Beware!

by Richard Laymon

An invisible killer is chasing reporter Lacey Allen across Arizona, and leaving a trail of bodies in his wake.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Splatterpunk, Thriller, Adult, Audiobook, Crime

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 1985

About the author

Richard 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

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

Okay, I generally enjoy Laymon. His books are sleazy and he writes like a (talented) middle school boy who just discovered what sex is and will work it into any topic he can... but he's generally fun and I can have a blast with his ridiculous ideas.

I couldn't even make it through 25% of the book. It's so repetitive and feels like he phoned it in. Also, I don't know if he felt he needed to hit a quota or something, but for those who are offended or can't handle such subject matter, as a heads up, our female lead gets raped not once, not twice but three times before the point I gave up on the book. It could happen again... hell, with the way the plot was going, I suspect it will. I'll not be finding out though. I’ve read more offensive books, and given them a good review, but here it feels lazy, repetitive and not worth the time. Not recommended even for Laymon fans.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deadly killer on the loose. A reporter named Lacey being followed and witness to bloody murder. A group of deadly cultists? What is going on here and who is the murderer? Can Lacey's supporters help her to stay alive? Well, a typical Laymon with reference to Bonnie and Clyde. All male characters are looking for the next lay. Women are described best with their natural features (you know about Laymon's breast obsession, don't you). Violence is rated high here. Sex is very rough, forced and explicitly depicted. You want to find out more? Well, then you have to turn to this 80s classic Laymon. A weird story, good horror motifs and his typical sordid phantasy. Really recommended!

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This may be even more rapey than the Laymon usual. With a higher than average nipple count as well. That’s not an easy thing to do.

Throw in a good-time sinister cult orgy, some inappropriate invisible shower fun and an appropriately high body count and you have a just better than average Laymon tale.

Some great concepts here, but they just didn't get fully realized. And yes, I still liked it.

[Kaisersoze · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast-paced, economically worded, sleazy, nasty, crazy, utterly unbelievable, and still "rump" obsessed (I counted its use 10 times in this one), Beware! is a lesser Laymon throwback.

How many other authors could construct a narrative that mixes a supernatural cult, a mysterious presence in a market store, a private investigator with some questionable methods, and a reporter on the run, all within a meagre 260-odd pages? Seriously, this one fairly skips along. At least until it's final quarter where the various threads come together in an altogether unsatisfactory and fairly clunky manner.

Readers should also beware (heh) the number of rape scenes in this book. Laymon pulls few punches in detailing how one of his more disgusting antagonists forces himself upon one of his more helpless heroines. The impact of these is then undermined by Laymon when said heroine falls exceedingly fast for a hero who comes to her aid, and is only too happy to leap into a coital embrace with him. It was right about then that I all but lost interest in how things were going to be resolved.

So, overall, this is far from one of Laymon's finest, even if it starts well and doesn't outstay its welcome. I don't think I've heard any Laymon fans referring to this one as a favourite, however, so I guess Beware! (complete with silly exclamation point) deserves its place as one of his lesser novels.

2.5 Rumpshakers Rumpshaking for Beware!.

[Adam Light · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beware is a decent early Laymon novel which was not easy to put down. There was absolutely no filler at all. Some of Laymon's best books suffer from that middle of the book sag, but this one was a perfect example of a quick and easy read.
A warning to sensitive folks: this book was filled with rape scenes. A lot more than his books usually have.

[Charlene (Char)🍁☕️📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was selected for my June monthly read in my Richard Laymon Book Club. This book did not disappoint, this was my first time reading this book and I loved it.

This book is about a woman name Lacey a reporter for her local town newspaper. She lives a very quiet life in Oasis that is until a string of murders find their way to her. She is in the middle of a fight and faces a murderer that she wasn’t prepared for.

Hoffman a man that is employed by a company that relies on supernatural practices and forces to get their missions accomplished. He decides to take a once in a lifetime opportunity that makes him a powerful and unstoppable force. He tends to leave a calling card wherever he goes.

