The Lake

( 28 )

Overview

When a teenage girl is terrorized by a madman out for blood, could it have something to do with what happened to her mother so long ago at the abandoned house out on the lake?

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More About This Book

Overview

When a teenage girl is terrorized by a madman out for blood, could it have something to do with what happened to her mother so long ago at the abandoned house out on the lake?

Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble Review
The Lake -- one of several unpublished novels left behind by horror master Richard Laymon (Flesh, Funland, The Traveling Vampire Show, et al.) when he passed away in 2001 -- is an unabashedly erotic and brutally violent thriller that follows the lives of a single woman and her wild-child daughter and chronicles the unspeakable horrors they must face in order to survive a perceived family curse.

When Leigh was a teenager in the '60s, she was an anti-establishment hippy with a talent for getting into trouble. So her parents decide to ship her off to Wisconsin to spend a summer with her aunt and uncle. The fearless -- and oversexed -- Californian quickly hooked up with a naïve local and, during one of their secret trysts, witnessed his accidental death. Leigh became pregnant and now,18 years later, she watches as her daughter, Deana, experiences a horror similar to her own. Deep in the woods with her boyfriend, Deana watches as he is murdered by a stranger. Are these two bizarre deaths related, and if so, how?

Although it is not on a level with Laymon's earlier works and is mired down by an occasionally implausible plot, The Lake is, nonetheless, a fast-paced, absorbing, and downright creepy read that may appeal to fans of psychological thrillers by authors like Dean Koontz and Peter Straub. Paul Goat Allen
Publishers Weekly
When Laymon (Island, etc.) died in 2001, he left behind numerous unpublished novels that Leisure has been issuing. This one is good but not great, combining the savagery of his earlier work (Beast House, etc.) with the spooky wonder of his later books (The Traveling Vampire Show, etc.). As the story begins, we see Candyman, a serial killer, at work, then observe teen Deana West watch in horror as her boyfriend is mowed down by a car driven by Candyman? The narrative then flashes back 20 years to a summer Deana's mother, Leigh, spent in rural Wisconsin; this, the strongest section, details eerie, erotic nighttime forays by Leigh and her lover, a weird local boy, that result in the boy's accidental death. Back in the present, Leigh gets involved with a cop who's a wolf in sheep's clothing, and she and Deana, who's taken to nighttime jogging and who herself gets involved with a mysterious neighbor and his odd, psychic sister, are menaced by the driver of the car that killed Deana's boyfriend. The plot is too complicated, although Laymon does tie all the strands up in a messy knot; but what counts here, as usual for Laymon, is the white-hot pacing, the rivers of blood (which will dismay mainstream readers) and, above all, the memorable evocation of the fathomless mystery of the moonlit hours. (Sept. 2) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781477806890
  • Publisher: 47North
  • Publication date: 6/25/2013
  • Edition description: Reprint
  • Pages: 412
  • Sales rank: 699,395
  • Product dimensions: 5.50 (w) x 8.20 (h) x 0.90 (d)

Meet the Author

Richard Laymon is the prolific author of more than 30 novels and 65 short stories which have been published in Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock and Cavalier. A Bram Stoker and Science Fiction Chronicle Award-winning author, his novels have been translated into fifteen languages.

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 28 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(15)

4 Star

(6)

3 Star

(4)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(3)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 28 Customer Reviews

  • Posted December 9, 2008

    more from this reviewer

    absorbing crime thriller

    As a teen, Leigh was a rebel protesting the Viet Nam War so her parents decided she needed a change of scenery sending her to her uncle an aunt¿s home in Wisconsin where she met studmuffin Charlie Payne. Leigh chased after the shy man who was intimidated by his mother until she finally caught him. They made love in an abandoned house, but as Charlie was leaving he fell through the floor, hit his dead, and died. His mother claimed Leigh killed her son, but the police ruled it an accidental death. She returned home pregnant.---- Eighteen years later Leigh¿s daughter Deana is on a date with Allan when a man carrying a cleaver and wearing a chef¿s hat chases after them and kills the lad. The culprit is the former chef at Leigh¿s restaurant, who was recently fired. Macer, the detective in charge, becomes romantically involved with Leigh. When the police catch Allan¿s killer, Leigh feels safe, but she soon will learns she is wrong because someone is coming for her and her daughter.---- Richard Layman is a Bram Stroker award winning horror novelist who proves he can switch genre gears by writing a fantastic thriller as well. From the very beginning, the action explodes and just accelerates beyond warp speed and yet allows for a strong believable relationship between mother and daughter even when stress threatens to destroy it as both want to protect the other. The story line is loaded with surprises so that the audience never knows what will happen next. This totally absorbing crime thriller wlil have readers enthralled and unable to put it down until the last page is turned.---- Harriet Klausner

    2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 28, 2012

    Streamclaw

    I ll be sure to tell her that oh and btw if u r sooo bored y sont u go pick on her again i was the one who told her it was u and sienna

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 28, 2012

    Ice eyes

    *grabs bloodsscar and throws another bag on her. Runs away to camp.* Adios, amigos!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 28, 2012

    Assasin

    Runs in and bags stonestar and carriers her away faster than bloodscar can react. HAhaha. TAkeS HER AWAY TO EVIL INSIDE RESULT ONE. Let go stonstar

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 28, 2012

    Bloodscar

    Bloodscar: hi dad. Eaglestar: i see you found a mate. So how is my son doing? Bloodscar: i have been fine father. we are on a romantic getaway. Eaglestar: your mate seems stronger than you. You should eat- Bloodscar: Dad! Eaglestar see you soon...

