No Sanctuary

Only three months after the posthumous release of Laymon's Darkness, Tell Us and nine months after the publication of his Night in the Lonesome October comes another gripper. This one is a curiosity, because it reads like two novellas stuck together, and the two "novellas" read like sketches for the preceding two books. One story line follows young hikers Rick and his girlfriend, Bert, who hook up with two young female backpackers in the California woods, then are menaced by three male hikers and preyed upon by a deepwoods madman and his wildcats. As always, Laymon does a good job of tracing the tensions-in Laymon's world, always spurred by lust-among the hikers, with Rick's backstory, involving a childhood camping trip during which his stepmother was raped and killed, adding an undercurrent of fear; but much of the violent action suffers from a gruesome sameness and moreover echoes the backwoods action of Darkness, Tell Us. More interesting is the interwoven second story line, about the adventures of independently wealthy Gillian O'Neill, whose passion in life is breaking into vacated homes and staying in them for a spell; Laymon fans will recall that a major character in Night in the Lonesome October shares a similar hobby. This time, Gillian breaks into the wrong home, because clues-S&M videos, clippings about missing young women-indicate it may be the abode of a serial killer. Although this patchwork offering has plenty of the teasing sex, outrageous violence and dawn-fresh writing that Laymon fans love, it lacks the magic of Laymon's best.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Rick would do anything for his girlfriend Bert. He'd even spend his vacation in the wilderness, walking the trails around Fern Lake. After what happened last time, it's the one place in the world he'd prefer not to go. But Bert is a woman with a passion for the outdoors - and a passion for other things too. Rick would follow her to hell and back - which is what he's about to do. Gillian is off on vacation too, only her idea of a holiday is a little weird. She likes breaking into people's homes while they are away and living there. Pity that this time she chances on the home of a serial-killer. The kind of guy who likes to take his female victims out into the wilderness for his fun. Rick and Bert are not the only ones heading to Fern Lake...