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Beast House Chronicles #3
The Midnight Tour
For years morbid tourists have flocked to the Beast House, eager to see the infamous site of so many unspeakable atrocities, to hear tales of the beast said to prowl the hallways. They can listen to the audio tour on their headphones as they stroll from room to room, looking at the realistic recreations of the blood-drenched corpses...
But the audio tour only gives the sanitized version of the horrors of the Beast House. There are some facts too gruesome for the average thrill seekers. If you want the full story, you have to take the Midnight Tour, a very special event strictly limited to thirteen brave visitors. It begins at the stroke of midnight. You may not live to see it end.
But the audio tour only gives the sanitized version of the horrors of the Beast House. There are some facts too gruesome for the average thrill seekers. If you want the full story, you have to take the Midnight Tour, a very special event strictly limited to thirteen brave visitors. It begins at the stroke of midnight. You may not live to see it end.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
127 people are currently reading
1712 people want to read
About the author
Richard Laymon
216 books2,273 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 160 reviews
July 29, 2024
2.5/5 rounded up.
This is a hard one to rate properly. The first 400 pages or so of this 540 page novel are some of the most uneventful writing I've ever encountered in a Laymon book. Aside from a few bright spots and a couple of fun characters, there's not much to sustain you through that large chunk of the book. But then the last 100 plus pages, things ramp up and eventually explode into chaotic Laymon insanity, and all feels right with the world. That last chunk of the book brought my rating up considerably, but I still can't give this more than 2.5/5. There are some pretty great Laymon characters in this one though; Blaze O. Glory, Dennis and Arnold, and Vein and Darke.
This is a hard one to rate properly. The first 400 pages or so of this 540 page novel are some of the most uneventful writing I've ever encountered in a Laymon book. Aside from a few bright spots and a couple of fun characters, there's not much to sustain you through that large chunk of the book. But then the last 100 plus pages, things ramp up and eventually explode into chaotic Laymon insanity, and all feels right with the world. That last chunk of the book brought my rating up considerably, but I still can't give this more than 2.5/5. There are some pretty great Laymon characters in this one though; Blaze O. Glory, Dennis and Arnold, and Vein and Darke.
December 18, 2016
This is classic Laymon so far. Hoping it licks up some speed in the second half, though. Sometimes the intricately detailed accounts of every character's every movement tempts me to skim through some passages.
So, that was a fun read. Laymon was on his game with this, I believe his longest novelt, third installment in the Beast House series. The book could have easily been shorter by at least a third. Many scenes were rewritten from varying povs which were completely unneccessary, but I can't complain very much. I love Laymon, and this book allowed me to spend more time in his world than usual.
There you have it. Great Laymon book, long as hell, and I recommend devouring it if you enjoy Laymon at all.
So, that was a fun read. Laymon was on his game with this, I believe his longest novelt, third installment in the Beast House series. The book could have easily been shorter by at least a third. Many scenes were rewritten from varying povs which were completely unneccessary, but I can't complain very much. I love Laymon, and this book allowed me to spend more time in his world than usual.
There you have it. Great Laymon book, long as hell, and I recommend devouring it if you enjoy Laymon at all.
April 26, 2022
Probably my favorite of the series so far; definitely not easy to put down, you always feel like you need to know what happens next. Especially the ending, it's going to drive me nuts until I get to the next book and find out how it all ends.
I will say, though, it needed major editing, there were typos on nearly every page.
And btw what is it with Laymon? I've noticed literally every single time a character meets a stranger in one of his books, they get raped, beaten, or killed. Like absolutely no one is normal lmao. Broken down on the road? The guy who stops is absolutely going to rape that character. Need directions? You're getting molested. Your new coworker? He's going to beat you if you turn him down. The cute guy walking by on the beach? He follows you home. Like holy shit, I love Laymon but that drives me crazy.😅
I will say, though, it needed major editing, there were typos on nearly every page.
And btw what is it with Laymon? I've noticed literally every single time a character meets a stranger in one of his books, they get raped, beaten, or killed. Like absolutely no one is normal lmao. Broken down on the road? The guy who stops is absolutely going to rape that character. Need directions? You're getting molested. Your new coworker? He's going to beat you if you turn him down. The cute guy walking by on the beach? He follows you home. Like holy shit, I love Laymon but that drives me crazy.😅
July 29, 2024
This is a chunky book, and honestly, it was a slog to get through. It's the 3rd book in the Beast House series, and I'm honestly kinda over them, but only one more to go.
The issue with this one is that not a lot happens until the last 50 pages or so. Laymon goes into describing in minute details on stuff that does need to be explained, like how food was made and other boring stuff. It does have some cool side characters such as Blaze O Glory and two teenage horn bags and wantabee vampires Vein and Darke, who were funny and interesting.
The ending was very good and had lots of Beast action, but it was too little too late really to save the book. 2.5 stars.
The issue with this one is that not a lot happens until the last 50 pages or so. Laymon goes into describing in minute details on stuff that does need to be explained, like how food was made and other boring stuff. It does have some cool side characters such as Blaze O Glory and two teenage horn bags and wantabee vampires Vein and Darke, who were funny and interesting.
The ending was very good and had lots of Beast action, but it was too little too late really to save the book. 2.5 stars.
July 16, 2025
Curious crowds gather like flies around the towering victorian house, now a kitschy tourist stop complete with snacks & souvenirs, but once the site of unspeakable slaughter. Most come for the tame daytime tour, but in The Midnight Tour, Richard Laymon invites horror fans to take the after-hours route- where whispers of a lurking beast become screams and the blood-soaked past feels terrifyingly alive.
Told through the eyes of the tours newest guide, a morbid (dare I say perverted) tourist, and a mysterious woman trying to escape her past while protecting a beastly secret of her own, Tension builds as the midnight tour at the infamous Beast House approaches—when curiosity curdles into dread, and long-hidden horrors begin to stir..and hunger.
The Midnight Tour features themes of trauma, obsession, survival & the commodification of violence. Laymon blurs the line between thrill-seeking and danger, reminding readers that some nightmares are carefully packaged and sold.
I found the middle of the book slows down to possibly offer a deeper look into the characters, which ultimately pays off—I genuinely cared about their survival by the end. I did choke on quite a few typos; I’m not sure if it was just my print copy, but at times "horror" was oddly replaced with "honor," and "not" was turned into "hot" which added some unintentional humor to the dialogue. Laymon’s writing is generally easy to follow, often packed with vivid—sometimes overly vivid—descriptions of female anatomy. That said, this novel felt slightly less misogynistic than some of his other works. The female characters felt more fully developed, and their story arcs carried more emotional weight than mere shock value.
