents to visit her aunt and uncle in the Wisconsin lake country where she meets shy but sexy Charlie. He gets her pregnant before he falls to his death through the rotting boards of an old abandoned mansion. Of course the death is just the tip of an iceberg under which lies murder, vengeance, sadism, and a whole lot of madness. Now, 18 years later, Leigh and Charlie's daughter, Deana, is being stalked by several crazies at least one of whom may have direct ties to the incident back at the lake.
Richard Laymon actually serves up less gore than in some of his other works, but the story is still spine tingling and extremely graphic in places. The characters are complex and weave their way in and out of each other's past experiences maybe just a little too coincidentally to be totally believable. Still it's a hell of a surprising, sexy, and engrossing thriller.
18 year old Berkeley-hippie-radical Leigh is sent by her conservative parents to visit her aunt and uncle in the Wisconsin lake country where she meets shy but sexy Charlie. He gets her pregnant before he falls to his death through the rotting boards of an old abandoned mansion. Of course the death is just the tip of an iceberg under which lies murder, vengeance, sadism, and a whole lot of madness. Now, 18 years later, Leigh and Charlie's daughter, Deana, is being stalked by several crazies at least one of whom may have direct ties to the incident back at the lake.
Richard Laymon actually serves up less gore than in some of his other works, but the story is still spine tingling and extremely graphic in places. The characters are complex and weave their way in and out of each other's past experiences maybe just a little too coincidentally to be totally believable. Still it's a hell of a surprising, sexy, and engrossing thriller.
January 27, 2016
Richard Laymon has always been a much revered horror author, choosing as his style to employ horror, shock effects, and sexuality in his work. Unfortunately, The Lake is not a book worth praising. Suspense is there, but it’s scarce, and frankly the reader doesn’t really care. I couldn’t get over the bizarre plot, the too unbelievable coincidences, and I could loan even less forgiveness to the hideous characterization.
It’s a rule in the publishing world that the ! sign be kept to a minimum. Also, capitalizing words or sentences to show that the character is screaming, or else is stunned, is lazy writing if overused. Here Laymon sins repeatedly, and I almost feel that the book was only published and this was overlooked simply because he had already gathered a following. His other works did not have this flaw, and one must wonder what was going on in his personal life to create such a rushed piece.
Dialogue is painfully pitiful for the most part. It’s unnatural that when characters speak to each other, they keep saying the others name in each sentence. The dream sequences used with the young girl, Deana, grows confusing, and so many times is not needed and only hurts the story. To make matters worse, the story is told through a valley girl style, with exclamations and comments capitalized by teenage slang that screams cardboard character.
The plot isn’t better. In fact, the book was hard to finish, and even harder to keep picking up. It starts promising enough, but then everything becomes so muddled it’s painful to wade through. The ending doesn’t answer all the questions, being obviously a bizarre twist just inserted to have something. Storyline isn’t consistent, and some things are rather irrelevant seeming. If he had following up with the story line the book began with, it would have been more interesting, or even the second storyline, but as it stands….well, I’m speechless.
Due to the weaker writing style, the bizarre plot that doesn’t entertain, bounces all over the place when it doesn’t need to, doesn’t make sense, and the false characters with painful internal and external monologue, The Lake isn’t a book I’d recommend. Frankly, I’m surprised it was even published. Read another Laymon book if you wish to be entertained, but stay far, far away from this one.
It’s a rule in the publishing world that the ! sign be kept to a minimum. Also, capitalizing words or sentences to show that the character is screaming, or else is stunned, is lazy writing if overused. Here Laymon sins repeatedly, and I almost feel that the book was only published and this was overlooked simply because he had already gathered a following. His other works did not have this flaw, and one must wonder what was going on in his personal life to create such a rushed piece.
Dialogue is painfully pitiful for the most part. It’s unnatural that when characters speak to each other, they keep saying the others name in each sentence. The dream sequences used with the young girl, Deana, grows confusing, and so many times is not needed and only hurts the story. To make matters worse, the story is told through a valley girl style, with exclamations and comments capitalized by teenage slang that screams cardboard character.
The plot isn’t better. In fact, the book was hard to finish, and even harder to keep picking up. It starts promising enough, but then everything becomes so muddled it’s painful to wade through. The ending doesn’t answer all the questions, being obviously a bizarre twist just inserted to have something. Storyline isn’t consistent, and some things are rather irrelevant seeming. If he had following up with the story line the book began with, it would have been more interesting, or even the second storyline, but as it stands….well, I’m speechless.
Due to the weaker writing style, the bizarre plot that doesn’t entertain, bounces all over the place when it doesn’t need to, doesn’t make sense, and the false characters with painful internal and external monologue, The Lake isn’t a book I’d recommend. Frankly, I’m surprised it was even published. Read another Laymon book if you wish to be entertained, but stay far, far away from this one.
February 23, 2022
Story 4/5
Narration 5/5
Narration 5/5
February 22, 2013
Call me crazy but I loved this book! I walked by it three times, on three separate occasions and hesitated based on the lukewarm and bad reviews it got here but I'm happy I finally got the guts to trust my own instinct and I got it anyway.
Laymon writes some pretty gory, intense and horrific scenes and this book started with one of them. If you don't like that kind of a book, then stick to gentler Dean Koontz, whom I also like and who suits more people's palates. In a nutshell this story is about Leigh, the mother who has some past secrets that connect her to the lake and its inhabitants. Her past comes to haunt her later as her own child ends up a target, perhaps by a random madman or someone that Leigh has wronged in the past. The story follows the past and the future and delivers a dynamite suspense and plenty of steamy lustful scenes.