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 5, 2012

    Love it

    Love this book

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 31, 2011

    twisted book

    but the twists and turns kept me reading

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 13, 2009

    Review for English Class

    The Lake by Richard Laymon is an intense horror novel that nearly forces you to keep reading it. At the beginning, the main character, Leigh age eighteen, is sent to her aunt and uncle's home in Wisconsin because of the Vietnam War. There she meets a very shy boy, who she ends up making love with in an old abandoned beach house. While there the boy, named Charlie, falls through the floor, hits his head, and dies of his injuries. She later returns home pregnant with her daughter Deana, whom ends up being kidnapped, but is later rescued by Macer, the lead investigator.
    Character descriptions in any book/novel are very important for the reader to get an accurate picture of what someone looks like. The four characters that I am going to describe are Leigh (as a teen), her daughter Deana, and Deana's deceased father, Charlie. First is Leigh, She is a typical eighteen year-old. She is rebellious in all forms of the word and does exactly the opposite of what her parents tell her to do. Next, is Deana's deceased father Charlie. Charlie is a very shy man who is at first intimidated by Leigh's' mother. His is a man that is neither, extremely well built, nor does he have a lot of fat on him. He is a typical average man. Finally, is Leigh's daughter Deana. She is introduced as an eighteen year-old girl that is making the same mistakes that her mother does except she does not get pregnant and the boy that she is with doesn't die.
    "The knife slicked down Verna's Torso, jerking a little going past her breastbone. The candy man slowed down then dug in deep, opening her guts like she was a sheep in a slaughterhouse" The narrator says this.
    In my opinion this is the most important passage because it portrays the kind of writing that will be throughout the novel. It leads the reader to believe, that if there is a murder so early in the novel, then there will be many more to come. It is important to understanding the novel because death and fear is a major part of the entire novel. Throughout the novel people are killed like they are "sheep in a slaughterhouse."
    The fifth and final section of my review is going to be a Questioning and Considering section. First, "Do you strongly agree or disagree with any points in the book?" There is one point that I do strongly agree with in this book. That would be the point that no matter how "good" a person seems they can always turn out to be something completely unexpected. Second is, "Are there any serious errors?" While reading this novel I did not see find any major errors in the writing. Third, is "Are there any new and unusual ideas?" The only thing that I found unusual about this book was the very graphic detail of each and every murder. At some points it seemed like too much and it became disturbing. Finally is, "How does this book relate to your life or the lives of people I know?" I don't think that this novel relates to me at all because I don no t know anyone who was killed.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 29, 2008

    I think it could be a movie

    I disagree with all of the bad ratings below. Richard Laymon did an excellent job with this book. No it is not one of his best books but I rate it probably 7 out of 10 if you compare it to his other work. I guess you just have to be a fan. The book kept me guessing and I was shocked at the ending. I believe it should have been a movie.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted July 30, 2007

    Weirdo

    This was one of the worst plots I have ever read. The story is lustful to the point of lacking relevance and the characters are not 'real'. I could not identify with any of them because they just flat 2-D people. Not depth of story and no depth of characters. Parts of the story never tie together and leave the reader saying...'What was that about?' and 'Who thinks like that?' I would not recommend this book to anyone out of shame of having read it. The author seems like a weirdo.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 2, 2006

    A good read

    I liked this book, even if part of it was pretty obvious and easy to figure out. The story started off strong then flagged a little in the middle, but soon picked up steam again. I had a little bit of a problem believing the timeline, though, and the plausibility of the crux of the book happening in the space of less than 2 weeks. But that's just me.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 21, 2005

    Don't waste your money

    This is my first book by this author and it may be the last. The beginning is very long and drawn out. The second part of the book is better but the end is still predictable. There's a part of the book that does not have anything to do with the plot and is just bizarre. It does not add anything to the story and should have been left out.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 15, 2005

    Even the Title is Weak

    Richard Laymon, the king of lustful prose obviously had no intention of signing off on this work as ready for publishing. The Lake reads more like an outline and is difficult to follow. The logic of the actions of the characters is virtually unexplainable. Even the title seems like a work in progress and frankly, the publisher should be ashamed. Sometimes the best decision is to leave work in the can and certainly The Lake would be better off remaining in the scribbled format that the genius Laymon intended it to stay.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 3, 2005

    A Thrilling page turner

    I just finished this book and it was a thrill ride. It kept me focused on what happens next. Not every book keeps me wanting to stay up late to finish, but this one did. I will try other books from Richard Laymon.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 12, 2004

    ANOTHER GREAT BOOK BY LAYMON

    I just got done reading this about an hour ago and I have to say that it was awesome! The story is really interesting and keeps your attention just like he always does. I hope they keep coming out with more books by Laymon. He is the greatest!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 5, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 5, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 2, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 27, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 31, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

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