This story comes to a head in a small town and from this point there are no rules. I most definitely love the action , fast paced and the supernatural element that was added to this story. Although this was a quick read it was good.

Three words to describe this book: Adventurous, engaging, and intense.

No one writes a book like Laymon he knows how to keep me in his clutches. There are elements of SA, grape , murder , gore , violence, kidnapping, the usual Laymon if you’re sensitive to these topics then take caution while reading.

[Carolyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 Stars

I haven't read that many Richard Laymon, probably about three or four scattered over years. Luckily though, I knew what to expect - just thirty pages in and I'd already been confronted with two murders, one chopped up and prepared nicely for the freezer, a detailed satanic orgy and repetitive rape.

"Beware!" is not for the faint hearted, if you are easily offended then this book is not for you. It's a brutal psychological horror containing elements of black magic. The main protagonist is Lacey Allen, a small-town reporter who tags along with a few of the other town folk to check out a shop which is thought to be haunted. Unfortunately it does contain something horrific but not of the ghostly kind. Meet Hoffman - a disgusting, repugnant, vile, deeply offensive, monstrous character - can you tell I don't like him...

If you are used to this kind of horror then you may enjoy this bite sized morsel of blood, gore and female violation. Unfortunately, although I'm a fan of bite sized horror, I was tempted to put this one down *or thrown violently across the room* on several occasions.

Hoffman is one of the most abhorrent characters I have ever come across. But then again he's meant to be - he's the unremorseful murderer and rapist, the villan of the piece. But although I knew this, some of his actions and language had my skin crawling and made me feel queasy. He's completely repugnant and sees women as just something to have sex with - a play thing - and when he's done he kills them. He's even done it the other way around and it turned my stomach. I'm no newbie to this kind of horror but this book got to me, big time.

So what kept me reading? For one, I never like giving up on a book, never have and so probably never will. But what I liked about this book was the plot. It's actually quite intriguing and although the characters aren't particularly fully developed the ideas are good. I can't go into too much detail as it will give a lot away *just in case there's a few of you who want to read this book*, but let's just say it's about being invisible - what would you do if nobody could see you? Would you use it for good, or for bad? I'm sure you've guessed by now that this time it was used for bad...very, very, bad.

After killing half of the town-folk, and one dog, Hoffman sets his sights on Lacey. He rapes her repeatedly after which she gets in her car, telling no-one, and drives home. I felt horrible how she was treated by Hoffman but because her character wasn't really well rounded some of her feelings and decisions didn't make sense or were totally unbelievable. One in particular was her relationship with Scott, who she meets when hiding from Hoffman in an out of town hotel.

After only a few days of being raped, with bruises and cuts over her body, including the sensitive places, she still gets turned on when Scott touches her and after knowing each other for only a few days they have sex. I mean, really?? I find it incredibly hard to believe that any woman would want another man near her for months, maybe years, after such an horrorific experience let alone a few days!! *This was one of those times I wanted to throw the book against the nearest wall*

After a few chapters of Scott and Lacey fighting with Hoffman, then running from Hoffman, then fighting with Hoffman...again, Scott decides to bring in Dukane, an old friend who's used to dealing with these kinds of people and situations, as he does it for a living. When he arrives things don't actually get better they just continue. Lots of black magic, abuse, blood and rape. That's about it. Until thankfully, and with a humungous sigh of relief, I finish the last page and close the book.

