"In the town of Zarephath, Pennsylvania, just past the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border and northwest of Dingmans Ferry out by the Delaware Water Gap, there is a Door." It stands with no support amid oak trees that don't grow too close. You go alone at night with a letter. Said letter must clearly state your wish and be sealed with wax that includes a drop of your blood. Slip it under the door and in three days, the Door gives you what you want for better or for worse. No one can use the Door twice, and never EVER open the door.

Kari, a bereft mother mourning the loss of her daughter three years in the grave, decides that her wish wasn't granted to her satisfaction so she's going to open the Door. Naturally, all hell breaks loose. All the wishes are returned, so to speak. And the dying begins.

Former sheriff Bill Grainger calls in Kathy Ryan, who is something of an expert in the strange and unusual. With Kathy's help, Bill and current Sheriff Timothy Cole join together to try and save the townsfolk of Zarephath from their tortured pasts and <i>them</i> behind the Door.

This was really interesting. I put off reading it because I could not get into the last title I attempted to read by Mary SanGiovanni. I really enjoyed this one though! Imagine if there was a place where you could go to rid yourself of your problem, whatever it may be - cancer, unwanted pregnancy, brutal war memories - and poof! gone. A fascinating concept, provided of course some idiot doesn't come along and open the door as in this story. Fast-paced and fun. 4 stars.

I had a hard time getting into this book. The beginning starts a lot like a documentary. It was slow but as you get into it a little, and learn more about the characters, you're flipping through the pages trying to see what happens next. The detail in which the scenes are written is amazing. The words flow perfectly and beautifully together. I think this book would work better as a movie. The imagery in it would work wonderfully as a horror flick that I would rush to go see. Reading this at night means I am now sleeping with the lights on. Not that its THAT scary but I needed the lights on to read. I thought I kept seeing these creatures entering my room. 😂😓😖I hope there will be more Kathy Ryan books that will go into more detail on her life. How did she get the scar? How did she come across this career? All things I would love to know. THIS BOOK HAS TRIGGERS THAT SOME MAY NOT FIND SUITABLE!

Those of you who have been following my reviews since I first began blogging know that I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this author. The two other novels I read by her left me less than impressed, so I was hesitant to take a third chance on her.

However.

This story was everything the synopsis promised it would be. I was drawn into this town, and these people from the very beginning. One thing I have noticed about her novels is that there are a lot of characters. Each one with their own stories and their own problems - and sometimes that does lead to a bit of confusion, and the overall feeling that with the exception of one or two of these characters there has been no real character growth. It was also, at least for me, missing the crucial part of the after story. How did these people move forward from what happened to them?

Despite that, I found myself enjoying this story and I do believe this novel will appeal to those who enjoy a well written horror/thriller story.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

It's the door to nowhere. Everyone in Zarepath knows that if you come to the door, slide a note underneath the door, asking for forgiveness, asking for help....three days later, your wish is granted. Everyone also knows that you have to be careful about what you are asking for. There's no second wish, no second chance. NEVER open the door.

Kari is a single mother, who is the the depth of grief over her daughter. She writes her note to The Door, asking it to erase all of the memories of her lost child. At the last minute, Kari changes her mind and tried to retrieve her letter by breaking the ONE rule the town has....she opens the door.

Every sin and secret has now been unleashed. Kathy Ryan, occultist (and start of this series), is called in to seal the door.

This is a fast paced book with horror that is hard to describe. It's super-natural, it's terrifying, it's amazing.

Behind The Door by Mary SanGiovanni captivated me from the synopsis that mentions an occult specialist. It also helped that the cover was so creepy, eerie, and menacing with these hands reaching out behind a door like they were coming for me. This is the first time I have read a book by SanGiovanni and it will most definitely NOT be my last.