The Lake is a vortex of sorts, a place where teenage Leigh went to when her parents send her away in order to calm down and relax, instead her hormones got in the way and she ended up meeting Charlie. I have never in my life read a book where the female characters were this horny, but I got over it and it made the story tighter. I was fascinated reading about Lake Wahconda where one hot summer she had a lusty affair that ended up in a tragedy that would haunt her for longer than she knew. The descriptions of the warm days, the kayaking, the fishing, food and happiness she felt at the beginning were wonderful to read, I could see the glassy black surface of the lake as she rested on the pier. Happy days were interrupted after a love affair gone badly. Her daughter Deana was born nine months after that tragic day, as you can imagine what Leigh did with Charlie. Unknowns to Leigh and her Daughter, eighteen years later another tragedy strikes, as Deana and her boyfriend Allan are caught in a nightmare and the story gets really intense.
Both the mother and daughter try to move on and begin to get involved with men, who act questionably and who do not get too much trust form the reader. Laymon's writing made everyone a suspect, as bodies kept piling up and strange behaviors in the West house kept occurring on hourly basis. The story is not hard to follow but can be spoiled easy, as many men and women in it are entangled in Leigh's past, and who pose a secret threat to her and her daughter. Eventually one of them gets in a big mess and a kidnapping and the story takes on a wilder turn as the clues come together. I thought that the characters were fleshed out enough, as Laymon wrote many pages where their thought rambled on, making it realistic, as I know I think things through a lot when I'm in a jam.
Overall I rally enjoyed this tale, of Leigh's past and present, mixed up with creepy characters and her daughter getting involved with boyfriends of her own who were not to be trusted. Many perils awaited them and I loved solving the clues and puzzles as to who was the bad guy in sheep's clothes, which would put up a fight against two women who did not want to give up.
Laymon writes some pretty gory, intense and horrific scenes and this book started with one of them. If you don't like that kind of a book, then stick to gentler Dean Koontz, whom I also like and who suits more people's palates. In a nutshell this story is about Leigh, the mother who has some past secrets that connect her to the lake and its inhabitants. Her past comes to haunt her later as her own child ends up a target, perhaps by a random madman or someone that Leigh has wronged in the past. The story follows the past and the future and delivers a dynamite suspense and plenty of steamy lustful scenes.
The Lake is a vortex of sorts, a place where teenage Leigh went to when her parents send her away in order to calm down and relax, instead her hormones got in the way and she ended up meeting Charlie. I have never in my life read a book where the female characters were this horny, but I got over it and it made the story tighter. I was fascinated reading about Lake Wahconda where one hot summer she had a lusty affair that ended up in a tragedy that would haunt her for longer than she knew. The descriptions of the warm days, the kayaking, the fishing, food and happiness she felt at the beginning were wonderful to read, I could see the glassy black surface of the lake as she rested on the pier. Happy days were interrupted after a love affair gone badly. Her daughter Deana was born nine months after that tragic day, as you can imagine what Leigh did with Charlie. Unknowns to Leigh and her Daughter, eighteen years later another tragedy strikes, as Deana and her boyfriend Allan are caught in a nightmare and the story gets really intense.
Both the mother and daughter try to move on and begin to get involved with men, who act questionably and who do not get too much trust form the reader. Laymon's writing made everyone a suspect, as bodies kept piling up and strange behaviors in the West house kept occurring on hourly basis. The story is not hard to follow but can be spoiled easy, as many men and women in it are entangled in Leigh's past, and who pose a secret threat to her and her daughter. Eventually one of them gets in a big mess and a kidnapping and the story takes on a wilder turn as the clues come together. I thought that the characters were fleshed out enough, as Laymon wrote many pages where their thought rambled on, making it realistic, as I know I think things through a lot when I'm in a jam.
Overall I rally enjoyed this tale, of Leigh's past and present, mixed up with creepy characters and her daughter getting involved with boyfriends of her own who were not to be trusted. Many perils awaited them and I loved solving the clues and puzzles as to who was the bad guy in sheep's clothes, which would put up a fight against two women who did not want to give up.
September 2, 2023
Leigh’s summer with her aunt & uncle is a little boring, but picks up with the arrival of a handsome boy who she meets out on the lake. But the romance doesn’t quite go as planned… Fast forward eighteen years later and Leigh’s daughter Deana has a terrifying and traumatic experience on a moonlit night. Little does she know that Leigh’s past and her present are about to collide, with no way of escaping the impact.
I used to be a huge Laymon & horror fan back in the day. Then I kind of drifted away from the genre. However when I saw an Instagram post about the Laymon Book Group re-reading The Lake last month, I felt it was the perfect time to revisit the past.
I absolutely loved the first part of the book. Hearing about Leigh’s time in Wisconsin had me gripped. The story flowed with a lovely underlying sense of tension and menace. I did feel though, that once we got back to the present day it went a bit crazy with bizarre events and people being thrown into the story (CHAPTER 39!!!) making the plot seem pretty implausible and quite random.
But still, returning to an author I had previously spent so much time with felt great, I remembered his style of writing, I still loved it, there was a huge sense of familiarity and ‘oh hello again’ from this story. He got my heart racing and I loved all the creepy characters he introduced. I’ve cried laughing pulling this story apart with the book club members, but despite the odd few gripes I did actually enjoy it and can’t wait for next month’s chosen read, Endless Night.
So, whether they like it or not the Laymon Book Club are stuck with me!
I used to be a huge Laymon & horror fan back in the day. Then I kind of drifted away from the genre. However when I saw an Instagram post about the Laymon Book Group re-reading The Lake last month, I felt it was the perfect time to revisit the past.
I absolutely loved the first part of the book. Hearing about Leigh’s time in Wisconsin had me gripped. The story flowed with a lovely underlying sense of tension and menace. I did feel though, that once we got back to the present day it went a bit crazy with bizarre events and people being thrown into the story (CHAPTER 39!!!) making the plot seem pretty implausible and quite random.