VERDICT:

"Beware!" isn't the best book in Laymon's repertoire, in fact it's probably one of the worst I've read. This book affected me in a way that hasn't happened before - even when I've read Shaun Hutson, who can be just as graphic and sadistic. I love horror, and I love a bit of blood and gore as much as the next person, but what got to me most was the rape and it's this which made "Beware!" just downright distasteful. I can't say I'd recommend this book, because I wouldn't.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

When life is at its most hectic, death is a funny thing to read about. Not in the sense of pain and personal loss found in literary fiction, but in the cartoonishly violent, crazy world of horror paperbacks. We get to approach death, shake hands, but do it on terms that seem more fantastic than real. And if you're bent, you can find some great comedy in it too. Since seeing Twilight Zone: The Movie at the tender age of nine and witnessing the horror that was that thing on the wing of the plane, nothing else has come close to capturing the same level of terror. So now I read horror for fun. Once in a while something will give me an exhilarating chill, and it takes me back to my childhood, peeping through fingers slapped tight to my eyes. I don't wanna know, I don't wanna know, I gotta know. Amazing Stories, The New Twilight Zone, the 80s were full of fantasy/horror programming. And I loved every minute of it.

Richard Laymon was not a big name in the US in the 1980s. He should have been. His work was championed by many popular suspense and horror authors of the decade. But because his second novel, 1981's The Woods Are Dark, was mangled by his publisher in hopes that it would sell better if most of the grotesque scenes were rewritten or repealed, only to find the public wanted more mangling and grotesquerie, and so said book did not sell, Laymon found himself dropped from his American publisher. He changed gears, wrote YA fiction for a time. Fast forward several years and enter suspense writer Dean Koontz, who helped Laymon find a publisher in the UK. In the late 80s, Laymon's career finally took off. But not in the US. That would take another decade, another publisher, and his untimely demise.

Most of the above can be found in Laymon's memoir/book-about-writing, A Writer's Tale, published in 1998, three years before his death. I've been slowly working my way through it for the last year. It's a shame it's out of print. It's one of the most interesting books about writing, the writing life, and the ins and outs of the publishing industry that I've ever read.

Like the previous books I've read by Laymon, Beware sometimes suffers from too much horror logic. Horror logic states that: when one flees from a bloodthirsty killer and one encounters a flight of stairs, one must run up said stairs instead of down; when one has seen something outside one's window but is not sure what that something was, it is best to step outside, unarmed, and have a look; when one comes upon the body of a murdered friend, the best respite is getting naked; and so on and so forth. Laymon steers clear of these, but adds a new batch of his own. When you have in handcuffs a guy who's murdered innumerable people and you take the cuffs off, thinking you can trust him: even horror logic is not a crazy enough to cover that. Of course, we're talking about a guy who's invisible, here, so I may be expecting too much.

But for all its outlandish leaps, this is exactly what I was going for. Something that reads quickly, keeps me entertained, and is carefree. Horror fiction, and genre fiction in general, may not be for everyone, but it's a field of literature that serves a specific need: taking one's mind off of the horrors of day to day life. And for that, I'm thankful to have it.

[Dead Inside · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Erections. Plenty of them down there. No coupling, though. Not yet. Nobody was even touching-not each other, anyway. They danced alone, jerking to the wild race of the drums, stroking themselves as if no one else existed.”

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

BEWARE of this book.
I have read some rubbish in my life, and this book really does rank quite highly amongst them for the title of biggest waste of 3 hours of my life. A deeply unpleasant sociopathic invisible killer is one thing, and the book starts almost promisingly, with a strange haunting in the local corner shop. Of course it all goes down hill from there. Our heroine is one of those wonderful weak women, though she has no qualms sticking a knife in people, for the most part, she cries, holds off vomiting, and manages to get herself raped a grand total of 4 times in 250 pages. That doesn't put her off mind you, and she still finds time, while in a deserted house, surrounded by cultist snipers, to boink the books hero, who for the most part spends his time being unnecessarily invested in a woman he knows simply because he hit on her at a hotel poolside. What a nice guy, I guess. There's an almost comically high death count, less the encountering of bodies in wardrobes, more just the killings of multiple people in the space of about 2 pages by this same invisible rapist psychopath that seems to possess some super strength that allows him to wield a fire axe as it were a razor sharpened sword. Go figure. As every weak story needs some gratuitous sex, Laymon is happy to oblige with a graphic blood orgy in chapter 2, which leaves you feeling uncomfortable. There is a definite use of gore for the sake of gore, as if deploying this will somehow distract the reader from the fact The book lacks any atmosphere, and bases itself completely around "he said, he did, she did" forgetting to tell you what on earth the, frankly potentially interesting environments they find themselves in look like. If even more precious is the fact that every female on the book seems to be horribly violated with numerous items, in a frequency that makes you consider that the author is indulging some rank penetration fantasy. Not to mention the gaping plot holes about the "SDF" and quite how this massive group somehow is supposed not to track them down/ collapse after their head bint who likes to run around with her breasts out is killed. Oh, did I mention the hero is a crime writer? I wonder who Laymon had in mind when he wrote that? Himself? URGH, give me strength at authors who write themselves into the book in such an obvious way, they are basically the same, just braver, slimmer, and more handsome.

[Kasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the craziest books I have ever read, the sheer magnitude of fantasy driven plot and violet scenarios mixed with black magic and the usual Laymonesque inappropriate behavior made it for an entertaining read but it was the weakest from all his works so far. I am a huge fan so I will not pass up a chance to read anything by this gentle man who wrote crazy stories, my favorite so far has to be "Island" which I read when on a trip to Poland years ago, I left it there and had to get another copy, now that was an exquisite book but twice as big as this one. For a short and off the beaten path type of a tale, of a local reporter being chased by her high school stalker, who tangled up with some very bad people and turned invisible with their magic, well one can imagine what a horny[...:] will do with this great power, and he sure does, with chuckles and horror, his tale is very interesting, to say the least. Laymon let the reins of his imagination flow and it showed, I never knew what to expect and it was a fun albeit gruesome at times read.

The book is quite short, I read it in a few hours but the ups and downs and the smooth dialogue guided it well into the ending which was excellent, I think it saved the book in my eyes into a 4 star rating, I would have otherwise have to give it 3, but somehow the end was tricky and very, very suspenseful, but little abrupt - maybe one can say explosive. Laymon's books pop out every few months even though he's no longer with us and they shock and thrill, they jolt me but they are easy to read (despite the craziness) and the man was a good story teller, his ideas were truly his own, and I miss him, I wish he could have lived to be an old man surrounded by his own works with plenty of fans supporting him.

For a fast and little icky read, this is a fun book but like I said, not his best. I still adore him; after all I read from him he can do no wrong.

[Danni The Girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

My second Laymon book and he is seriously getting on my nerves with using the word “Rump”. Again, my second read by Laymon and that’s how much he has used it. IT’S NOT A RUMP STOP CALLING IT THAT! It was giving me anxiety just waiting to come across the word over and over again, that it didn’t slightly detract me from the story. I was given 20 or so of his books and honestly if he prats on using Rump in every book I am going to lose my head. Come on man, use something else. He seems to have a weird fascination with it, amongst other things.

Despite my whingey start, I enjoyed this one more so than Beast House. It was really creepy reading about this invisible maniac, and how the story unfolded nicely. I did lose the thread a bit when other characters were introduced and characters started travelling. For me it’s just a personal preference I prefer a simply story, but yes I think this one is going to stick in my mind. The first half of this book was most enjoyable…. Hold the rump.

[Brendon Lowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

It's a shorter Laymon book than most but still a good time. If your idea of a good time is an invisible mass murdering rapist, cults who engage in blood drinking and orgys and a kick ass action hero protagonist. Middle of the road for all the Laymon I have read but a good time nonetheless.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story line. Original plot. Certainly a page turner. Don't know why Mr. Laymon felt compelled to have a rape scene occur at least once (sometimes several times) every 30 pages or so. Pretty much every character in the novel was obsessed with sex to the point that it made me just roll my eyes eventually and wonder what was compelling Laymon to dwell on sex so much. Laymon also has only two types of women in this book: helpless rape victims or homicidal nymphomaniacs. I gave it three stars because I knew what to expect going in. You can't exactly turn on a trashy B Horror movie and expect something great---but sometimes you just want to enjoy the camp of a B Horror movie. This book is just like that.

