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Let's Go Play at the Adams'  By  cover art

Let's Go Play at the Adams'

By: Mendal W Johnson
Narrated by: Matt Godfrey
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Publisher's summary

"They're just kids.... It's only a game." That's what Barbara, a lovely 20-year-old babysitter told herself when she awoke bound and gagged. But the knots were tight and painful and the children would not let her go.

"They're just kids.... It's only a game," she told herself again. But the terror was real...and deadly!

In the decades since its original publication, Mendal W. Johnson's best-seller Let's Go Play at the Adams' (1974) has gained a reputation as one of the most harrowing horror novels ever written, and copies have long been unobtainable except at exorbitant prices. Now this first-ever audiobook version of the novel, read by award-winning narrator Matt Godfrey, adds a new dimension of horror to this cult masterpiece.

©2020 Mendal W. Johnson (P)2020 Valancourt Books LLC

What listeners say about Let's Go Play at the Adams'

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Shock Value Depravity

This book was probably edgy for its time when it first came out decades ago, but it has little value beyond the depravity.

My biggest problem with this book is that the author didn't convince me that children were capable of performing these horrific acts and either not turning on each other and going to the authorities or getting caught. The only character whose psychology fits his actions is the psychopathic Paul. The other children seem far too normal to be kidnappers, torturers, and murderers.

Performance wise Matt Godfrey is at his weakest here given the source material. I usually like this narrator in the other books he has done. However his impression of distressed/complaining/whiney female character is grating and almost unbearable. There is a lot of that in this book considering its about the kidnapping/torture of a young woman

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7 people found this helpful

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It’s just a game

A group of kids tie up their babysitters so they can do what they want over summer vacation
Not as brutal as the girl next-door but still a great read
Well narrated and highly recommended
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review

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4 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Great performance

But only a mediocre story. Read Ketchum’s Girl Next Door if you want to read a torture story that actually reveals something about the darkness of human nature.

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4 people found this helpful

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At a loss for words

I do not know what to say except holy terror and yes it could happen This has chilled me even though I’ve known demons large and smal and understand depravity has no age and the masses move as one without so much as a thought of questioning or ceasing, even though all of that is true, I like Barbara cannot believe it

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2 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Wow

It’s honestly the worst book I’ve ever gone through. I got no enjoyment out of any minute.

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2 people found this helpful

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Fantastic but unnerving

Spectacular read but extremely uncomfortable and unsettling. The author does a fantastic job writing from the children's perspective. Extremely relatable as the kids go through normal childhood. Utterly terrifying situations. Definitely a read it once and never again!

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1 person found this helpful

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Distrubing

Wow, that was a very disturbing book and the narration was great too. I loved it.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Good Lord, that was messed up.

I hope that characters like this don’t exist in real life. It was creative, impressive and appalling. I’m glad I read it, yet I hope I never, ever, ever read anything this grueling and horrific ever again in my life. Jesus Christ.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

What a ride!

Some serious character development and a riveting story. Well worth the listen, but only if you have a strong stomach and an open mind. I imagine you only find this kind of book if you're into the dark and twisted.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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The Horror of Youth

I purchased this book after reading Paperbacks From Hell by Grady Hendrix, and I’m glad I did. This story does not disappoint, but it is a quieter, day-scare kind of story that may not appeal to one looking for a horror romp. The matter-of-fact attitude and actions of the children are disturbing, and the glimpses into the inner-world of the characters highlight the real horrors of that young people confront day-to-day all leading to the unthinkable actions of a childhood game gone too far. Like a small-town Lord of the Flies with more coherent and detailed psychological musings.

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