Despite its flaws, The midnight Tour is a fun and creepy ride. While it may not deliver traditional monster scares, but its' stalker-style tension and "no one gets out alive" dread make it a satisfyingly eerie read.
Told through the eyes of the tours newest guide, a morbid (dare I say perverted) tourist, and a mysterious woman trying to escape her past while protecting a beastly secret of her own, Tension builds as the midnight tour at the infamous Beast House approaches—when curiosity curdles into dread, and long-hidden horrors begin to stir..and hunger.
The Midnight Tour features themes of trauma, obsession, survival & the commodification of violence. Laymon blurs the line between thrill-seeking and danger, reminding readers that some nightmares are carefully packaged and sold.
I found the middle of the book slows down to possibly offer a deeper look into the characters, which ultimately pays off—I genuinely cared about their survival by the end. I did choke on quite a few typos; I’m not sure if it was just my print copy, but at times "horror" was oddly replaced with "honor," and "not" was turned into "hot" which added some unintentional humor to the dialogue. Laymon’s writing is generally easy to follow, often packed with vivid—sometimes overly vivid—descriptions of female anatomy. That said, this novel felt slightly less misogynistic than some of his other works. The female characters felt more fully developed, and their story arcs carried more emotional weight than mere shock value.
Despite its flaws, The midnight Tour is a fun and creepy ride. While it may not deliver traditional monster scares, but its' stalker-style tension and "no one gets out alive" dread make it a satisfyingly eerie read.
August 21, 2018
Another fun outing at the Beast House. You can never truly go wrong with Laymon. He knew how to use sex and horror to jab you in the sweet spot. I just had one problem with this one. I love Laymon as much as the next pervert, but this book was bloated as all hell. If I had my way, this would have been half the length and just as interesting. I know he rambles sometimes, but this was above and beyond. I love this book. It helped me get through the amputation of my right big toe. But this one needed a serious tightening, in my opinion.
April 8, 2021
Laymon is always a bit complicated to review; his work will never be compared to fine literature yet he is rather unique and well known in the horror genre. I have read around a dozen of his novels and they range from pretty bad to pretty brilliant. TMT, along with the rest of the Beast House novels (a loose trilogy with The Cellar and The Beast House) are among some of his better works and if you are new to Laymon, not a bad place to start.
This picks up a little over a decade after The Beast House and various plot threads connect and develop the intervening time in fits and starts. This is a rather unusual novel for Laymon-- not only is it one of his longest at around 600 pages, but he also spends much more time on character development than usual. Nonetheless, several of his more familiar tropes are evident-- the various plot/character arcs that you know are going to come together somehow in the final denouement, the clever plotting, the fun twists and turns at the end, and of course some ogling main characters with juvenile horny intentions.
The Beast House is located in Malcasa, California (get it, bad house in Spanish) and is the backdrop of all three books in the series. The house, a rather modest Victorian, was built in the early 1900s by the wife of a famous criminal. The original owners only lived in the house for a little bit before something killed everyone except the wife, who became institutionalized afterwards. While a traveler was blamed and hung, legend had it that it was actually some sort of wild beast. I will not take you through the previous two novels, but just say it would be best to start with The Cellar and work your way up. For a few decades, the house sat vacant, and then a new owner moved in and had a rather similar experience, with her children slaughtered and the mother being the only survivor. A few years after the tragedy, the mom opened the house as a tourist attraction, with realistic wax dummies placed in situ for the tourists while she herself led the tour. This all blew up in 1979 or so, when it turns out there were actual monsters/beasts and another slaughter ensued.
Now, in the 1990s, the Beast House is open for tourists once again and this is where TMT starts off. We have several sets of characters/story arcs here: Owen, a young teacher in L.A. who is somewhat infatuated with the Beast House (and all the movies and books about it) who travels there with his bitch of a girlfriend; Dana and 'Tuck', two women besties who work at the Beast House as guides, Eve, a local cop with a fearsome reputation, and a survivor of the second beast house massacre Charly, with her beast son Eric. Charly's story bridges the gap between this story and the last novel in the series, and her story line picks up right after that and Laymon tells us her story via flashbacks as the novel progresses. There are also a wide range of secondary characters also, making this one of Laymon's most populated novels so to speak.
The actual story takes place in only a few days, from Thursday to the Saturday night 'Midnight Tour' of the house. Owen arrives to take the tour with his girlfriend (who bitches the entire way to the site via a tour bus from Frisco) and meets Dana and 'Tuck'-- two hotties-- on the tour. I will not give a blow by blow here, because with Laymon, reading the plot unfold is most of the fun. Owen does, however, ditch his girlfriend and comes back to Malcasa for the Midnight Tour. You know the smelly stuff is going to hit the spinning blades on the tour, but Laymon if anything, is a master at building up the tension and TMT is one of his best efforts at that.
Thankfully, at least for me, Laymon foregoes the typical skeezy horny male lead here, awarding that to a lecherous guy who after a while pairs up with Owen. Expect some nude scenes of women frolicking in hot tubs, many characters making dubious decisions based upon dubious motivations, some interesting and unexpected plot twists and of course, a fabulous final denouement! 4.5 beastly stars!!
This picks up a little over a decade after The Beast House and various plot threads connect and develop the intervening time in fits and starts. This is a rather unusual novel for Laymon-- not only is it one of his longest at around 600 pages, but he also spends much more time on character development than usual. Nonetheless, several of his more familiar tropes are evident-- the various plot/character arcs that you know are going to come together somehow in the final denouement, the clever plotting, the fun twists and turns at the end, and of course some ogling main characters with juvenile horny intentions.
The Beast House is located in Malcasa, California (get it, bad house in Spanish) and is the backdrop of all three books in the series. The house, a rather modest Victorian, was built in the early 1900s by the wife of a famous criminal. The original owners only lived in the house for a little bit before something killed everyone except the wife, who became institutionalized afterwards. While a traveler was blamed and hung, legend had it that it was actually some sort of wild beast. I will not take you through the previous two novels, but just say it would be best to start with The Cellar and work your way up. For a few decades, the house sat vacant, and then a new owner moved in and had a rather similar experience, with her children slaughtered and the mother being the only survivor. A few years after the tragedy, the mom opened the house as a tourist attraction, with realistic wax dummies placed in situ for the tourists while she herself led the tour. This all blew up in 1979 or so, when it turns out there were actual monsters/beasts and another slaughter ensued.
