The Harrowing

By:  Alexandra Sokoloff

Published by:  St. Martin's Press

Mendenhall echoes with the footsteps of the last home-bound students heading off for Thanksgiving break, and Robin Stone swears she can feel the creepy, hundred-year old residence hall breathe a sigh of relief for its long-awaited solitude. Or perhaps it's only gathering itself for the coming weekend.

As a massive storm dumps rain on the isolated campus, four other lonely students reveal themselves: Patrick, a handsome jock; Lisa, a manipulative tease; Cain, a brooding musician; and finally Martin, a scholarly eccentric. Each has forsaken a long weekend at home for their own secret reasons.

The five unlikely companions establish a tentative rapport, but they soon become aware of a sixth presence disturbing the ominous silence that pervades the building. Are they victims of a simple college prank taken way too far, or is the unusual energy evidence of something genuine - and intent on using the five students for its own terrifying ends? It's only Thursday afternoon, and they have three long days and dark nights before the rest of the world returns to find out what's become of them. But for now it's just the darkness keeping company with five students nobody wants -- and no one will miss.

I picked up this book when I went down to New Orleans for the book signing over Labor Day weekend.  I got to meet Alexandra Sokoloff and she personalized my book for me.  She's a very nice lady! (and very elegant! oh la la) 

This was a great horror story.  I read almost the entire thing in one sitting (waiting for my grandmother to get done at the doctor's office which was a horror in itself).  It was creepy and spooky and perfect for Halloween reading!  In fact, I was reading the ending at home, alone, with the windows open and a dog barked in the back yard and it scared me SO bad.  My heart was pounding!

I think this could make a really good movie.  Thinking about that...have y'all see StoryCasting.com?  What a cool way to make a movie cast of all your favorite books!