I'm entirely unsure about what I should rate this one, but I think three is accurate enough. There was just an uneasy feel to this book that made it slightly unpleasant for me. I realize it's categorized as 'horror' and is supposed to be creepy, but I just didn't think it was a very enjoyable or suspense-filled experience. Will Sullivan is making his way up the ranks of the political world when his young daughter is diagnosed with cancer. The story follows Will as he fears the loss of both his daughter and his wife, and attempts to uncover the secrets of the hospital. I think it was supposed to be mysterious but I found it rather obvious. It kept me reading until the end because I was sure there would be a twist, but it turned out to be exactly what I had predicted. ( )

What price would you pay to save a loved one? Is death sometimes better than the alternative? These are the questions posed by Alexandra Sokoloff in her novel, The Price. An affluent politician, Will Sullivan, and his wife Joanna have their lives flipped upside-down when their young daughter is suddenly diagnosed with terminal cancer. The family drops everything and moves to the cancer ward at the Briarwood Medical Center. Sullivan hasn't slept in days and frequently roams the lonely hospital halls to escape the pain only to discover that Briarwood has secrets. A gentleman is frequently found speaking to those on the verge of losing a loved one only to find that within days their loved one is miraculously cured. However, when Will questions others about the mysterious man in black he is greeted with a quizzical expression. Is the well dressed gentleman a counselor, a con or simply a product of Will's sleep deprived imagination?

I applaud Angela Sokoloff for tackling this somewhat controversial subject matter. It is interesting to consider the price someone would pay to save a loved one and then to frame that question around the children's cancer ward really puts the reader on the edge of discomfort. At times heart-breaking, The Price is a psychological horror story that is guaranteed to keep your interest until the end. ( )

I had previously read another book of Alexandra Sokoloff and I had loved it. This one was entertaining, but not as scary as the other one. I thought everything was happening a bit too quickly for the setting of the book. We follow a District Attorney, Will Sullivan, in the worst moment of his life, throught the sickness of his little girl. When it seems that all hope is gone, a mysterious man propose to Will a way to save his daugther's life. As time goes by, Paranoia and madness plagues Will who start to doubt everything and everyone including is Wife Joanna. ( )

Okay, let me first start out by saying that I am fairly new to the "horror" genre. I've only read about six or seven horror novels in my lifetime and those were all within a year (2008-2009 year, in fact). There were some that I didn't find scary at all (yes, Amityville Horror, I'm glaring at you), but the majority of them I thought were great.

Alexandra's Sokoloff's "The Harrowing" (her first novel) was one of the great ones. I thought it was incredibly creepy and frankly, it scared the crap out of me. So, of course, I was excited to pick up her second novel "The Price" (which I picked up today). I love that her novels are quick reads (man, do they keep you turning the pages!); the author seems to understand that to tell a great horror story, you don't have to have a 1000+ page novel (yes, Stephen King's "IT"; that one's for you).

Anyway, at first, I was a little disappointed because while the first 50 pages were interesting, it really didn't spell out "horror" for me. That notion was changed pretty quickly while I delved in deeper into the story. While I do think that "The Harrowing" was scarier than "The Price", I definitely liked "The Price" better. It keeps you turning pages faster than "The Harrowing" (I finished that one in two days, but finished "The Price" in about four hours). I think it's more of a suspense novel, if anything. Don't get me wrong, it's still plenty creepy (you'll think so too once you read a certain "nun scene". Dude, nuns are already creepy to begin with, but this just made me that much more terrified of them), but the "creepy" factor was not what kept me turning pages.

What did keep me turning pages was the whole mystery of what exactly was happening in the hospital. Throughout most of this story I was thinking "What the hell is going on?!!!" I also kept reading because I was intrigued by the main character (moreso than "The Harrowing" since a couple of the characters in that one annoyed me to no end). While you are on Will's (the main character) side the entire time, you can't help, but wonder if he's going mad or if what's happening is real. It's that whole "What the hell is going on?!!!" thing all over again. The novel also raises an interesting question, "How far will you go to save a loved one?" The humanity factor is what made me like "The Price" more than "The Harrowing".

So, definitely pick up "The Price" (and "The Harrowing", too). It was creepy, heart-breaking, and suspenseful all in one. Alexandra Sokoloff is also coming out with another book in May. And for me, May cannot come fast enough. ( )

Will is a charismatic Massachusetts politician bound for the Governor's Mansion. His beautiful wife Joanna endured horrible abuse as a child but seems to have put it all behind her, reveling in her role as passionate wife and devoted mother. The family leads the perfect, charmed life - until their beloved daughter Sydney is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Not surprisingly, Will and Joanna vow to do absolutely anything to save their child. When a mysterious hospital counselor offers them a way to do exactly that, they're both faced with a soul-shattering choice.

Alexandra Sokoloff interweaves scenes of everyday life with eerie, disquieting images, creating a mounting sense of dread. This is a classic spooky story - loaded not with gore and bloodshed, but instead with surreal nightmarish encounters and a plot that plays on every parent's worst fear. Sokoloff's ability to suffuse the ordinary with an aura of understated horror reminds me of Shirley Jackson.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE PRICE - okay, maybe enjoyed is the wrong word. I was thoroughly disturbed by this creepy tale of terror and look forward to reading more by Ms. Sokoloff in the future. ( )