Customer Reviews
Let's go play at Adams' disturbing read - By: jason crawford, 04 Jul 2010 
This book, although not particularly original, about the trauma inflicted & the endurance of a teenager (babysitter of Adams' kids)who is being held hostage, raped & tortured by minors she was supposed to take care of, it's disturbing to read nonetheless. What makes this truly terrifying is that it's based on the true case of Sylvia Marie Likemin the 60s which was described at the time as 'one of the worst crimes of this century' (I won't mention case as it will act as a spoiler)Jack Ketchum also based his novel 'The Girl next door' on the same case which is equally a disturbing read & film. This book took me a considerable time to read because I kept on putting it down, sometimes for days on end & going back to it. It's quite exausting to read although it's not a particular lengthy novel.The problem with the writing is it's full of purple-prose & where one sentence will do to describe something, Mendal Johnson will take up the whole page.I usually read a bookin several sittings, depending on how exciting they are. Although this book is quite a feat of endurance itself, you just can't putin down & forget about it completely until you find out this poor girl's fate. Basically it's a book about the physical, mental & emotional effects of long-term confinement. Once you finish the book I guarantee it will haunt you like no other. I read this about 2 years ago & still think about it, & believe me not many books do this, so it must gain pointsin that respect. This book has become something of a cult classic & is quite hard to find. Sadly Mendal Johnson never got to see or read the controversy surrounding his book as he died several months after its publication aged 48. Johnson suffered with alcoholism & died of Cirrhosis of the liver. This will explain to other reviewers why he hasn't written anything since. This was his debut novel & curtain call so it's a shame it has not been reprinted to the masses. So although an exhausting read, it still comes highly recommended, because anything that haunts your dreams & waking hours has got to have done its job.
Quite simply..horrific. - By: Philip J. Noonan, 02 Oct 2009 If youve ever wondered what that sly lookin the eyes of groups of children could be hiding, this is the "extremis".
I have a sturdy & robust stomach & psyche when it comes to horror fiction, but this book had a profound effect on me that has endured for the best part of the 30 years since I first read it.
It is well written, & steps into the psyche of a group of youngsters who are leftin the care of a young adult babysitter.
What starts as a childhood game quickly spirals out of control & plunges into the depths of innocent depravity. (yes, I know that is an oxymoron, but believe me, it fits the tale perfectly).
The gardiated buildup to the inevitable finale is tense & almost unbearable, leaving me as the onlooker/reader clinging manfully to the hope that common sense will prevail & that at any point the wickedness & sheer horror will subside & some acceptable conclusion will be furnished by the author.
This is NOT a normal horror story... there are no charicature symbolic "Monsters" with satanic influence.
This tale`s horror liesin a much darker place... the innate base human instincts tempered with the naivity of childhood.
Quite simply... horrific.
Review Purchasing - By: R. Brownhill, 16 Feb 2009 
Like Yourself I read many reviews before I actually Purchase. It just goes to show that judging anything buy an individual or collective review is not the way to go about things. The reviews on this bookin my opinion are rather exagerated. I was looking for a deeply disturbing book which promised to play on my mind. All I got was an outdated book that contained a mediocre story line. However I would recommend the book as despite what I'v commented I did enjoy reading the book, It just wasn't what I was looking for.
Simply - By: Sisqi, 17 Mar 2008 
Simply the most horrific & frightening book i have ever read. I will never forget it. A must read for those who like horror!
A Good Little Story - By: Stephen A. Slaven, 11 Sep 2007 
Like another reviewer on this space I got the book many years ago from a friend who asured me it was the most disturbing thing they had ever read. Through one reason & another I never got around to reading it until last week & now, I wish I hadn't bothered. To say it is more disturbing than The Exorcist & Lord of the Flies (neither of which is actually that disturbing)combined is akin to saying that Kramer versus Kramer is funnier than Love Story & Whose Life is it Anyway combined. Simple truth is that niether equation quite adds up.
Yes there are some good parts of it, it would be unfair to to say otherwise, it's an interesting idea & some of the scene setting is actually very good. But if this book keeps you up at night - you should really stick to romance novels from the airport. Read Lets go Play at the Adams' & then read American Phsyco & see which one works bestin the "How sick & twisted can people actually be" department. If you're kept awake by this kind of stuff maybe you shouldn't bein the horror section of your local book store anyway. I'm not trying to cause offence to Mr Johnson or any of his readers - clearly he has fans & whatever works for you is the key, but I didn't really feel it was anything other than a good little story.