Now, in the 1990s, the Beast House is open for tourists once again and this is where TMT starts off. We have several sets of characters/story arcs here: Owen, a young teacher in L.A. who is somewhat infatuated with the Beast House (and all the movies and books about it) who travels there with his bitch of a girlfriend; Dana and 'Tuck', two women besties who work at the Beast House as guides, Eve, a local cop with a fearsome reputation, and a survivor of the second beast house massacre Charly, with her beast son Eric. Charly's story bridges the gap between this story and the last novel in the series, and her story line picks up right after that and Laymon tells us her story via flashbacks as the novel progresses. There are also a wide range of secondary characters also, making this one of Laymon's most populated novels so to speak.
The actual story takes place in only a few days, from Thursday to the Saturday night 'Midnight Tour' of the house. Owen arrives to take the tour with his girlfriend (who bitches the entire way to the site via a tour bus from Frisco) and meets Dana and 'Tuck'-- two hotties-- on the tour. I will not give a blow by blow here, because with Laymon, reading the plot unfold is most of the fun. Owen does, however, ditch his girlfriend and comes back to Malcasa for the Midnight Tour. You know the smelly stuff is going to hit the spinning blades on the tour, but Laymon if anything, is a master at building up the tension and TMT is one of his best efforts at that.
Thankfully, at least for me, Laymon foregoes the typical skeezy horny male lead here, awarding that to a lecherous guy who after a while pairs up with Owen. Expect some nude scenes of women frolicking in hot tubs, many characters making dubious decisions based upon dubious motivations, some interesting and unexpected plot twists and of course, a fabulous final denouement! 4.5 beastly stars!!
February 9, 2025
Long and uneventful for most of the book.
February 1, 2011
Best of the Beast House.
November 10, 2017
2.5 Stars
This does contain minor spoilers.
Okay where to start with this one? First off, let me say I do like Laymon's writing. I've read several of his books and will read more. But one thing to keep in mind with most of his books and this one in particular: the characters are nuts. All of them are insane. The insanity varies by degrees from just really weird to outright homicidal, but nowhere do you find a totally "normal" character.
I'll give some examples. These are out of order, but all are relevant. For example, always have sex at the worst times. If you're waiting on a monster or bad guy, well, have sex while you wait! Or in the case of this book, wait until you're burying a dead body, and have sex IN the grave. With a stranger you've known about ten minutes. When all of your teeth are knocked out and you can't even talk right.
Next, if two women show up with a badly mutilated dead body, signs of an obvious murder, and give you a cover story, be sure to buy it with about 2 minutes of explanation. And hey, then help them bury the body! After all, you've known them like, 120 seconds. I mean, who hasn't hide to hide a mutilated body at some point or another right? Am I right?
Next, if you catch a glimpse of a girl for about 10 seconds, be sure to become obsessed immediately and fall in love with her. Then pay some guy to take pictures of her. Then hide out and stalk her and take nude pictures of her, all without her being aware of it. I have noticed Laymon's characters ALL believe in love at first sight because they sure do fall in love fast. I met this person and spent a couple hours with them, so now I'm obsessed and I'll show up first thing in the morning to immediately have sex.
Next, you meet two hot goth chicks who corner you in the bathroom for a threesome about 5 minutes after you spot them. Sadly, this SHOULD happen more often but never does. (Does it? DOES IT??)
Also, make sure your monster is as rapey as possible. Stab him, shoot him, whatever, make sure his main purpose is to rape. He might die but dammit, hes going to die raping! Oh and give his penis teeth. (Don't ask.)
Yeah and also be sure to snub your girlfriend so she'll stab you in the dark when she gets a chance, even though she hasn't really shown signs of being violent.
Okay so that was all random and silly, but it all happens in this book pretty much just as described.
I will say Laymon does a good job of making his females come across as hot and sexy, but also deranged and needy. Then again, so are the guys.
I didn't like the ending of this one at all, either.
This book was 600 pages, and yet so many things were left unexplained. How the hell did Sandy become a cop? Clyde and Agnes, really? Where'd Monica go? What happened to John? And so forth and so on. It just seemed like they could have used some of those pages to answer some questions rather than the weird interactions that seemed like filler.
Now the funny part is, even after all of that, I still want to read the next part, and I'll read other Laymon books after that. They are just a very entertaining and enjoyable read, even if at times they can be creepy. (The books all have some type of weird sex thing in them, but then again, I guess that's part of the allure?) Maybe Laymon goes for this on purpose, making his characters interesting even if they aren't that realistic, I'm not sure.
I am a huge fan of 70s and 80s paperback horror, and this fits right in that mold. If you enjoy that type of book (and many of you know just what I mean) give this one a shot. It's interesting, I'll say that.
This does contain minor spoilers.
Okay where to start with this one? First off, let me say I do like Laymon's writing. I've read several of his books and will read more. But one thing to keep in mind with most of his books and this one in particular: the characters are nuts. All of them are insane. The insanity varies by degrees from just really weird to outright homicidal, but nowhere do you find a totally "normal" character.
I'll give some examples. These are out of order, but all are relevant. For example, always have sex at the worst times. If you're waiting on a monster or bad guy, well, have sex while you wait! Or in the case of this book, wait until you're burying a dead body, and have sex IN the grave. With a stranger you've known about ten minutes. When all of your teeth are knocked out and you can't even talk right.
Next, if two women show up with a badly mutilated dead body, signs of an obvious murder, and give you a cover story, be sure to buy it with about 2 minutes of explanation. And hey, then help them bury the body! After all, you've known them like, 120 seconds. I mean, who hasn't hide to hide a mutilated body at some point or another right? Am I right?
Next, if you catch a glimpse of a girl for about 10 seconds, be sure to become obsessed immediately and fall in love with her. Then pay some guy to take pictures of her. Then hide out and stalk her and take nude pictures of her, all without her being aware of it. I have noticed Laymon's characters ALL believe in love at first sight because they sure do fall in love fast. I met this person and spent a couple hours with them, so now I'm obsessed and I'll show up first thing in the morning to immediately have sex.
Next, you meet two hot goth chicks who corner you in the bathroom for a threesome about 5 minutes after you spot them. Sadly, this SHOULD happen more often but never does. (Does it? DOES IT??)