[Димитър Цолов · Rating 3 out of 5]

Бях забравил колко жизнеутвърждаващ автор е Ричи Леймън. От всяка страница на тази тънка книжка лъха хуманизъм, какво ти "Лаведа" си е направо апотеоз на хуманизма! Героите са пълнокръвни, с прекрасно изградени характери и вътрешна мотивация, не съзрях нито една логическа пукнатина в сюжета!!!

Ха-ха-ха-ха-ха...

А сега сериозно.

Знаех какво да очаквам и Леймън не ме изненада - чИрва, кръв и сперма хвърчаха с килограми, през страница-две се мяркаха разчленени и обезглавени тела, а изнасилванията... не ги броиме, както пее моят колега Тони Стораро... За протокола - не мисля, че авторът се е вземал на сериозно, затова тройката, която ще му ударя е напълно заслужена, за разлика от някои други мои тройки тук, равняващи се на две или дори една звезда.

[Adamus (Like Adonis, but with a M) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so intense!! This is definitely one of Laymon's most violent books besides Endless Nights. The plot is very creative & the characters are well made. There is a lot of gore & blood & this is probably one of his only books with a somewhat paranormal type feel to it because of the evil magic, but the guy is just really bad & does a lot of bad things. If your not used to this kind of horror it might make you uncomfortable in some spots but I thought it was a great book. One thing that's always great about Laymon books is his endings. They will just amaze you or leave you speechless. Highly recommended.

[Jon Von · Rating 4 out of 5]

Layman’s take on the idea of the Invisible Man. But what if he was like the worst possible dude imaginable? Who was the person whose idea it was to give a horny serial killer these magic powers? Just a terrible decision. Wild havoc from page one! I loved the hero and heroine, and author and his suave alter ego, and a woman whose abilities… well it’s a Richard Laymon novel. It's sex. A relatively short ode to Univeral’s famous creation in the splatterpunk medium.

[Richard K. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I have had this book since it ORIGINALLY came out....and NEVER had read it till yesterday!
So what will I say about this......? I actually had fun with this; now let me tell you, you MUST put all the rape (and there is tons in this one!) scenes out of your mind, yes, Laymon always has so much sex, whether it was wanted by the person or not, like it is here, that is just who he was. This was such a short and quick read, i read it in one day....yes, i did. The only thing i can say about it is, it was so much fun if you think about this scenario:
The invisible man, turns into sadistic, Voodoo driven by witchcraft murderous villain! Yes, that is what this is about. The gore is so well done, as it always is in Laymon's book, but if you can look past the rape, and just have fun with it....it is a good, and gory horror campy thriller!

[pfaffingers_bibliophilie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worum geht´s?
Im Supermarkt der Kleinstadt wütet ein Killer. Als die Journalistin Lacy diesem zufällig begegnet überschlagen sich die Ereignisse und sie muss fliehen, um ihr Leben zu retten.

Meine Meinung:
Was gut begann wurde absolut schräg und nervig. Ich weiß nicht, was Laymon hier geraucht hat, aber das Buch war ein Schuss in den Ofen!
Anfangs war ich noch begeistert von der unheimlichen Atmosphäre, welche der Supermarkt-Killer verbreitet hat, aber dann wurde es unglaubwürdig und etwas lächerlich.
Der zweite Erzählstrang der Geschichte war von Anfang an nervig und völlig abgespaced.
Es ist unfassbar, wie sehr sich 288 Seiten ziehen können.
Die Protagonistin wird von einem unbekannten Killer verfolgt und versteckt sich in einem Hotel, dort wirft sie sich dem nächstbesten Helden an den Hals und vergisst ihre brutale Vergewaltigung auch ganz schnell wieder. Männer scheinen da die beste Therapie zu sein. Der Killer, was soll man dazu sagen, ich kann gar nicht beschreiben, wie urkomisch ich ihn fand, weil ich einfach zu viel spoilern würde.
Das Ende zog sich dann, wie Kaugummi auf Asphalt an heißen Sommertagen und rettete irgendwie auch nichts mehr.
Glaubt mir einfach, diesen Laymon müsst ihr nicht gelesen haben! Und falls doch, vielleicht hilft Schnaps?!

