Basic Plot: A small town in Pennsylvania, USA holds a inter-dimensional secret in its woods. A door, to where, no one knows but its secret is held dear by the people of the town because this door has the power to grant you any wish you want. These wishes can be twisted into disturbing outcomes so it is always spoken about with hushed tones. Someone opens that door, and all kinds of new hell is unleashed.
This is the second installment of the Kathy Ryan series about an occult investigator. She is brought to a town in Pennsylvania this time, to shut a door to another dimension that has stood in the woods of a small town for decades. In this one, Kathy doesn’t make an appearance until about half way through the book because the main focus is on the people of the town who have used the door. They have used it for reasons as sick as covering up crimes committed, to trying to dull the pain of a lost loved one. Her character design in this was amazing, she has you nearly upset for the loss over a child molester by the end. She really gives you a hard look into the mindset of people struggling with guilt and temptation. Nothing was sugar coated in this and I think that’s the most appealing thing in SanGiovanni’s novels, the harshness she brings into her writing. No one is really safe. Well, no one except Kathy....which I found to mean even more this time. In the first novel she appears in, Chills, she get’s into a car wreck that would have killed anyone. But not Kathy, no no, she walks away nearly unscathed. In this, Kathy comments on her ability to drink like a fish for years, and it have no negatively lasting effects. I think in this, SanGiovanni really hints at the idea something is protecting the agent, or she is something more powerful herself which is why she is in the line of work she is in. It’s an interesting over-arcing story line honestly. Gives a good spin to the numerous paranormal investigator type series.
In summary, this was even better than the last, a hard 4 out of 5 stars at minimum. This author is a breath of fresh air, bringing a new element to a tired story about the end of the world.
