The Price

Written by Alexandra Sokoloff

Narrated by Noah Michael Levine

What would you do to save your child? Your wife? Your soul?

Boston District Attorney Will Sullivan dreams of becoming the next governor of Massachusetts. With his beautiful wife, Joanna, and adorable daughter, Sydney, Will seems destined for greatness . . . until Sydney becomes seriously ill. Now both parents resolve to do anything to save their daughter's life.

But in the twilight world of Briarwood Medical Center, nothing is as it seems. Patients on the brink of death are not only surviving but thriving, while others wither away . . . and the recoveries all revolve around the ministerings of a mysterious counselor, who takes an unsettling interest in Joanna. When Sydney's health miraculously improves, Will suspects that Joanna has made a terrible bargain to save their child. Now Will must face a powerful, unknown evil before he loses . . . everything.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Apr 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9781977348470

Alexandra Sokoloff

ALEXANDRA SOKOLOFF's debut ghost story, The Harrowing, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel and the Anthony Award for Best First Novel. She also works as a screenwriter, and splits her time between Los Angeles, California, and Raleigh, North Carolina. She welcomes questions and comments at her website: http://alexandrasokoloff.com

Reviews for The Price

[Pamela Child · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoy this author because they can built suspense brilliantly. The story was strange but I expected it to be, however, it was too drawn out and predictable to a point.

[nicola26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[jechtshot · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[ct4bergeron · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[silenceiseverything · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.