Also, make sure your monster is as rapey as possible. Stab him, shoot him, whatever, make sure his main purpose is to rape. He might die but dammit, hes going to die raping! Oh and give his penis teeth. (Don't ask.)
Yeah and also be sure to snub your girlfriend so she'll stab you in the dark when she gets a chance, even though she hasn't really shown signs of being violent.
Okay so that was all random and silly, but it all happens in this book pretty much just as described.
I will say Laymon does a good job of making his females come across as hot and sexy, but also deranged and needy. Then again, so are the guys.
I didn't like the ending of this one at all, either.
This book was 600 pages, and yet so many things were left unexplained. How the hell did Sandy become a cop? Clyde and Agnes, really? Where'd Monica go? What happened to John? And so forth and so on. It just seemed like they could have used some of those pages to answer some questions rather than the weird interactions that seemed like filler.
Now the funny part is, even after all of that, I still want to read the next part, and I'll read other Laymon books after that. They are just a very entertaining and enjoyable read, even if at times they can be creepy. (The books all have some type of weird sex thing in them, but then again, I guess that's part of the allure?) Maybe Laymon goes for this on purpose, making his characters interesting even if they aren't that realistic, I'm not sure.
I am a huge fan of 70s and 80s paperback horror, and this fits right in that mold. If you enjoy that type of book (and many of you know just what I mean) give this one a shot. It's interesting, I'll say that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2015
Where the fuck did the other beast come from? can someone answer that for me please....?
August 8, 2022
Talk about a tourist trap! The third installment in the Beast House Chronicles is the most true-to-theme of the books who much of the emphasis revolving around the grisly attraction itself and the current employees who run the tour.
In keeping with the tradition of its predecessors, there's loads of sex, violence and murder as the beasts do as they please to their unsuspecting victims.
The horror isn't constant, with Laymon taking time to flesh out his characters before letting the beasts run riot; the change in approach leads to a steadily building crescendo of unadulterated madness pitched perfectly at horror aficionados.
In keeping with the tradition of its predecessors, there's loads of sex, violence and murder as the beasts do as they please to their unsuspecting victims.
The horror isn't constant, with Laymon taking time to flesh out his characters before letting the beasts run riot; the change in approach leads to a steadily building crescendo of unadulterated madness pitched perfectly at horror aficionados.
April 20, 2019
I was expecting soooo much from this novel. My main reason for picking this up is that one of my outstanding categories for this year's Book Bingo is to find a book that scares me. It takes a lot to scare me, particularly in novels, but I have a tendency to avoid reading and watching horror films. Spying this in my book box, I thought this would be the perfect candidate. Alas, I was wrong. Very wrong.
One of my first complaints is that once again, I have managed to pick up a book that is mid-series. It's the third in the 'Beast House Chronicles' and when I realised that, I was rather frustrated. My OCD likes starting with the first book of a series, naturally. However, any Laymon or even horror fans, out there needn't be worried. I had no idea that this was in the midst of a series and I don't think you need to have read its predecessors at all. Disappointed? No, the story made total sense. However, I think this is an indication of the lack of depth that Laymon writes to.
Perverted, prolonged horror. That's how I would describe this novel. And it's not even scary. Horrific yes, in the sense that the things Laymon describes are perverted and grotesque. I've read a couple of Laymon novels, waaaaay back, and the one thing I always remembered about them was not the plot, but the twisted, too-much-information sex. Whilst it is no 'Fifty Shades' (never read it, just guessing) and the sex scenes aren't everywhere, when they do appear, it's gross. I mean, discussing being raped by a beast that is technically your son? Weird. Having sexual encounters, even threesomes, with people you have barely met? Hardly necessary. It barely seems relevant to the plot - perhaps a way for Laymon to satisfy some weird, animalistic and hidden desires.
Prolonged: this is the time it takes for the story to develop. We have a narration from several viewpoints and, I kid you not, the actual Midnight Tour that this novel is named after, doesn't actually get started until you are 100 pages from the end. I mean, the rest of it feels a little pointless, particularly after all the nudity and sexual references. When the tour does get started, all of the characters that attend are mindless stereotypes and it feels merely full of predictable cliches. By that point, I had guessed the progression of the plot and was simply waiting to reach the final page. (Which, unsurprisingly, is another round of sex.)
This was not scary. This was an uncomfortable, awkward read. What was I thinking? It certainly does not fulfil my horror category so I am going to have to keep hunting. 'The Midnight Tour'? More like The Midnight Bore.
One of my first complaints is that once again, I have managed to pick up a book that is mid-series. It's the third in the 'Beast House Chronicles' and when I realised that, I was rather frustrated. My OCD likes starting with the first book of a series, naturally. However, any Laymon or even horror fans, out there needn't be worried. I had no idea that this was in the midst of a series and I don't think you need to have read its predecessors at all. Disappointed? No, the story made total sense. However, I think this is an indication of the lack of depth that Laymon writes to.
Perverted, prolonged horror. That's how I would describe this novel. And it's not even scary. Horrific yes, in the sense that the things Laymon describes are perverted and grotesque. I've read a couple of Laymon novels, waaaaay back, and the one thing I always remembered about them was not the plot, but the twisted, too-much-information sex. Whilst it is no 'Fifty Shades' (never read it, just guessing) and the sex scenes aren't everywhere, when they do appear, it's gross. I mean, discussing being raped by a beast that is technically your son? Weird. Having sexual encounters, even threesomes, with people you have barely met? Hardly necessary. It barely seems relevant to the plot - perhaps a way for Laymon to satisfy some weird, animalistic and hidden desires.
Prolonged: this is the time it takes for the story to develop. We have a narration from several viewpoints and, I kid you not, the actual Midnight Tour that this novel is named after, doesn't actually get started until you are 100 pages from the end. I mean, the rest of it feels a little pointless, particularly after all the nudity and sexual references. When the tour does get started, all of the characters that attend are mindless stereotypes and it feels merely full of predictable cliches. By that point, I had guessed the progression of the plot and was simply waiting to reach the final page. (Which, unsurprisingly, is another round of sex.)
This was not scary. This was an uncomfortable, awkward read. What was I thinking? It certainly does not fulfil my horror category so I am going to have to keep hunting. 'The Midnight Tour'? More like The Midnight Bore.
