The Ruins

The Ruins (2006) by Scott Smith. Tourists encounter unspeakable terror when they veer from the beaten path into the jungles of Mexico. Smith, the author of "A Simple Plan," lands with a dull thud in this, his second book. Although "The Ruins" was picked as the No. 2 book of the year by "Entertainment Weekly" magazine, I found it curiously disappointing. It starts out with a compelling setup, but seemed to kind of fizzle out near the end. Grade: B-