But still, returning to an author I had previously spent so much time with felt great, I remembered his style of writing, I still loved it, there was a huge sense of familiarity and ‘oh hello again’ from this story. He got my heart racing and I loved all the creepy characters he introduced. I’ve cried laughing pulling this story apart with the book club members, but despite the odd few gripes I did actually enjoy it and can’t wait for next month’s chosen read, Endless Night.
So, whether they like it or not the Laymon Book Club are stuck with me!
October 9, 2016
Ich habe in den letzten Monaten bereits einige Bücher von Richard Laymon gelesen und war von denen meist auch sehr begeistert, von daher war ich schon sehr auf "Das ufer" gespannt und hatte doch recht hohe Erwartungen an die Geschichte. Leider war dies ein Fehler, denn ich musste bereits früh feststellen, dass die Geschichte leider nicht mit anderen Werken des Autors mithalten kann.
Richard Laymon besitzt hier zwar wieder seine oftmals saloppe, sehr direkte und einfach gehaltene Sprache, die mir immer sehr zugesagt hat, allerdings wollte bei "Das Ufer" nie ganz der Funke überspringen. Das Buch liest sich recht flüssig und leicht, besitzt den ein oder anderen Schocker und auch die Figuren sind im Großen und Ganzen gut ausgearbeitet, allerdings hat mir hier die Besonderheit gefehlt, um voll und ganz ans Buch gefesselt zu werden.
Ich fand die Idee mit dem verlassenen Haus am See sehr interessant und auch zum Großteil umgesetzt und auch die Tatsache, dass hier wiederkehrende Ereignisse auch nach Jahren noch vorkommen, allerdings hatte ich oftmals das Gefühl, als hätte ich genau solche Momente bereits in sehr vielen Horrorfilmen erlebt, sodass ich zwar doch das ein oder andere mal geschockt war, aber die ganz großen Schockmomente und Highlights sind leider ausgeblieben.
Die Figuren sind aber relativ gut ausgearbeitet. Leigh und ihre Tochter Deana haben für mich gut funktioniert, kommen jedoch nicht ohne das ein oder andere Klischee aus. Während Leigh bereits sehr viel im Leben durchmachen musste, hat Deana noch schlimme Dinge vor sich, denn ihr Freund stirbt nach einer gemeinsamen Nacht und auch sie befindet sich plötzlich in Gefahr, sodass hierbei nicht nur die Suche nach dem Mörder beginnt, sondern auch ein Überlebenskampf, der oftmals recht ausschweifend und brutal geschildert wird.
"Das Ufer" hat seine Höhen, aber auch viele Tiefen, über die ich nicht hinwegsehen kann. Grundsätzlich mag ich den Schreibstil des Autors sehr, allerdings empfand ich diesen hier auch viel zu ausschweifend. Hätte man bewusst einige Wiederholungen weggelassen und manches weniger ausgeschmückt, wäre die Geschichte nicht nur lebendiger, sondern auch spannender gewesen. Es wäre somit ratsam gewesen, wenn die Geschichte gut und gerne fünfzig bis hundert Seiten weniger gehabt hätte.
Das Cover trifft meinen Geschmack zwar nicht ganz, allerdings muss ich schon sagen, dass dies gut zur Geschichte passt und somit gelungen ist. Die Kurzbeschreibung liest sich dagegen richtig spannend und fasst nur das Nötigste zusammen, sodass man auf den Verlauf der Geschichte gespannt sein darf.
Kurz gesagt: „Das Ufer“ ist zwar an sich wieder einmal ein spannendes und stellenweise schockierendes Buch, allerdings hat der Autor schon deutlich bessere Geschichten abgeliefert, sodass dieses hier doch recht schnell wieder vergessen ist. Die Figuren sind zwar an sich gut ausgearbeitet und auch das Setting weiß zu überzeugen, allerdings hat bei mir der nötige Funke gefehlt, um vollends begeistert zu sein. Schade!
Richard Laymon besitzt hier zwar wieder seine oftmals saloppe, sehr direkte und einfach gehaltene Sprache, die mir immer sehr zugesagt hat, allerdings wollte bei "Das Ufer" nie ganz der Funke überspringen. Das Buch liest sich recht flüssig und leicht, besitzt den ein oder anderen Schocker und auch die Figuren sind im Großen und Ganzen gut ausgearbeitet, allerdings hat mir hier die Besonderheit gefehlt, um voll und ganz ans Buch gefesselt zu werden.
Ich fand die Idee mit dem verlassenen Haus am See sehr interessant und auch zum Großteil umgesetzt und auch die Tatsache, dass hier wiederkehrende Ereignisse auch nach Jahren noch vorkommen, allerdings hatte ich oftmals das Gefühl, als hätte ich genau solche Momente bereits in sehr vielen Horrorfilmen erlebt, sodass ich zwar doch das ein oder andere mal geschockt war, aber die ganz großen Schockmomente und Highlights sind leider ausgeblieben.
Die Figuren sind aber relativ gut ausgearbeitet. Leigh und ihre Tochter Deana haben für mich gut funktioniert, kommen jedoch nicht ohne das ein oder andere Klischee aus. Während Leigh bereits sehr viel im Leben durchmachen musste, hat Deana noch schlimme Dinge vor sich, denn ihr Freund stirbt nach einer gemeinsamen Nacht und auch sie befindet sich plötzlich in Gefahr, sodass hierbei nicht nur die Suche nach dem Mörder beginnt, sondern auch ein Überlebenskampf, der oftmals recht ausschweifend und brutal geschildert wird.