May 13, 2011
The Midnight Tour is by far my favorite of the Beast House Chronicles which, I’m sure, was Laymon’s intention for all his readers. I still never really got into the whole Beast House thing in the first place though and after the okay first novel and the rather dreary second, I did not have high hopes for this 544 page long Tour. This one, unlike the first two, had some likeable characters and enough time was spent on characterizing them to make them relatable to most people. You’ve got your average good boyfriend who is with the stereotypical annoying and possibly insane girlfriend. You’ve got the hot Beast House tour guide and her other hot friend who will undoubtedly get naked multiple times throughout the novel. You’ve got the two habitually horny kids. You’ve got the perfect guy who is right for the perfect girl and who will probably save the day, and you’ve got the male jackass who thinks he’s God’s gift to the Laymon world. These are all predictable Laymon characters but what they end up doing and what happens to some of them isn’t. My only complaint for this book is that it felt stretched “like butter that has been scraped over too much bread,” or paper. After a while, it gets old reading about guys spying on girls in hot tubs, or a couple eating dinner, or another couple doing things that everyone else does for about forty pages. Some call this characterization, including me, but some of it could have been trimmed down quite a bit. Also, the Midnight Tour repeats things from the previous novels a little too much for me, and probably for anyone who has read those. It definitely can be read as a stand-alone though.
Over all I really enjoyed this book and I’m pretty sure that all Laymon fans would. It has all of his bloody and sexual trademarks and is just plain fun, especially the ending/endings. If Laymon knows how to do one thing, it is how to reward his readers with incredible conclusions to his wild stories.
Over all I really enjoyed this book and I’m pretty sure that all Laymon fans would. It has all of his bloody and sexual trademarks and is just plain fun, especially the ending/endings. If Laymon knows how to do one thing, it is how to reward his readers with incredible conclusions to his wild stories.
June 13, 2015
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!
Oh Mr. Laymon and your love for the word "rump". I lost track of how many times I saw it in this book. Ofcourse I knew what to expect... Horny guys who act like they never saw a woman before, stalker-like personalities. Annoying women characters who act very unrealistic in dangerous situations that you become so glad that they meet their demise. Cheesy dialogue and love and screwing at first sight.
BUT.... there are some good scenes of horror here. A good back story of Sandy who makes stupid decisions in her life and pays for it. It all builds up to a fast and violent, and somewhat perverted conclusion. In true Laymon fashion.
Oh Mr. Laymon and your love for the word "rump". I lost track of how many times I saw it in this book. Ofcourse I knew what to expect... Horny guys who act like they never saw a woman before, stalker-like personalities. Annoying women characters who act very unrealistic in dangerous situations that you become so glad that they meet their demise. Cheesy dialogue and love and screwing at first sight.
BUT.... there are some good scenes of horror here. A good back story of Sandy who makes stupid decisions in her life and pays for it. It all builds up to a fast and violent, and somewhat perverted conclusion. In true Laymon fashion.
August 26, 2013
Other reviews have already told the plot of this book and the fact that it belongs in a series of books, so I won't rehash that. I will say that I did enjoy the book, but then I usually do enjoy Laymon's brand of horror. I have only read The Cellar, from the series and I did enjoy that one as well. Both are left a little open but you still get enough of an idea of the conclusion to be satisfied. As usual Laymon's books are violent, gory and fast paced, but these are the good qualities. I have read about 30 of his books and I try to get my hands on anything else I can of his. The only fault I have with his books is that I find his female characters (although strong and capable which is nice because they aren't the typical damsels in distress) to be a tad unrealistic. I don't know exactly what it is but usually the actions and reactions of the women always confuse me and I feel they aren't plausible. Other than that I love his writing, it's very thrilling and it never takes long for the story to get going and never stop. I liked Midnight Tour very much and anyone can read this book even if you're unfamiliar with the Beast House series. The book gives you all the required information so you can read it alone or out of order with the other books.
May 1, 2021
3.5 stars
August 9, 2020
Okay, so I have decided that I really need to stop reading Laymon's books. I tried to reach the end of the Quadrilogy of "The Beast House" series but it just was not meant to be. I got through the first three (see my reviews of the other "Beast House" stories (Beast House and The Cellar)) but after that, I lost the desire to push my way through. The third "book" is 144 pages long and takes 120 of them to bring out the titular Beast for what will go down as the most trashy "pièce de résistance" IMHO - The main character Mark is looking to score some time with an apparently out of his league school girl in Allison. Allison tells him if he can sneak them into the Beast House after dark, then he might get lucky.
We then spend 112 pages of him wandering around the house during the daylight hours looking for a place to hide. Once he does, the story just starts to go downhill. Allison shows up the beast appears and steals her away to do the normal "Laymon" M.O. of rape and pillage. Or does it? Here is where we find that the entire time, all Allison wanted to do was lose her virginity to the beast. What appears to be a violent intrusion by the monstrously toothy dong wielding creature turns out to be exactly what she hoped for. As Mark tries in vain to save her, the moans and squeals (not kidding, this is his writing) are those of pleasure and when the beast finally climaxes and runs away, Allison decides that she owes Mark "sloppy seconds" (Mark's words, not mine) in exchange for never telling anyone what happened there that night.
In the end, this put the last nail in the coffin for me in regard to Laymon's work. Any of his other books could solve the symptom of the universe, provide vast and profound knowledge or give me the perfect cheesecake recipe and I would pass them by without a second thought.
At the very least, it was only 144 pages and included the not at all read novella "The Woods" at the end. Hard pass...
We then spend 112 pages of him wandering around the house during the daylight hours looking for a place to hide. Once he does, the story just starts to go downhill. Allison shows up the beast appears and steals her away to do the normal "Laymon" M.O. of rape and pillage. Or does it? Here is where we find that the entire time, all Allison wanted to do was lose her virginity to the beast. What appears to be a violent intrusion by the monstrously toothy dong wielding creature turns out to be exactly what she hoped for. As Mark tries in vain to save her, the moans and squeals (not kidding, this is his writing) are those of pleasure and when the beast finally climaxes and runs away, Allison decides that she owes Mark "sloppy seconds" (Mark's words, not mine) in exchange for never telling anyone what happened there that night.
In the end, this put the last nail in the coffin for me in regard to Laymon's work. Any of his other books could solve the symptom of the universe, provide vast and profound knowledge or give me the perfect cheesecake recipe and I would pass them by without a second thought.
At the very least, it was only 144 pages and included the not at all read novella "The Woods" at the end. Hard pass...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2025
Exciting climax and not much else.
