Tucker's Take on THE RUINS

A book review by Lyle Tucker:
THE RUINS, a novel by Scott Smith (author of A SIMPLE PLAN, which was
adapted as a movie with Billy Bob Thorton, John Cusack, and,
I think, Ashley Judd).

*Extremely* intense and engaging horror novel about a Mexican
vacation gone wrong.

Let me quote the back of the book by Stephen King:

"No quietly building, Ruth Rendell-style suspense here; Smith
intends to scare the bejabbers out of you, and succeeds. There
are no chapters and no cutaways -- THE RUINS is your basic
long scream of horror. It does for Mexican vacations what JAWS
did for New England beaches..."

Further quoting from USA TODAY: "If you love ABC's "Lost" and
the novels of Stephen King and Thomas Harris, you'll love this
book."

Despite a lame beginning, once the book shifts gears, and it
doesn't take long, it is gripping all the way through. Smith
knows his characters inside and out, and knows how to pace
his horror effectively. Whereas at first I thought the central
core of the horror was a lame choice, and while there are a
few small holes you'll question afterwards, by and large he
pulls it off with bravura characterization and description. I
was fairly quickly won over. I had to read the book in one
setting.

Highly recommended.

[Lyle has good taste, usually. This is on my list!]