"Das Ufer" hat seine Höhen, aber auch viele Tiefen, über die ich nicht hinwegsehen kann. Grundsätzlich mag ich den Schreibstil des Autors sehr, allerdings empfand ich diesen hier auch viel zu ausschweifend. Hätte man bewusst einige Wiederholungen weggelassen und manches weniger ausgeschmückt, wäre die Geschichte nicht nur lebendiger, sondern auch spannender gewesen. Es wäre somit ratsam gewesen, wenn die Geschichte gut und gerne fünfzig bis hundert Seiten weniger gehabt hätte.
Das Cover trifft meinen Geschmack zwar nicht ganz, allerdings muss ich schon sagen, dass dies gut zur Geschichte passt und somit gelungen ist. Die Kurzbeschreibung liest sich dagegen richtig spannend und fasst nur das Nötigste zusammen, sodass man auf den Verlauf der Geschichte gespannt sein darf.
Kurz gesagt: „Das Ufer“ ist zwar an sich wieder einmal ein spannendes und stellenweise schockierendes Buch, allerdings hat der Autor schon deutlich bessere Geschichten abgeliefert, sodass dieses hier doch recht schnell wieder vergessen ist. Die Figuren sind zwar an sich gut ausgearbeitet und auch das Setting weiß zu überzeugen, allerdings hat bei mir der nötige Funke gefehlt, um vollends begeistert zu sein. Schade!
September 3, 2023
The Lake and it’s secrets
I absolutely love anything Richard Laymon, writes he was truly talented in making a small town story big. I could go on and on about him as an author but I’ll spare you the details. This book was a part of my monthly read and this is a book. I have not read by Richard Laymon before as I try to read his books here and there. This book was about a young woman who spends a summer with her Aunt and uncle. This summer trip she gets more than what she bargains for.
Sometimes they say you can’t run from your past as it has a way of finding you, this is true for our main character Leigh. The past cannot he buried as you must face it one way or another.
This book was action packed and no one can tell a story like Laymon. This is a page turner and it was very hard to put down. I love the action and the graphic and not so graphic scenes in the book.
Read this book you will not be disappointed.
I absolutely love anything Richard Laymon, writes he was truly talented in making a small town story big. I could go on and on about him as an author but I’ll spare you the details. This book was a part of my monthly read and this is a book. I have not read by Richard Laymon before as I try to read his books here and there. This book was about a young woman who spends a summer with her Aunt and uncle. This summer trip she gets more than what she bargains for.
Sometimes they say you can’t run from your past as it has a way of finding you, this is true for our main character Leigh. The past cannot he buried as you must face it one way or another.
This book was action packed and no one can tell a story like Laymon. This is a page turner and it was very hard to put down. I love the action and the graphic and not so graphic scenes in the book.
Read this book you will not be disappointed.
September 23, 2008
I'm seriously hoping that "The Traveling Vampire Show" and "Beast House" are better than this. Granted, I've read that this is Laymon's worst book - I hope so indeed. Characters do completely idiotic things to get captured by the killer... at one point I think Laymon just plain ran out of gas on where to go next. Add in a killer chef (?!?!) and a middle portion that reads like THE BLUE LAGOON!
January 13, 2019
So gefällt mir Laymon 👍🏼
October 18, 2019
Glad I did not pay anything at all for this. No character development. Dialogue and behaviors not believable at all. AND the "beef willington" - misspelled EVERY SINGLE TIME.
April 2, 2012
Note: This is taken from my review on Amazon.
I've read and own most of Laymon's work. I'm definitely a fan. However, this book didn't do it for me.
For starters, the plot felt very contrived and very loosely strung together. There was too much going on to take it seriously. One after another, improbable events keep happening. There was so much going on, it seems like he could have fleshed it out into two or even three different books. Instead, he tried to tie it all into "The Lake." There were a few characters that by the end you're left thinking "Why were they even included? What was their purpose?" I didn't even go into the numerous plot inconsistencies and holes you could drive a truck through.
Secondly, the characters did things that were just absolutely ridiculous and reacted not how any sane person would react. I'm sure you're familiar with the horror movies where you want to shout to the screen "Don't open the door!" or "Look behind you!" or "What the hell are you thinking?" There are numerous scenes in this book that make you want to do just that. Now, of course with these books you must have some suspension of disbelief. It comes with the territory. In fact, I'm usually really great at doing it. But surely there has to be a limit, right? This book not only stepped past the limit, it charged miles past it. I would give examples, but I might as well not ruin the story. If you read this book, you'll find out and it'll have you shaking your head.
In short: if you're a Laymon fan, may as well check this one out to say you've read it. If you're not, or not accustomed to Laymon's work, I suggest you stay about as far away from this one as you can. With the disjointed storylines, and absolutely dense characters, if you fall into the latter category, you're going to be ridiculously put off by this book.
I've read and own most of Laymon's work. I'm definitely a fan. However, this book didn't do it for me.
For starters, the plot felt very contrived and very loosely strung together. There was too much going on to take it seriously. One after another, improbable events keep happening. There was so much going on, it seems like he could have fleshed it out into two or even three different books. Instead, he tried to tie it all into "The Lake." There were a few characters that by the end you're left thinking "Why were they even included? What was their purpose?" I didn't even go into the numerous plot inconsistencies and holes you could drive a truck through.
Secondly, the characters did things that were just absolutely ridiculous and reacted not how any sane person would react. I'm sure you're familiar with the horror movies where you want to shout to the screen "Don't open the door!" or "Look behind you!" or "What the hell are you thinking?" There are numerous scenes in this book that make you want to do just that. Now, of course with these books you must have some suspension of disbelief. It comes with the territory. In fact, I'm usually really great at doing it. But surely there has to be a limit, right? This book not only stepped past the limit, it charged miles past it. I would give examples, but I might as well not ruin the story. If you read this book, you'll find out and it'll have you shaking your head.