December 8, 2023
Third book in the Beast House Series and I honestly think this one may be my favorite,( thus far). Likeable, relatable characters and a fast paced plot made this a very quick read. The ending was a little bit of a letdown but I'm curious to see if the final entry in this series picks up where this left off or of it goes in a other direction entirely.
January 1, 2016
3.5 stars.
This whole book is essentially the "Jurassic World" of the Beast House series. Most of it had to do with the enlargement of the Beast House, and now it's one of the biggest tourist attractions in the United States.
This is a 600 page book, and the story doesn't actually begin until the halfway point. The whole first half of this book was a chore to read and I've never wanted to give up on a book so badly. Finally, when I made it halfway, things started to get good. I mean, REALLY good. Characters no longer made stupid decisions. The writing was tighter, and there was a story to look forward to. One of the things I loved about this book was how everything connected. That's not normally something you see in a Richard Laymon book. Normally, he'll just throw random facts and details out there. In this case, pay attention to the random details he mentions, because they all come back in a big way. I think that's the work of a truly great author!
However, the book could have easily been cut down 200 pages and it would not have lost any of its story.
Read all the books in order.
This whole book is essentially the "Jurassic World" of the Beast House series. Most of it had to do with the enlargement of the Beast House, and now it's one of the biggest tourist attractions in the United States.
This is a 600 page book, and the story doesn't actually begin until the halfway point. The whole first half of this book was a chore to read and I've never wanted to give up on a book so badly. Finally, when I made it halfway, things started to get good. I mean, REALLY good. Characters no longer made stupid decisions. The writing was tighter, and there was a story to look forward to. One of the things I loved about this book was how everything connected. That's not normally something you see in a Richard Laymon book. Normally, he'll just throw random facts and details out there. In this case, pay attention to the random details he mentions, because they all come back in a big way. I think that's the work of a truly great author!
However, the book could have easily been cut down 200 pages and it would not have lost any of its story.
Read all the books in order.
August 5, 2022
I definitely enjoyed this book it might be my favorite in the whole series. It was different from the other two which was pretty cool & keep me on the edge of my seat the whole way the ending was definitely unexpected & was enjoyable, but I feel like they could of made it longer from all the unanswered questions they left us with & that's why I'm giving it 4 stars, but other than that it was a great read & highly recommend it
August 25, 2015
Another crazy, over the top read from Laymon. The whole story was building to the actual tour of the Beast House. The characters fit right along with the story, a total variety of folks. The story was great with a few surprises I didn't see coming. And the ending... yep, of course it ended just like that. So glad I read this!
August 26, 2020
Another fantastic read by a surprisingly awesome series…. This series just keeps getting better and better. Published in 1998, 12 years after “The Beast House”, “The Midnight Tour” is the third installment in “The Beast House Chronicles” and a sequel to the 1986 novel.
The story takes place in Malcasa Point, about seventeen years after the events of the second book in the series, and opens up with a reoccurring character named, Janice Crogan. If you do not recall, she wrote to Gorman Hardy in the previous book to ask him to write a novel about “Beast House” and split the proceeds with her. Of course, he ran into some “problems” and was no longer able to write the novel in the end, so Janice took the reigns and wrote a series of her own with the journal she obtained. Her books ended up becoming so successful that they are being adapted into a film and provided her enough wealth to take control of Beast House and the daily tours, which still attract tourists from all over the country. She has included a “Midnight Tour” into the schedule, which takes ticket holders through the cellar and provides more in depth history of the Beast House, unsuitable for the more reserved audience. Although this tour comes with a hefty price tag, it’s attractions are sure to be memorable for all its attendants. Unfortunately there is not much more information that I can provide without revealing spoilers, so I am just going to let the synopsis go at that.
“The Midnight Tour” is written slightly different than the previous books in the aspect that it jumps around a lot between the past and the present. It mainly follows Sandy Hayes’s story and the story of a few new characters and goes back and forth between them with chapters to break them up. This ads suspense and creates a real page turning experience for the reader.
In Sandy’s case, I especially liked the sections in the story where she reminisces about time spent with her mother and her first day in Beast House, recalling all the events that led to their capture, and wondering how things would have panned out if her dad HAD ended up catching them both instead of being ripped apart by the beasts…. I’m a big fan of authors reminding readers of events that took place in the past. Especially, if a long period of time has passed since reading the previous books. It helps the reader recollect key plot points that happened in the previous books.
Along with some reoccurring characters, there are some new additions to the cast, whose personalities are memorable and equally fitting for the series. Although you want to slap a couple of them at times for their stupidity and lack of common sense, you find yourself occasionally rooting for a couple (and wishing death upon others).
I will say that the majority of “The Midnight Tour” was a blast to read and was entertaining from cover to cover. However, the closing chapters didn’t quite deliver for me. The ending twists almost seemed forced (if that makes any sense)…. Not that this story is meant to be realistic in any way, but some of the occurrences seemed way too over-the-top and farfetched for me to swallow. The Epilogue helped recover some of the disappointment, but ultimately the closing chapters resulted in negatively affecting the books rating.
FINAL VERDICT: I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. Although many will find this one to be the best in the series, “The Midnight Tour” is not a stand-alone novel like its predecessor may be. You may be able to get away without reading “The Cellar”, but reading “The Beast House” is a must before reading “The Midnight Tour” or you will be lost. If you were not fond of the first two books, chances are you will not be fond of this one either. It is, pretty much, more of the same…. Although, you can definitely see a difference in the story telling and how Richard Laymon’s writing developed by this point in his career. The way he ties-in the previous books and the character’s stories behind Beast House into “The Midnight Tour” shows the brilliance of Laymon and how well he evolved as a writer. It’s a shame he never reached the same notoriety of Stephen King.
The story takes place in Malcasa Point, about seventeen years after the events of the second book in the series, and opens up with a reoccurring character named, Janice Crogan. If you do not recall, she wrote to Gorman Hardy in the previous book to ask him to write a novel about “Beast House” and split the proceeds with her. Of course, he ran into some “problems” and was no longer able to write the novel in the end, so Janice took the reigns and wrote a series of her own with the journal she obtained. Her books ended up becoming so successful that they are being adapted into a film and provided her enough wealth to take control of Beast House and the daily tours, which still attract tourists from all over the country. She has included a “Midnight Tour” into the schedule, which takes ticket holders through the cellar and provides more in depth history of the Beast House, unsuitable for the more reserved audience. Although this tour comes with a hefty price tag, it’s attractions are sure to be memorable for all its attendants. Unfortunately there is not much more information that I can provide without revealing spoilers, so I am just going to let the synopsis go at that.
