After Midnight: An unforgettable tale of one horrific night

A night of terror awaits... After Midnight is a thrilling horror novel from Richard Laymon, in which a plucky heroine must use every ounce of her ingenuity to survive. Perfect for fans of Dean Koontz and Clive Barker.Alice enjoys house-sitting for her friend; she has the place to herself, a huge TV, a swimming pool. But one night, just after midnight, a man walks out of the woods and throws himself into the pool. Alice knows about men, so she fetches the Civil War relic that hangs on the wall: an old cavalry sabre...What readers are saying about After Midnight: 'Laymon's books are either brilliantly original, or twisted journeys to a very dark place...or perhaps both....''I loved this book from the get-go, it had me gripped and I had it finished in two days flat. It has turns and twists that will blow your mind''After Midnight is undoubtedly [Laymon's] best'

From Publishers Weekly

Although Laymon died in 2001, his U.K. novels have only recently gotten an American release; this 1997 title is a sordid, flawed gem, both stomach churning and erotic, and not infrequently at the same time. Narrated by paranoid, defiant 26-year-old Alice, the book opens on a peaceful night of house-sitting—but as Alice warns, "You can never be sure it's safe." Indeed, shortly after midnight she spots a strange man emerge from the woods and go swimming naked in the family pool. A fortunately timed phone call that's a wrong number gives Alice the chance to drive off the stranger, but sets in motion a 24-hour whirlwind of murder, terror and madness, beginning when Alice splits open someone's head with a Civil War saber—and escalating precipitously from there. Alice's matter-of-fact attitude toward her grisly handiwork can make her hard to sympathize with ("I felt rotten about killing him, but not particularly guilty"); supporting characters are easier to like, but don't get too attached. As the night wears on, Laymon piles on gory details and violent sex with perverse, over-the-top glee; it's definitely not for everyone and can strain credibility, but Alice proves to be one of Laymon's most original and memorable protagonists, and should keep hardened horror fans reading well past the stroke of midnight. (Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Richard Laymon grew up in California and took 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 mystery magazine editor before working full-time as a writer. He is the 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. He died in February 2001.

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