There is a rural town in Pennsylvania called Zarephath. And deep in the woods of this town there is a solitary door that has always been there. And no one knows how it got there. All the townspeople know is that they can write a wish down, seal it in an envelope with wax and a little bit of their blood, slide it under the door, and then in three days the wish will come true. You can only have one wish. And you must never, ever open the door. Sounds… pretty awesome and easy, right?

But just as Stephen King probed our curiosity in Pet Sematary, the Door tempts someone in Zarephath that maybe someone close to them can return to the living. That one parallel being made, this book is highly original and fresh.

The author did a great job at creating a lot of characters whose stories become intertwined as we follow along. Each character had their pasts, their sins, their wishes, and their own trip to the Door. I loved all the reasons that people went to the Door and how they all became affected by it as the story progressed. SanGiovanni did an awesome job freaking me out with these parts!

I really liked the main character, occult specialist, Kathy Ryan. She was a strong lead and had a fun personality. She makes her voice heard and is seen as someone in control with good authority from the town early on. The town already believes in the powers of the Door, so it was not super hard for them to believe there was someone like Kathy Ryan who could come in and help them. It was really cool seeing a woman take this leading role and completely dominate it! I am a fan of Kathy Ryan and will be rooting for her as her story continues to unfold in later books. I read online that this is a series and I am excited for more!

Lastly, I will always be a fan of books that have evil in a small, rural town. It’s always fun for me to see evil try to sneak in the backdoor, of a small town with what one would expect to have small-minds and inhabitants who seem simple or lack ambition. I love how they pull together and how they become strong and we get to see the growth of those characters. So if that is your thing, then this book will not disappoint.

One of the themes I will leave with after reading this book is that some things are worth surviving instead of changing. 4 out of 5 stars to this book and I am already excited to see where SanGiovanni takes me next.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

There is a Door in the middle of the woods. It’s been there as long as anyone can remember but no one knows who or what “them behind the Door” are. You can use the Door one time and one time only. You need to word your letter carefully, seal it with wax and your blood, and slip it under the door alone at night. You can ask it to do anything at all and three days later you get what you want, “more or less”.

“You don’t always get it how you want it. And there’s no way to take it back, sugar, because rule number one is that you absolutely, under no circumstances ever, open that Door. Once you deliver your letter, it is out of your hands.”

Would you use it? Would you ask it to remove a burden or give you something you’ve always wanted? I asked myself these questions and decided that although there are definitely experiences I wish I’d never had or things that are out of my reach that I’ve always wanted, the risk of using the Door would outweigh any potential benefits for me. In weighing this up though, I know I’m only doing so hypothetically. Who knows what I would do if the Door was right in front of me.

Due to the power of the Door and the amount of people who have used it there were a lot of potential triggers in the content, including suicide, family violence, sexual assault and paedophilia. What probably shouldn’t have surprised me but did was my reaction to certain characters. Once the Door was opened (it had to happen) and all hell started breaking loose I found the way I felt about the characters depended upon the details of the burden they had described in their letter.

I was concerned for the safety of some characters. I was anticipating with unbridled glee the potential comeuppance of others. I hoped for the redemption of some and the extended torture of others. I worked out the connection between a couple of characters early on and had looked forward to being a spectator as the dots were joined; although this wasn’t resolved the way I had hoped I’m not disappointed.

My favourite character was Cicely, Kari’s friend, who I found to be compassionate, wise and down to earth. She was the only character I ended up with a mental picture of and for some still unknown reason she wound up looking and sounding like author Toni Morrison in my head.

Kathy Ryan, a consultant to law enforcement agencies who specialises in the occult and supernatural, is called in to try to contain what was unleashed on this town when the Door was opened. The marketing for Behind the Door told me this was the first in a new series but once I started reading I discovered it’s actually the second, so Kathy’s character joins the story without a great deal of background information.

In Behind the Door you learn more about each of the townsfolk than you do about Kathy and I expect that the scar that’s mentioned several times and her less than perfect family that’s alluded to are explained in the preceding book, Chilled. Yes, I bought that book immediately after finishing this one and am already looking forward to reading it as well as the forthcoming Inside the Asylum.

