Scan barcode
sandygx260's review against another edition
1.0
This book was completely over the top, a boy's wet dream of how a woman would react in such a grave circumstance. It's silly, sexist and sick. Laymon even works in a little girl on girl action to give the nerd boys a thrill. Please. I remember finishing this book and pretty much deciding never to buy anything from Laymon ever again. He's not writing horror, he's writing his incoherent fantasies.
vikingwolf's review against another edition
5.0
Alice is house-sitting for her friend when she sees the naked man going for a swim in the pool and when he hears the phone and approaches the house, Alice panics and tells the stranger on the phone that there is a prowler and he offers to help. Not long after, she hears a noise outside and kills the intruder-but it is Tony, the good samaritan who decided to come to her aid. Alice can't involve the police because of her past so now she must dispose of the body, clean up...but what if Tony's phone has re-dial and links her to the crime...?
This was Laymon at his very best! Poor Tony is hacked to pieces for helping a stranger because he dialed a wrong number, the pervert is still on the loose, and Alice realises that every bit of evidence she cleans up leads her to another problem that needs to be solved and it all snowballs in a wonderfully over-the-top story that has you hooked to the end. One of my favourite horror books!
This was Laymon at his very best! Poor Tony is hacked to pieces for helping a stranger because he dialed a wrong number, the pervert is still on the loose, and Alice realises that every bit of evidence she cleans up leads her to another problem that needs to be solved and it all snowballs in a wonderfully over-the-top story that has you hooked to the end. One of my favourite horror books!
bovinejoni's review against another edition
4.0
Quite a long time ago I read this. But I remember I had a blast. Kept me reading and reading.
jules_writes's review against another edition
I didn't get that far into this one it just wasn't for me.
georgesreads's review against another edition
4.0
"Redial," is just a simple word, but it means so much more in Richard Laymon's "After Midnight," in which the pages turn at a million miles per hour and leave you with mild whiplash. Have you ever had one of those days where EVERY SINGLE THING just goes wrong? Well, the ENTIRE plot of this book is just that.
Alice (not her real name) is house-sitting for Serena (not her real name) in Chester (not a real place). She enjoys this, as she is able to enjoy the luxuries her friend's lavish home has to offer. Her relaxing evening becomes slightly less chilled however, when a naked man breaks into the property, and begins to swim in the private pool. Scared for her life, she retrieves the civil war sabre from the wall in order to defend herself. And that is when the evening from hell begins. Alice (again, not her real name) anonymously recounts her experiences that night, in a fast-paced first person narrative that will leave you with chills.
The character of Alice is in my opinion somewhat detestable. I'd argue her record of the night was for no one but herself, hence why she doesn't hold back and allows us to see exactly what she was thinking. There's many an outrageous comment and intrusive thought (many of which I found outdated and unacceptable now- for readers who may be offended) however her narration truly did make the story.
I'd say this book is excellent for thriller readers who may be trying to slowly transition to horror, as this book definitely dances on the line between the two. The relentless twists and turns that "After Midnight," was packed with were very much thriller, but even so you can tell that Laymon writes horror through his language and gruesome imagery. I'd also recommend this to any fans of the older Koontz novels.
Alice (not her real name) is house-sitting for Serena (not her real name) in Chester (not a real place). She enjoys this, as she is able to enjoy the luxuries her friend's lavish home has to offer. Her relaxing evening becomes slightly less chilled however, when a naked man breaks into the property, and begins to swim in the private pool. Scared for her life, she retrieves the civil war sabre from the wall in order to defend herself. And that is when the evening from hell begins. Alice (again, not her real name) anonymously recounts her experiences that night, in a fast-paced first person narrative that will leave you with chills.
The character of Alice is in my opinion somewhat detestable. I'd argue her record of the night was for no one but herself, hence why she doesn't hold back and allows us to see exactly what she was thinking. There's many an outrageous comment and intrusive thought (many of which I found outdated and unacceptable now- for readers who may be offended) however her narration truly did make the story.
I'd say this book is excellent for thriller readers who may be trying to slowly transition to horror, as this book definitely dances on the line between the two. The relentless twists and turns that "After Midnight," was packed with were very much thriller, but even so you can tell that Laymon writes horror through his language and gruesome imagery. I'd also recommend this to any fans of the older Koontz novels.
olliesbooknook2_0's review against another edition
2.0
Wow, never read him before and ig that's my fault. Wild ride, sex positive (so much lesbianism written by a man and rape galore
serenastrike's review against another edition
2.0
I think this book started out so promising. I liked that I didn’t know where the book was going for most of my read-through. I was surprised and wanted to read more. Even things that felt really far-fetched (Trying to find your murder victim in the woods only to find out they were kidnapped by a cannibal? Totally believable here) were sensical in this world. I think the pacing was also well-done and I never felt bored by the characters. None were particularly likeable, but that didn’t mean they weren’t entertaining.
Unfortunately, this book falls prey to one of my least favorite horror tropes: The “sexual assault is the worst thing that can happen to any woman so I’m going to make it happen to every woman” trope. It happens to every female character that gets more than 2 pages of character development or dialogue. And not just once--MULTIPLE TIMES. Characters flashback to it, they experience it firsthand, they PERPETRATE IT. It is such a cop-out and UNNECESSARY and makes me irrationally angry. And the biggest reaction you get from any of these female characters is, “That really stunk.” Don’t get me wrong, people react in many different ways to sexual assault. But to say most women brush it off and continue about their lives with no second thought is very unrealistic and LAZY WRITING.
Unfortunately, this book falls prey to one of my least favorite horror tropes: The “sexual assault is the worst thing that can happen to any woman so I’m going to make it happen to every woman” trope. It happens to every female character that gets more than 2 pages of character development or dialogue. And not just once--MULTIPLE TIMES. Characters flashback to it, they experience it firsthand, they PERPETRATE IT. It is such a cop-out and UNNECESSARY and makes me irrationally angry. And the biggest reaction you get from any of these female characters is, “That really stunk.” Don’t get me wrong, people react in many different ways to sexual assault. But to say most women brush it off and continue about their lives with no second thought is very unrealistic and LAZY WRITING.
shane's review against another edition
3.0
I always know what I'm getting with Richard Laymon. It's impossible not to smile while reading one of his books. This one's a little different(but only a little) in that it's told in flashback, so we know from the very beginning that the main protagonist does at least survive. In short, Alice, which she goes to great lengths to tell us isn't her real name turns out to be a bit of a maniac. She inadvertently kills a guy that dials a wrong number when he turns up at her door to make sure she's ok after she sees an intruder in the pool. This is just the start of her killing spree which is punctuated at regular intervals with lots of clothes being removed/discarded/ripped off etc and, this being a Richard Laymon novel, we're also treated to wonderful descriptions of Alice's breasts, usually while she(and they...) are in motion. It's classic Laymon stuff and very enjoyable in it's own way. Mr Laymon always reminds me of the very best b-movies writ large.
Very enjoyable, although not his best in my view.
Very enjoyable, although not his best in my view.