About the Author

Scott Smith was educated at Dartmouth College and Columbia University. He lives in New York City.
http: //www.randomhouse.com/kvpa/ruins/

Reviews

"The Ruins" does for Mexican vacations what "Jaws" did 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 find-well, 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 timing-the ability to deliver one quick blow after antoher-makes the book so freakishly fun. . . . The story turns grotesque, but Smith's command of his characters and their demons is masterful. . . . "The Ruins" is 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 Ruins" has 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 waysp

Here's a real summer vacation gone wrong. Four twentysomething Americans in Cancun impulsively decide to accompany a chance-met fellow tourist on a side trip to the jungle. They hope to find their new acquaintance's missing brother and visit an archaeological ruin, but right from the beginning, when the locals seem spooked by their hand-drawn map, it's apparent that something is seriously amiss. -VERDICT The tension escalates to a terrifying pitch as Smith (A Simple Plan) explores the way people can change when placed in terrifying situations. (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Adult/High School-Two American couples just out of college head to Mexico for a sun- and tequila-filled vacation. They befriend some like-minded Greek tourists and a German man whose brother has followed an archaeologist to the site of her dig. The Americans and one of the Greeks decide to go into the jungle to help Matthias find his brother. Blissfully ignorant, they head off with minimal rations, but lots of tequila. Despite all warning signs, they continue to a desolate Mayan village whose residents seem intent on keeping them away. Once American Amy steps off the path into a patch of vines, things suddenly change. As in A Simple Plan (Knopf, 1993), Smith creates a gripping story in which each character's uncertainties and human frailties are as horrific as the actual horror around them. Though the story is told in the third person, each American spends time as a protagonist, giving readers an understanding of his or her fears and motivations. This also allows readers to second-guess the characters. The book has no chapter breaks, which echoes the long and dreadful adventure. Even though only a few days pass, it feels much longer, as the plot moves minute-by-minute through each day. The ending is highly satisfactory and perfectly tragic. Though there are some brief scenes of gore, most of the suspense is psychological, but no less frightening. Fans of everything from Jurassic Park to Lost to Stephen King will love this book.-Jamie Watson, Harford County Public Library, MD Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.