Thinner (Signet)

<p><P>When an old gypsy man curses Billy Halleck for sideswiping his daughter, six weeks later he's ninety-three pounds lighter. Now Billy is terrified. And desperate enough for one last gamble...that will lead him to a nightmare showdown with the forces of evil melting his flesh away.</p><h3>Christopher Lehmann-Haupt</h3><p>''Thinner'' is very bad. It is not just bad because it overindulges Mr. King's mannerisms of employing brand-name and vernacular cliches. It is also bad because its story about a Connecticut lawyer forced by a gypsy's curse to lose weight endlessly is sloppily plotted and morally confused. . . . He has the instinct and the style and the God-given ability to tell a story. If he would only rid himself of the gimmicks - if he would only stop reaching for effects and take his instincts seriously - he could perhaps be considerably more than simply a certain type of writer. -- New York Times</p>