Description: The Ruinsdoes for Mexican vacations whatJawsdid for New England beaches." -Stephen King,Entertainment Weekly "The most disturbing novel of the year." -Time "Smith's nail-biting tension is a pleasure all its own. . . . This stuff isn't for the faint of heart." -New York Post "A story so scary you may never want to go on vacation, or dig around in your garden, again." -USA Today "A smart, clean-burning horror machine." -New York Times Book Review "A classic horror story, told with mounting, detail. Smith spins it out relentlessly, piling chill on chill on chill. . . . What happens, and needless to say it's not good, is something readers will race page after flapping page to discover. When they do, they will findwell, better set aside eight or nine hours reading time, keep the lights on, and make sure the plants are still in their pots." -Bill Bell,The Daily News "A fast-paced suspense novel that grabs you and refuses to let go. . . Smith's characterization and timingthe ability to deliver one quick blow after antohermakes the book so freakishly fun. . . . The story turns grotesque, but Smith's command of his characters and their demons is masterful. . . .The Ruinsis chilling, an icy dissection of human nature in a hot, horrifying place." -John Caniglia,The Cleveland Plain Dealer "An exercise in unremitting tension . . . Smith writes in clear, vivid language with elegant sentences." -Diane Scharper,The Baltimore Sun "One of the most terrifying, creepy, riveting novels that will hit the bookstores this summer. . . . Smith sculpts each of the characters, making us care very much about what happens to these young, naive and sometimes selfish individuals. . . .The Ruinshas a claustrophobic feel, which adds to the palpatations of suspense. The great outdoors might as well be a dark, dingy basement full of things that go bump in the night as Smith finds new ways to frighten with his setting." -Oline H. Cogdill,The Sun-Sentinel "Reading Scott Smith is like having a rope tied firmly round your middle, as you're pulled on protesting tiptoes toward a door marked DOOM. . . . Smith is a master of the 'if only' scenario, that most foolish and pungent form of regret . . . At its heart,The Ruinsis an old-fashioned horror story, and it's the invasive, intuitive killer that provides the ice-water dread. . . . It's Thomas Harris meets Poe in a decidedly timely story: Smith has tapped into our anxieties about global warming, lethal weather, supergermsour collective fear that nature is finally battling backand given us a decidedly organic nightmare. Grade: A-. -Gillian Flynn,Entertainment Weekly "Once again, Smith (A Simple Plan) deftly explores psychological tension and insidious fears. A perfect beach read; just don't stray too far from the lifeguard." -Library Journal "A word of caution to readers, gentle and otherwise: Do not pick up a copy of Scott Smith'sThe Ruinsif you have anything else you need to do in the next eight hours or so. Don't start this book if you're especially weak of stomach or nerves, and above all don't pick it up if you're not willing to tolerate some deviation from the usual conventions of thrillers and horror stories. . . .The Ruinsis like all great genre fiction in

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