Alarums - Richard Laymon

Melanie Conway is a violinist.One night,during a concert she suffers a convulsion and,upon coming to her senses,tells her boyfriend,Bodie,that she has had a vision that someone in her family is hurt. Her sister,Penelope,is an aspiring mystery writer who,all her life,has had to beat guys off with a stick.Currently suffering from a barrage of obscene phone messages,she is surprised and a little mystified when Melanie and Bodie turn up at her door.Then ...
...a hit and run and suddenly Melanie's vision doesn't seem quite so fanciful. When Melanie has another fit at the hospital,she becomes convinced she knows who tried to kill her father.Obsessed with bringing the step-mother she believes responsible to justice,her relationship with Bodie begins to take the strain...which is when Bodie and Penelope begin to find themselves drawn closer and closer together. Dealing less with the supernatural elements ...

sparkymarky1973 23.08.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Alarums - Richard Laymon

...a disappointing Laymon novel, then Alarums is probably it. The novel is shorter than most of Laymon's works, and I get the distinct feeling that it should really have been written as a short story. It concerns a concert violinist, Melanie, who has a mysterious vision of death, which sets her off on an obsessive revenge mission. The story is nowhere near as gripping as it should be, and whilst it does have a good twist ending, I feel this is the root ...
...idea for the premise and the ending, and decided to turn it into a novel, when there's really not enough in the story to support it. It feels like every chapter is just an attempt to flesh out the novel before you get to the clever ending. Not up to Laymon's high standards. ...

philsammie 12.07.2000 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Alarums - Richard Laymon

This is a two story book where by far Blood Games is the better story! The characters are easy to believe in and you really to feel your on an adventure with them! this is a very good read which you wont be able to put down its just a shame its the second story so please make sure you read it even if the first lets you down as this is alot more exciting! Alarums was not that great a story, and to be fair leaves a true Laymon fan dissapointed! But to an individaul new to his work this might be a good one to begin with as its not as graphic as his other books! ...

liclechick 26.09.2007
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Alarums - Richard Laymon

The book started out fine getting up close and personal with the main characters but then nothing really happens with it, you keep waiting for a Typical Laymon bone cruncher when all you get is the adds on the back page for some real Laymon Magic. Thats it Book finished with great dissapointment. What I like about Richard Laymon's writing is the way that he grabs your attention from the first page, truly you cannot put the book down, i finished ...
...and couldnt wait to pick up the next book, and wasnt dissapointed when i did (Savage). The Sexual thoughts, actions and perversions are astounding with hack, Slash and blow the body up with a hundred rucksack wielding M------. (you know what i mean) I would go so far as to say that if this is the first Laymon you read it would be the last, but then you have to expect at least one book of any author to be bad. I guess, shame though as he would have ...

mashtata 10.08.2005 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Alarums - Richard Laymon