Fazit: Neee… Neee. Einfach neee!

[Mike (Hail Horror Hail) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reread and still phenomenal. Top 5 Laymon.

[Melanie Bouthillette · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Laymon kick continues!

Although not one of my favorites, it is classic to Laymon and jam packed with all the crazy good stuff he likes to throw in his stories. I feel like this story could have been longer with more developed plots regarding the cult side and Laveda but it was still a very good, fast paced, raunchy serial killer hell of a good time.

he's my favorite I don't think I will ever not enjoy his books.

[Cory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok after reading a couple reviews here for this and other Laymon books, and also on Amazon, I feel compelled to warn / explain to people about his books. If you are a woman, there is a 75% chance you will be offended by his works and not even be able to finish the first one you try. Unless you go into these with the mindset that you will be reading the book equivalent of a sleazy slasher flick from the 1970's you won't like them at all. I keep reading reviews from women that his female characters are completely unrealistic and both look and act in ways that no actual women would. I absolutely agree, but that's the whole point of reading a Richard Laymon book. It's an escape, and is SUPPOSED to tittilate and entertain someone on the most base and disgusting level concievable. You read his books in an effort to find characters and situations you have never seen in any book or movie, and never will find again. Beware is no exception. Given what I just talked about you can imagine what kind of things you will find in his version of "The Invisible Man plot" Read at your own risk, and if you don't like what you find, you've been warned ;)

[Janie Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this is classic Laymon. Disgusting, twisted, action packed semi horror. All of Laymon's books to me, are very fluid easy to read novels. This one is no different. Once you get past the orgy scene at the beginning, the book turns out to be pretty good.

Although I never seem to be able to connect to any of the characters in Laymon's books, it doesn't seem to take away from the story. They are always filled with plenty of twisted action. The premise of this book is pretty awesome and I think it is played out well. Somewhat predictable, but I still enjoyed it for the most part.

If you like twisted tales, then Laymon would probably be a good choice. Not for the faint hearted though I must say, because they can be somewhat grisley.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my first Laymon book. People are right when they say that some of his books play out like an 80's B movie. With "Beware" it was so much so that I imagined the resourceful cracker-jack mercernary "Dukane" to be played by none other than Marc Singer of "Beastmaster." It was a perfect fit. There was one part in here about magic beans growing from the eye-sockets of a decapitated head that I really enjoyed. All in all I would not recommend this. I'm reading another Laymon book now called "Island" that is way better than this.

[DJMikeG · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is such a thing as too much rape in a book (I know, its hard to believe), but this book proves it. Laymon can be good or almost unbelievably bad, and this would go in the unbelievably bad category.

[Venus · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m done with Laymon.

[Josh Rice - Author · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Horror writers are specialists in the worst-case scenario.”

This book... man this book... I don't know what to say, it was interesting (in parts) but way to sexual for the sake of it. Any sense of suspense or horror was quickly lost to the boob talk, Laymon... I really enjoyed Midnight Lair, really struggled with Beware!

I need something light next, too much sexual violence for me, to much sexual talk for the sake of it... Just too much!

I'm giving it three stars but only just, if it had been any longer I would have probably DNF'd it.

[Toniarw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich weiß nicht was ich von dem Buch halten soll ... irgendwie war alles ziemlich durcheinander und wirr. War aber auch echt interessant und ich hab das Buch fast in einem Rutsch durchgelesen.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 4 out of 5]

With this book, Laymon seemed to have been trying his hand at a Koontz-style thriller while adding all of the gore, violence, and rumps that his style is known for.
The ending was a bit rushed, but overall, this was a surprisingly fast, fun read.

[Matt McRoberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the three Laymon novels i've read to date this is probably the best one. I enjoyed BEWARE. BEWARE was a quick read and entertaining. Decent plot and some godo characters.