In short: if you're a Laymon fan, may as well check this one out to say you've read it. If you're not, or not accustomed to Laymon's work, I suggest you stay about as far away from this one as you can. With the disjointed storylines, and absolutely dense characters, if you fall into the latter category, you're going to be ridiculously put off by this book.
Read
November 7, 2013I can't fairly give this a rating but I will say what I think about it. I won't rate it because I think it clearly remains unfinished. My buddy thinks that Laymon just used this book to develop ideas for other books and I think that may be true. It centers around Leigh and Deana, a sexy-but-stupid mother-daughter combo. Leigh had a bit of a crazy time back in the day at beautiful Lake Wahconda, and now things have come back to bite her in the ass. The story here is a mess, but like I said, I don't think Laymon got around to tightening things up. The time period is VERY hard to pinpoint. It mentions that things take place in 1999, but if that's true then Leigh was protesting the Vietnam War in the early 1980's! There is one character that supposedly dies, then near the end he turns up only to disappear again immediately and it is never explained. A phone line is cut only to be functional again a few minutes later. Leigh leaves poor Deana at home alone when she knows that a serial killer is loose with the sole intention of harming her daughter. At one point Leigh escapes the psycho and then decides to come home and take a shower, assuming that her daughter is safe but not really KNOWING. Man, it's all over the place and you gotta laugh or just put the book down.
The redeeming qualities of this book make it worth reading, I think. There are some weird things in here that I found to be delightful. These include a disgusting knife-wielding chef, a tragic love-story flashback sequence, cannibalistic troll people, a dead disfigured baby at the bottom of a lake, and my favorite - a creepy, cross-dressing old hag with super strength called "Mommy Dearest." I wish Mommy Dearest had her own book.
Anyways, that's "The Lake." I'm glad I finished it. It seems like I've been reading this thing for a while now.
The redeeming qualities of this book make it worth reading, I think. There are some weird things in here that I found to be delightful. These include a disgusting knife-wielding chef, a tragic love-story flashback sequence, cannibalistic troll people, a dead disfigured baby at the bottom of a lake, and my favorite - a creepy, cross-dressing old hag with super strength called "Mommy Dearest." I wish Mommy Dearest had her own book.
Anyways, that's "The Lake." I'm glad I finished it. It seems like I've been reading this thing for a while now.
April 8, 2017
Review of THE LAKE by Richard Laymon
The more I read by this master of horror and suspense, the more I find to marvel at concerning his deep understanding of the psychology of the aberrant. His human “monsters” are so evil that the supernatural or paranormal isn't needed. In THE LAKE, as in DARKNESS, TELL US and the BEAST HOUSE series, human greed, selfishness, and abnormal psychology reaches horrendous extremes. But author Laymon understood so well this type of psychology that the reader is not wondering “Is that possible?” but instead hoping we ourselves never encounter such.
The more I read by this master of horror and suspense, the more I find to marvel at concerning his deep understanding of the psychology of the aberrant. His human “monsters” are so evil that the supernatural or paranormal isn't needed. In THE LAKE, as in DARKNESS, TELL US and the BEAST HOUSE series, human greed, selfishness, and abnormal psychology reaches horrendous extremes. But author Laymon understood so well this type of psychology that the reader is not wondering “Is that possible?” but instead hoping we ourselves never encounter such.
August 31, 2025
2.25/5
This was a very confused, unfocused book that just seemed to plod along.
This was a very confused, unfocused book that just seemed to plod along.
November 11, 2018
Това май е последният роман на Леймън измъкнат от чекмеджето след смъртта му и става само за хардкор фенмасата. Личи си, че авторът не е мислил да го издава. Големи части от него са преработвани, доразвити и използвани в други негови произведения. Завършен е, има си начало, среда и край, но не е пристяган, има разминавания в сюжета и хронологията. Отделните части са хлабаво скрепени, има излишни герои и злодеи и цялото действие е накъсано и на места много нелогично.
Историята разказва за Лийт – силна самотна майка, чиято дъщеря Дейна става свидетел на насилствената смърт на приятеля си. Това отключва редица събития, дълбоко заровени в миналото на Лийт. Старите демони се надигат за изкупление и семейството, както и техните приятели ще бъдат пометени от верига зловещи събития, където никой не е това за което се представя.
Имаше добри попадения. Психопатът Мейс беше доста добър образ, травестита с кученцето, който се грижеше за забавленията в старческия дом не беше за изхвърляне, както и лудият готвач, обикалящ улиците с високата си шапка и сатър.
Само за запалени Леймонити и то само защото вече друго от автора няма.
Историята разказва за Лийт – силна самотна майка, чиято дъщеря Дейна става свидетел на насилствената смърт на приятеля си. Това отключва редица събития, дълбоко заровени в миналото на Лийт. Старите демони се надигат за изкупление и семейството, както и техните приятели ще бъдат пометени от верига зловещи събития, където никой не е това за което се представя.
Имаше добри попадения. Психопатът Мейс беше доста добър образ, травестита с кученцето, който се грижеше за забавленията в старческия дом не беше за изхвърляне, както и лудият готвач, обикалящ улиците с високата си шапка и сатър.
Само за запалени Леймонити и то само защото вече друго от автора няма.
March 13, 2010
Leigh is an 18 year old looking for fun on her vacation, and becomes involved in a relationship with the handsome, reserved boy who lives there. They have to keep things secret from his strange mother but when disaster strikes, Leigh has to flee home with traumatic memories to suppress. Now years later, she is a mother to a teenage girl and something from her past is coming back to haunt them both.
I was surprised to read that this is thought of as his worst book as for me it was one of his best. I'm not referring to the opinions of the people here who said they didn't like the book as we all have our own opinions on a book and that should be respected. I was referring to internet talk in general about it being the worst book. Personally I'd give that honour to Alarums!
