Beyond the Gate (Kathy Ryan, #4)

I am addicted to the Kathy Ryan series, and what is great is that they can be read as standalone novels and not necessarily in any particular order. The series is also Lovecraftian in the sense that Kathy Ryan is an occult investigator who is hired to close "doors" that lead to other dimensions. There are all the elements of ancient, horrific Gods and hellish worlds. What makes the series so incredible to me is that Mary SanGiovanni is able to harness the sense of abstract horror and dread that is the common theme in Lovecraft's work. I am a huge Lovecraft fan and I have read so many novels that try to follow in his footsteps. Most do not succeed but Mary SanGiovanni does. What is even better is that the characters are so well developed. I actually care about Kathy Ryan and what happens to her. One of the factors in Lovecraft's novels is that the other dimensions are an unknown so the reader has to use their imagination to form an impression of the dimension. In most cases, it seems best to leave the details of the dimension to the imagination but Sangiovanni is able to describe the world but also maintain the sense of otherworldliness and horror. This seems to be the end of the series but I am hoping that she finds a way either to continue with Kathy Ryan or starts a new series in the same vein. In any case, I am looking forward to reading other books by this author. Thank you to Lyrical Press via Netgalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

4/5 Stars