“The Midnight Tour” is written slightly different than the previous books in the aspect that it jumps around a lot between the past and the present. It mainly follows Sandy Hayes’s story and the story of a few new characters and goes back and forth between them with chapters to break them up. This ads suspense and creates a real page turning experience for the reader.
In Sandy’s case, I especially liked the sections in the story where she reminisces about time spent with her mother and her first day in Beast House, recalling all the events that led to their capture, and wondering how things would have panned out if her dad HAD ended up catching them both instead of being ripped apart by the beasts…. I’m a big fan of authors reminding readers of events that took place in the past. Especially, if a long period of time has passed since reading the previous books. It helps the reader recollect key plot points that happened in the previous books.
Along with some reoccurring characters, there are some new additions to the cast, whose personalities are memorable and equally fitting for the series. Although you want to slap a couple of them at times for their stupidity and lack of common sense, you find yourself occasionally rooting for a couple (and wishing death upon others).
I will say that the majority of “The Midnight Tour” was a blast to read and was entertaining from cover to cover. However, the closing chapters didn’t quite deliver for me. The ending twists almost seemed forced (if that makes any sense)…. Not that this story is meant to be realistic in any way, but some of the occurrences seemed way too over-the-top and farfetched for me to swallow. The Epilogue helped recover some of the disappointment, but ultimately the closing chapters resulted in negatively affecting the books rating.
FINAL VERDICT: I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. Although many will find this one to be the best in the series, “The Midnight Tour” is not a stand-alone novel like its predecessor may be. You may be able to get away without reading “The Cellar”, but reading “The Beast House” is a must before reading “The Midnight Tour” or you will be lost. If you were not fond of the first two books, chances are you will not be fond of this one either. It is, pretty much, more of the same…. Although, you can definitely see a difference in the story telling and how Richard Laymon’s writing developed by this point in his career. The way he ties-in the previous books and the character’s stories behind Beast House into “The Midnight Tour” shows the brilliance of Laymon and how well he evolved as a writer. It’s a shame he never reached the same notoriety of Stephen King.
October 8, 2025
4.5 out of 5.
Laymon's longest book and one of his best.
So, there was a TON of characters. Like, I think around at least 35 named characters and they all stand out. Well done Laymon!
My favorites were Owen, John, Darke, Blaze and Sandy really grew on me. She's a lot better in this book and her dilemmas and the situation she is in were really interesting to read about.
Everything leading up to the titular Midnight Tour was pretty damn good. A lot of a little there. Some smaller parts of horror and Sandy's story.
Until The Midnight Tour, there are basically 3 different plotlines and here's how I ranked them
1 Owen
2 Sandy
3 Dana
Dana really wasn't anything special. She was the usual Laymon female MC which isn't that great of a compliment.
I'm also a bit sad I didn't get to see Janice again.
Speaking of characters, I just have to talk a bit about Blaze. I am surprised that Laymon managed to actually write a gay character and not write a living homophobic stereotype. Blaze was actually a pretty dang good character and a joy to read about. His friendship with Sandy was a treat to read about.
Another thing I really liked was being back at Malcasa Point (and a little reference to Funland) and seeing how the town has evolved throughout the years. The Beast House has also never been so vividly written before, which was a huge plus.
And the ending, the last 30 pages. Great! Probably Laymon's best ending, which says a lot.
What brings this book down is that during the earlier parts of it, not much happens. I think that some of the characters were a bit uneccesary, some parts were a waste of pages and could have been cut. But, all in all. It was a really fun read and in my top 3 Laymon books, so far.
I'm also sad that this is kind of the end of the beast house series. I know Friday Night exists but I've heard it isn't that great and more something that was pieced together after his death.
Laymon's longest book and one of his best.
So, there was a TON of characters. Like, I think around at least 35 named characters and they all stand out. Well done Laymon!
My favorites were Owen, John, Darke, Blaze and Sandy really grew on me. She's a lot better in this book and her dilemmas and the situation she is in were really interesting to read about.
Everything leading up to the titular Midnight Tour was pretty damn good. A lot of a little there. Some smaller parts of horror and Sandy's story.
Until The Midnight Tour, there are basically 3 different plotlines and here's how I ranked them
1 Owen
2 Sandy
3 Dana
Dana really wasn't anything special. She was the usual Laymon female MC which isn't that great of a compliment.
I'm also a bit sad I didn't get to see Janice again.
Speaking of characters, I just have to talk a bit about Blaze. I am surprised that Laymon managed to actually write a gay character and not write a living homophobic stereotype. Blaze was actually a pretty dang good character and a joy to read about. His friendship with Sandy was a treat to read about.
Another thing I really liked was being back at Malcasa Point (and a little reference to Funland) and seeing how the town has evolved throughout the years. The Beast House has also never been so vividly written before, which was a huge plus.
And the ending, the last 30 pages. Great! Probably Laymon's best ending, which says a lot.
What brings this book down is that during the earlier parts of it, not much happens. I think that some of the characters were a bit uneccesary, some parts were a waste of pages and could have been cut. But, all in all. It was a really fun read and in my top 3 Laymon books, so far.
I'm also sad that this is kind of the end of the beast house series. I know Friday Night exists but I've heard it isn't that great and more something that was pieced together after his death.
August 13, 2018
Седемнадесет години по-късно, Леймън отново ни връща в градчето Малакаса Пойнт и неговата главна мрачна атракция. Мястото вече е доста известно с няколконаписани и филмирани книги за него. Туристическите посещения в „Къщата на Звяра” са се разрастнали във впечатляващ бизнес, а най-голямата атракция е ”Среднощната обиколка”, която този път ще бъде изпълнена с повече ужас от колкото са платили и очаквали посетителите.
Тук авторът се е постарал много. Обемът е два пъти по-голям от обичайния за Ричард Леймън, има ретроспективна линия, която поддържа напрежението, докато другите няколко градират. Има много обрати и кинематографични стряскащи моменти.
Книгата може да се чете и самостоятелно, но кефът е пълен, когато знаеш цялата история. Срещаме се с малкото оцелели от предишните книги герои, които не спират да се забъркват в неприятности. Има и нови, доста свежи попълнения. Кръвта и червата отстъпват на психологическото напрежение, поне до шеметния финал, типичен за книгите на автора. Леймън успява да запази младежката непринуденоост в текста, като гарнира доволно със секс и голи задници и цици. Малко ми липсваха тоновете безсмислено насилие и кофите психопатщина (не че ги няма, просто са в умерени дози).