I liked the way the forbidden relationship and the aftermath was written and dealt with and I liked Leigh as a character. The story kept me interested as her past comes back to haunt her. I'm not going to put in any spoilers so you'll just have to read it yourself!
I was surprised to read that this is thought of as his worst book as for me it was one of his best. I'm not referring to the opinions of the people here who said they didn't like the book as we all have our own opinions on a book and that should be respected. I was referring to internet talk in general about it being the worst book. Personally I'd give that honour to Alarums!
I liked the way the forbidden relationship and the aftermath was written and dealt with and I liked Leigh as a character. The story kept me interested as her past comes back to haunt her. I'm not going to put in any spoilers so you'll just have to read it yourself!
March 11, 2012
I seem to be going back and forth with not knowing if I should rate this book a 2 or 3 star....so I'm just going to be nice and rate it at three stars. It wasn't exactly bad, but there were a few issues that I had with the book. First off...it was highly predictable. You could see the connections a mile off....but for some reason I felt the need to continue reading just in case I was wrong and the author had some final twist to throw out. I was wrong. Secondly, there were several incidents in the book that were completely uncalled for. ...in fact, I still have no idea how they even relate to the story at hand....they were just sort of thrown in for the heck of it. ...I'm all for a little bit of comic relief in the middle of a scary story....but mommy dearest? really?
This definitely doesn't rate as my favorite book, but it's far from the worst.
This definitely doesn't rate as my favorite book, but it's far from the worst.
February 3, 2017
This book was garbage, but the author clearly has skill. An unbelievable, convoluted story jam-packed with personal indulgences make Laymon come across more as a pubescent kid in the throes of a fever dream (*some* kind of dream, anyway) than an accomplished novelist practicing his craft. Some reviewers have said this is well-known as being his worst book; my bad luck then (or maybe his, even if he has already passed away) that it was the one I happened to pick up from the thrift store.
August 17, 2023
DON'T LET THIS BE YOUR FIRST RICHARD LAYMON BOOK
I wish someone had said that to me before reading. A friend DID say it before I was finished, but I was already a few hours into it and wanted to see it through.
There is a reason you shouldn't posthumously release an author's work, but this thing exists and I read it so here are my thoughts:
The dialogue is kind of terrible. Dream sequences are overdone and mostly used for shock value. Almost EVERY character had unbelievable behaviors. The ridiculous plot stretches a reader's suspension of disbelief way too far.
I did enjoy the bit in the first 1/3 of the book that took place at the Lake. This is what kept me reading after I was warned by my friend... I actually said "I like it so far so we'll see."
I WILL read other books by Richard Laymon but this one didn't work for me.
I wish someone had said that to me before reading. A friend DID say it before I was finished, but I was already a few hours into it and wanted to see it through.
There is a reason you shouldn't posthumously release an author's work, but this thing exists and I read it so here are my thoughts:
The dialogue is kind of terrible. Dream sequences are overdone and mostly used for shock value. Almost EVERY character had unbelievable behaviors. The ridiculous plot stretches a reader's suspension of disbelief way too far.
I did enjoy the bit in the first 1/3 of the book that took place at the Lake. This is what kept me reading after I was warned by my friend... I actually said "I like it so far so we'll see."
I WILL read other books by Richard Laymon but this one didn't work for me.
January 17, 2024
If I hadn't made a promise to myself that I would finish every book I start, then I would not have finished this book.
I figured out who the killer was almost immediately. The writing was also quite clunky and didn't flow. I didn't like the way the author portrayed teenage girls--they do not just have sex on the brain. I didn't like any of the characters either.
Sigh, this book just wasn't for me unfortunately.
I figured out who the killer was almost immediately. The writing was also quite clunky and didn't flow. I didn't like the way the author portrayed teenage girls--they do not just have sex on the brain. I didn't like any of the characters either.
Sigh, this book just wasn't for me unfortunately.
October 27, 2016
Clearly a trunk story because the plot is an absolute mess. Had he finished this book before he died, I'm sure Laymon would have pulled everything together in edits, and the result would have been excellent. It has everything you need from a Laymon novel, from over-the-top psychopaths to permanently horny protagonists to the trolls living under bridges. Even Laymon's obsession with crossdressing shows up briefly.
It also has a new twist for the Laymon oeuvre. In The Lake, he's playing around with fate, drawing back together characters circumstances had cast to the wind by using random encounters. Laymon played with this notion a bit in Darkness, Tell Us, with the way his female protagonist encountered a group of psychos she'd broken away from years ago. It was a surprise twist that was perhaps handled without much grace, but it made for a great dramatic twist. Here, there's definitely more a feeling of fate bringing these people together. That they all start in Wisconsin and wind up in the same part of California is a big coincidence, probably too big for some. But that's not all. There is an incident completely unconnected to these characters that starts the ball rolling, pulling first one, then others, into Laymon's plot web. It's an idea that, if you're not strapped in and ready for whatever story unfolds, is going to turn you off.
That it's clearly a rough draft being published here is obvious. First, there's lack of character development. Laymon is not known for his deep characters to begin with. His stories are plot-driven. Readers come for the terrible things which happen to his comfortably middle-class people, not because they want to see one of them overcome years of depression or an addiction to heroin. The problem here is that it's clear Laymon doesn't yet know how each will fit comfortably into his narrative. That's obvious for the way Nelson, Mommy Dearest, and Sheena are treated. Each of them has a specific role, but Laymon doesn't put them into the right place in the story. That is a big deal for him because his plotting is top-notch, even if his characters are often a one-dimensional.
And speaking of plot, there are real problems, here. There are scenes which make little or no sense, and there are others that are throw-aways, plopped down in the middle of a tense moment, oftentimes ruining narrative flow. There's a build up at first, followed by a confusing resolution, and then suddenly, we're off on a flashback into the late 60s, early 70s. Laymon slips frequently between limited and omniscient viewpoints through all of this. It's my feeling that this is more him making notes on how characters feel about events and were likely there in case he wanted to write more from other POVs. But, add the viewpoint problems with the plot jumps, and you have a confusing narrative, full of holes.
