In The Dark - By Richard Laymon

Originally published in Crossroads #12 (June 1995)

What's the least amount of money you'd accept to spend the night in a used coffin in an abandoned house on the edge of a graveyard?

Laymon's latest thriller starts off when Jane Kerry, a librarian, receives an envelope containing a fifty dollar bill and a clue. The clue leads her to a second envelope with one hundred dollars and a clue which will lead to a third envelope. Each note is signed by MOG (Master of Games), who entices Jane t continue playing by doubling the prize with each successive envelope. The only catch is that the things Jane is required to do to obtain each envelope get a little more dangerous, a little more immoral, a little more criminal.

Who is MOG? What does MOG want? And how far will Jane go in sacrificing her morals for the sake of the game and the growing cash prizes?

Laymon spins out yet another whirlwind of action, suspence and terror, written at a breakneck pace. In The Dark punches the reader dead in the face with brutal unabashed violence and horror, leaving you wondering just how far you would go if you were in Jane's place.

Highly recommended.