The Richard Laymon Collection Author:Richard Laymon Dreadful Tales Originally published 2000 — It's a hot summer night in West LA, a night when the fresh breeze from the ocean fails to cool those with no air conditioning. Shane Malone sits sweltering in front of his computer, thinking how easy it should be to write a contribution for an anthology; an anthology in which every chilling tale must e... more »nd in the death of a twenty-two-year-old woman in her apartment.
Ideas swirl, but it has to be a grabber - Shane doesn't want to look like a slouch. And the deafening music blaring from next door is not helping.
Shane furiously bangs on the neighbour's door, ready to let rip. But Francine just happens to be a twenty-two-year-old woman who will not be argued with...and Shane is about to find out that life really can imitate art...
So begins the first tale in this terrifying collection of short stories - a delicious cornucopia of homicidal maniacs, vampires and lust-crazed teenagers - that showcase the macabre genius of Richard Laymon.
The Traveling Vampire Show - originally published 2000
16-year-old Dwight and his two pals, male Rusty and female Slim, decide to add some excitement to an otherwise boring summer day in 1963 by sneaking into "The Traveling Vampire Show." This adults-only act, featuring "Valeria, the only known vampire in captivity," is visiting their rural town of Grandville for just one night. Dwight narrates the events of that day, all the way through to the terrifying finale. The three friends are for the most part typical teens, but they are tested that day in ways none of them could ever have imagined.« less