Last, and probably least, because it doesn't really detract from the overall story, there's a problem with time. Clearly, by Laymon's descriptions of people's dress in the flashback, we're looking at 60s or 70s. The main plot occurs eighteen years later. That would put it in the mid- to late-80s, not '99, as is stated in book's closing. There's also an attempt to shoehorn in things like mobile phones, which were not in proliferation in the 80s, while eschewing other things like the internet, which would have been a big thing by '99. I'm getting the impression this was something tacked on by the editors to make the book feel more timely
Overall, the book is a mess. It is possible, with a careful eye, to see what could have been, though, had Laymon been around to whip it into shape. It would have likely been longer, by about two hundred pages, and would have likely been on par with another of his best, Island, in terms of excitement and quality.
It also has a new twist for the Laymon oeuvre. In The Lake, he's playing around with fate, drawing back together characters circumstances had cast to the wind by using random encounters. Laymon played with this notion a bit in Darkness, Tell Us, with the way his female protagonist encountered a group of psychos she'd broken away from years ago. It was a surprise twist that was perhaps handled without much grace, but it made for a great dramatic twist. Here, there's definitely more a feeling of fate bringing these people together. That they all start in Wisconsin and wind up in the same part of California is a big coincidence, probably too big for some. But that's not all. There is an incident completely unconnected to these characters that starts the ball rolling, pulling first one, then others, into Laymon's plot web. It's an idea that, if you're not strapped in and ready for whatever story unfolds, is going to turn you off.
That it's clearly a rough draft being published here is obvious. First, there's lack of character development. Laymon is not known for his deep characters to begin with. His stories are plot-driven. Readers come for the terrible things which happen to his comfortably middle-class people, not because they want to see one of them overcome years of depression or an addiction to heroin. The problem here is that it's clear Laymon doesn't yet know how each will fit comfortably into his narrative. That's obvious for the way Nelson, Mommy Dearest, and Sheena are treated. Each of them has a specific role, but Laymon doesn't put them into the right place in the story. That is a big deal for him because his plotting is top-notch, even if his characters are often a one-dimensional.
And speaking of plot, there are real problems, here. There are scenes which make little or no sense, and there are others that are throw-aways, plopped down in the middle of a tense moment, oftentimes ruining narrative flow. There's a build up at first, followed by a confusing resolution, and then suddenly, we're off on a flashback into the late 60s, early 70s. Laymon slips frequently between limited and omniscient viewpoints through all of this. It's my feeling that this is more him making notes on how characters feel about events and were likely there in case he wanted to write more from other POVs. But, add the viewpoint problems with the plot jumps, and you have a confusing narrative, full of holes.
Last, and probably least, because it doesn't really detract from the overall story, there's a problem with time. Clearly, by Laymon's descriptions of people's dress in the flashback, we're looking at 60s or 70s. The main plot occurs eighteen years later. That would put it in the mid- to late-80s, not '99, as is stated in book's closing. There's also an attempt to shoehorn in things like mobile phones, which were not in proliferation in the 80s, while eschewing other things like the internet, which would have been a big thing by '99. I'm getting the impression this was something tacked on by the editors to make the book feel more timely
Overall, the book is a mess. It is possible, with a careful eye, to see what could have been, though, had Laymon been around to whip it into shape. It would have likely been longer, by about two hundred pages, and would have likely been on par with another of his best, Island, in terms of excitement and quality.
April 10, 2011
The Lake is a chaotic and creepy horror that will likely have readers flipping through the pages out of pure curiosity to see what happens next. Laymon’s rumored forgotten tale is packed with a hatchet-wielding chef, a backwater mama’s boy, hormonal teens, a spooky old-folks home and a sicko serial killer hell bent on revenge. On the receiving end of all this terror are a mother and daughter. Yes, they experience an accidental death, blamed for murder, witness a boyfriend’s murder, are beat up, kidnapped, abused, conned, deceived, frightened, and nearly killed numerous times. All this would be an achievement if it were spread over several books instead of rolled into one. I understand this is fiction, but WHEW! Even I’m having a hard time buying it. To top it off, the women in the novel have a strange obsession with their breasts. They also take unrealistic risks (like jogging at night after being attacked), are too eager to mix sex after trauma and willingly give over easily to emotion and relationships. For example, after the traumatic loss of her boyfriend, Deana jumps quickly and trustingly into another relationship – may I add with lots of breast groping worthy of a bodice ripper. However, given the story line, murder, killer on the loose and physical and mental trauma, the insertion of sexual thoughts and actions by the victims is just plain weird and not in the good horror kind of way. I can’t imagine any woman relating or reacting like either of these female characters. In addition, I’m still trying to figure out why Nelson the killer one-eyed chef and the old-crone were even necessary? The inclusion of these characters is deliberately misleading and disjointed. A few scenes go nowhere and are completely unfinished. I’m still wondering, ‘What the hell was that about?’ Mommy Dearest (as the old-crone is called) should have ended up on the cutting room floor along with several other pages. I won’t give away the ending, but lets say more breast groping is involved. To add insult, the last chapter is followed up with a ‘hereafter.’ Now, I know some readers like this, but I can’t stand the approach. I don’t want pages of summary at the end of the book telling me what the characters eventually went on to do and how many children they had. Honestly, after 400 pages I shouldn’t need a summary to wrap it up. The one shining light in the tale and saving grace occurs during the telling of Leigh and Charlie’s story. This part of the novel had me intrigued and fully engaged in the tale. It was epic but unfortunately the second half of the novel slowly killed my wonderful memory.