Като цяло съм доволен, някой неща са по-добри, други – по-слаби от колкото в предходните книги, но се балансират и запазват едно прилично ниво. По едно време ми се разтегна завръзката, но краят оправда всичко.
Няма да издавам сюжета, забавно е авторът сам да ти го разкрива постепенно, пък и който е чел предишните знае за какво да има очаквания, а Леймън успява да се заиграе дори с тях.
Тук авторът се е постарал много. Обемът е два пъти по-голям от обичайния за Ричард Леймън, има ретроспективна линия, която поддържа напрежението, докато другите няколко градират. Има много обрати и кинематографични стряскащи моменти.
Книгата може да се чете и самостоятелно, но кефът е пълен, когато знаеш цялата история. Срещаме се с малкото оцелели от предишните книги герои, които не спират да се забъркват в неприятности. Има и нови, доста свежи попълнения. Кръвта и червата отстъпват на психологическото напрежение, поне до шеметния финал, типичен за книгите на автора. Леймън успява да запази младежката непринуденоост в текста, като гарнира доволно със секс и голи задници и цици. Малко ми липсваха тоновете безсмислено насилие и кофите психопатщина (не че ги няма, просто са в умерени дози).
Като цяло съм доволен, някой неща са по-добри, други – по-слаби от колкото в предходните книги, но се балансират и запазват едно прилично ниво. По едно време ми се разтегна завръзката, но краят оправда всичко.
Няма да издавам сюжета, забавно е авторът сам да ти го разкрива постепенно, пък и който е чел предишните знае за какво да има очаквания, а Леймън успява да се заиграе дори с тях.
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December 26, 2025I read all three Beast House books.
The Cellar began interesting, then just became a mix of deranged sexual violence and boredom.
The Beast House I can hardly remember, except it was rather boring.
The Midnight Tour was repetitive and overlong.
Even though I read them one after another, so they were fresh in my mind, they all muddied together because so many elements repeat. Even descriptions of the history of the house sometimes get repeated word for word from one book to another. And situations and characters in one book resemble those in others, blurring the picture.
There were quite a few typos and badly written sentences. Also some bits just didn't make much sense. For example,
The Cellar began interesting, then just became a mix of deranged sexual violence and boredom.
The Beast House I can hardly remember, except it was rather boring.
The Midnight Tour was repetitive and overlong.
Even though I read them one after another, so they were fresh in my mind, they all muddied together because so many elements repeat. Even descriptions of the history of the house sometimes get repeated word for word from one book to another. And situations and characters in one book resemble those in others, blurring the picture.
There were quite a few typos and badly written sentences. Also some bits just didn't make much sense. For example,
May 30, 2024
4.5 stars
This book was a lot of fun to read. Laymon does an exhaustive job of detailing the two timelines. Maybe the book could have been 300 pages, but that would have taken away from the experience for me. This is definitely the best-written of the Beast House books.
The first reveal that I didn't expect had me thinking that Laymon had confused two characters in his narrative until I read I little farther on. I liked how that turned out.
But he does call a minor character "Julie" (the only time a Julie is mentioned in the book) when her name is Windy, and he does call Warren "Darren" (but the girl Warren is snuggling is named Dana, so that is sorta understandable).
And the climax of the book was an uncomfortable mix of Laymon's perverse imagination and standard action trope that was a tad disappointing.
But overall, this was my favorite of the first 3 Beast House books.
This book was a lot of fun to read. Laymon does an exhaustive job of detailing the two timelines. Maybe the book could have been 300 pages, but that would have taken away from the experience for me. This is definitely the best-written of the Beast House books.
The first reveal that I didn't expect had me thinking that Laymon had confused two characters in his narrative until I read I little farther on. I liked how that turned out.
But he does call a minor character "Julie" (the only time a Julie is mentioned in the book) when her name is Windy, and he does call Warren "Darren" (but the girl Warren is snuggling is named Dana, so that is sorta understandable).
And the climax of the book was an uncomfortable mix of Laymon's perverse imagination and standard action trope that was a tad disappointing.
But overall, this was my favorite of the first 3 Beast House books.
June 23, 2019
The Beast House trilogy has been completed, and what a gruesome, pornographic, and kitschy ride it has been. "The Midnight Tour" takes place in the 90's where Janice Crogan has taken over the operations of Beast House. After publishing two highly successful novels about her traumatic escape from Beast House in the late 80's, Janice has capitalised on her past and turns a modest profit from the Beast House tours and museum. Despite her own horrific experience inside Beast House at night, Janice permits a special Midnight Tour to be lead by her stepdaughter into the notorious Beast House. The tour is only for "hardcore" fans of Beast House and attracts a very peculiar audience. However, no actual beasts have been in attendance at the tour until now....
Laymon has introduced another group of beast house enthusiasts that fall mercilessly and helplessly at the whims of their own hormones, vices, and later risk being torn from limb to limb. "The Midnight Tour" is significantly longer than the previous instalments and includes a far larger cast than ever before. The nudity, sex, and gore is back - along with the beast. In this instalment, the female characters end up saving the day - in the last two books there was a very strong night in shining armour vibe with male protagonists riding in to save the damsel in distress. I love that Laymon has flipped the gender roles in this instalment. However, for all the extra pages, there are still a lot of questions and ambiguity around the ending. "The Midnight Tour" has been my favourite book in the series to date.
Laymon has introduced another group of beast house enthusiasts that fall mercilessly and helplessly at the whims of their own hormones, vices, and later risk being torn from limb to limb. "The Midnight Tour" is significantly longer than the previous instalments and includes a far larger cast than ever before. The nudity, sex, and gore is back - along with the beast. In this instalment, the female characters end up saving the day - in the last two books there was a very strong night in shining armour vibe with male protagonists riding in to save the damsel in distress. I love that Laymon has flipped the gender roles in this instalment. However, for all the extra pages, there are still a lot of questions and ambiguity around the ending. "The Midnight Tour" has been my favourite book in the series to date.
July 31, 2024
This month's #richardlaymonbookclub read is The Midnight Tour, the third in the Beast House series. This is by far the weakest of the three, so far. Most of the book introduces meandering and pretty dull subplots and regurgitates the backstory from the first two novels in the series. There is a strong short novella here, but not a 500 page novel that does so little with so many words. #richardlaymon #themidnighttour #headlinebooks
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