Booklist

Hell to Pay by Simon R. Green

"In the wake of the war that left the Nightside leaderless, Jeremiah Griffin-one of the last of the immortal human families-plans to fill the power vacuum. But his granddaughter has disappeared, and he wants John Taylor to use his special abilities to find her. Except someone-or something-is blocking Taylor's abilities."*

I think this is my favorite book of the series so far. Having finished the Lilith storyline, Green has thrust John Taylor into a one-book story. It's a simple mystery with the Green twist...meaning it's strange. The Nightside is a world where almost anything can happen and does. This book was a refreshing change from the impending doom of the Lilith stories. The end of the book gives only a small inkling of a clue as to where the next book may be headed. This is the 7th in the series and if they keep being as enjoyable as this one, I'll keep reading them.

The Ruins by Scott Smith

This book is basically a horror/thriller about a group of college students who end up in a nightmarish jungle. I read this one a while back and forgot to post a review. It's just as well. It wasn't that good. This is the second book that I've read that has been on alot of the top ten lists for the year. There must be something wrong with me because I just don't get it. The book wasn't all that terrifying. It was plenty gross if that counts. I didn't care about the characters at all. They were pretty much portrayed as a group of stupid, drunken college students. I hate stupid, drunken college students. Also, I might be giving something away by saying this is somewhat of a "monster" book only, if you ask me, the monster is pretty dumb and been done before. So, I guess I'll just keep reading the books I like and just ignore what the top ten lists say.

* From the book jacket