June 4, 2008
It is my understanding that this book was published after Laymon passed away. I can understand why he would have held this book back from his publishers... there is a lot still to be done to make this a good book.
Short summary: Leigh is the major character here... we follow her both through her escapade as an 18 year old and then again when she is in her 30's and her daughter is a teen. Leigh is a single mom who went through some bizarre events when she was a teen which lead to her single mom-hood (don't worry you get to read all about it in detail). Suddenly her daughter is finding herself in a very similar situation only taken to the extreme. As the violence and danger increases Leigh and her daughter don't know who to turn to or who to trust as the past comes back to taunt them.
The good: Laymon does a much better job of writing female characters in this book than in any of his other's that I have read. He still doesn't get us... but he was getting a bit closer. Also there is a lot of violence and rough sex in this book for the guys who enjoy that kind of thing. For people who like surprises there are lots of twists and turns.
The bad: Laymon might be better at writing women in this book, but he's still a long way off from writing a believable one. Ask yourself ladies... if a serial killer had a way to get in and out of your home at will, would you go home and hop right into the shower while all alone in the house? Now the plot twists were unfortunately the kind that you think to yourself way ahead of time... I really hope this guy/girl doesn't turn out to be some long lost relation/alien/whatever and then lo and behold, it IS! And then we have to ask ourselves, isn't all of this a bit much to dump onto two dense female characters? I mean every time you turn around something even worse happens... and all in just under 2 weeks. Then there is the blatant randomness... did the little old ladies in the house have any meaning at ALL? or was Laymon just mentally vomiting on the paper by that point?
I could go on and on about this book and how disappointed I was in it.. but I don't want to give it away because some of you might want to read it. Sadly, I can't think of anyone I would recommend this book to.
Short summary: Leigh is the major character here... we follow her both through her escapade as an 18 year old and then again when she is in her 30's and her daughter is a teen. Leigh is a single mom who went through some bizarre events when she was a teen which lead to her single mom-hood (don't worry you get to read all about it in detail). Suddenly her daughter is finding herself in a very similar situation only taken to the extreme. As the violence and danger increases Leigh and her daughter don't know who to turn to or who to trust as the past comes back to taunt them.
The good: Laymon does a much better job of writing female characters in this book than in any of his other's that I have read. He still doesn't get us... but he was getting a bit closer. Also there is a lot of violence and rough sex in this book for the guys who enjoy that kind of thing. For people who like surprises there are lots of twists and turns.
The bad: Laymon might be better at writing women in this book, but he's still a long way off from writing a believable one. Ask yourself ladies... if a serial killer had a way to get in and out of your home at will, would you go home and hop right into the shower while all alone in the house? Now the plot twists were unfortunately the kind that you think to yourself way ahead of time... I really hope this guy/girl doesn't turn out to be some long lost relation/alien/whatever and then lo and behold, it IS! And then we have to ask ourselves, isn't all of this a bit much to dump onto two dense female characters? I mean every time you turn around something even worse happens... and all in just under 2 weeks. Then there is the blatant randomness... did the little old ladies in the house have any meaning at ALL? or was Laymon just mentally vomiting on the paper by that point?
I could go on and on about this book and how disappointed I was in it.. but I don't want to give it away because some of you might want to read it. Sadly, I can't think of anyone I would recommend this book to.
March 11, 2011
Really awful. Like really bad. And i have a high tolerance for bad (notice 2 stars, not 1). The background behind this book is that apparently it was found in the desk drawer after the author died. So I can only hope that either 1. it was in the process of undergoing MAJOR revisions when the author passed away or 2. it was meant as a brainstorming, let-me-work-out-some-thoughts piece as a way to get the idea juices flowing and was never meant to see the light of day.
The reason it got 2 stars instead of 1... it had its moments. It started out like a slasher film in book form. guy stalks girl, cheesy, predictable, but fun and spooky. You knew what you were getting into. That was like the first 2-3 chapters. Went majorly downhill from there. It got to thepoint of ridiculousness, things that would never happen in real life happened...and not just typical book/horror movie stuff. Like thing that made me feel bad for the characters in the book for being "forced" by the author to say and do such idiotic things. For example, and I don't think this is a spoiler... mom and cop friend get trapped by a lunatic in his apartment. cheesy struggle ensues and mom and friend escapes... what happens next you ask? They drive to mom's house and cop friend drops her off at the front door and is like, ok see ya later, as if they just came back from the mall. This happens over and over. Another instance, daughter has an incredibly traumatic experience, being attacked at night (which she is over in a matter of hours it appears)and is known to be stalked by a homicidal maniac, so what does she do? take up jogging at night alone just so she can check out a boy less than a week later. I had to close my kindle at some points and be like, really? It was over the top. Like I said, i have a high threshold for stupid.
The reason it got 2 stars instead of 1... it had its moments. It started out like a slasher film in book form. guy stalks girl, cheesy, predictable, but fun and spooky. You knew what you were getting into. That was like the first 2-3 chapters. Went majorly downhill from there. It got to thepoint of ridiculousness, things that would never happen in real life happened...and not just typical book/horror movie stuff. Like thing that made me feel bad for the characters in the book for being "forced" by the author to say and do such idiotic things. For example, and I don't think this is a spoiler... mom and cop friend get trapped by a lunatic in his apartment. cheesy struggle ensues and mom and friend escapes... what happens next you ask? They drive to mom's house and cop friend drops her off at the front door and is like, ok see ya later, as if they just came back from the mall. This happens over and over. Another instance, daughter has an incredibly traumatic experience, being attacked at night (which she is over in a matter of hours it appears)and is known to be stalked by a homicidal maniac, so what does she do? take up jogging at night alone just so she can check out a boy less than a week later. I had to close my kindle at some points and be like, really? It was over the top. Like I said, i have a high threshold for stupid.
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