I really had fun reading this book. There was enough information given about the characters (with the exception of Kathy) for me to become invested in their lives. The consequences of the Door being opened were interesting, with some gore and creepiness, but nothing that turned my stomach or made me want to look away. I enjoyed watching the chaos unfold and loved that I was able to suspend my disbelief as I got swept along for the ride.

There were a few question marks that remained for me after finishing this book, such as why Cecily never appeared to tell Kathy the words her husband had spoken to her, which seemed vitally important at the time. I also wondered about what seemed to me to be an inconsistency; whether the Door could be photographed or not. Kathy uses photos of the Door to help her solve the case yet makes a point of noting that it wasn’t odd that there are no photos of the Door in the Heritage Centre as “Often, such interdimensional oddities negatively affected digital and film media.”

My main niggles with this book were the ending and the limited information provided about “them behind the door”. While there were assumptions made and theories shared about their motivation I really wanted to know more. I also wanted information in the epilogue about how the events affected the individual townsfolk long term rather than how long Kathy stayed in the town after the events. I wanted to know how the resolution affected Cecily in particular as the ramifications for her could have been catastrophic. I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll find out what happens to Cecily later in the series.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Lyrical Underground, an imprint of Kensington Books, for the opportunity to read this book.

Somewhere in the woods of Pennsylvania there is a mysterious door and for generations people have written requests and sealed the envelope with wax mixed with their own blood and slipped the letters under the door. They always get a result, but not always in the way they anticipate.

This is a similar concept to another book I read last year, but in this one someone changes her mind and tries to retrieve the letter. Opening the door was a very, very bad idea. This is mentioned in the book description so I'm not giving a spoiler.

The details of individual situations is what makes the story. Rather a lot of people in the town have made use of the door at some time or other, though many won't admit to it. They are reluctant to talk about it and some incidents are about covering up things the people in question don't want revealed. A professional, Kathy Ryan, is brought in to help deal with the occult occurrences.

If you like truly horrific imagery and especially tentacled monsters, then this is for you. The situation gets progressively more gruesome as things move on, leading up to a dramatic ending. I can't put my finger on why, but I didn't feel what I was supposed to feel as the plot thickened. I think there were a few jumps in the plot that threw me off, just little things like how a group of people in a car are suddenly walking in the forest.

Kathy Ryan is the central character for a series of stand alone stories where she is a sleuth dealing with occult situations. I do find myself curious about the plots of other stories in the series.

Great read! This is one of the best horror books that I've read this year. Totally engrossing and well written. I could hardly put it down. This was my first book by this author but I'll definitely be looking for more books by her.

I've read a lot of horror over the years so i guess maybe im a but desensitized to it...but i was just hoping to get a bit more from this book. I really liked it in the beginning and then the ending kind of left me wanting. It wasn't a terrible read by any means...just a bit anti-climactic.

Mary SanGiovanni is a great author and storyteller. Behind the Door was an engaging and exciting read. The book contained the character Kathy Ryan, previously featured in Mary’s book Chills. I have not read this one yet, but I intended to.
Behind the Door is the story of the small town of Zarepath, located in the wilds of New Jersey. The locals know of the door in the woods and what it can do for you; but what happens when a newcomer uses the door and doesn’t follow the rules? Check out Behind the Door to find out.

Don't open the door, never open the door...

This is one of the main rules of The Door that resides in the woods in Zarephath, Pennsylvania. No one really knows where the door came from, or when it came to be, they just know that it is. Stories have wound their way through generations of the townsfolk of Zarephath, if you have a problem, or a wish, write a letter, make sure that it is worded EXTREMELY carefully so as not to backfire, and go to the door. You must go to the door alone, and at night, slip your letter, sealed with a mix of wax and your own blood, under the door, and walk away. In three days, what you've asked, will come to pass, though not necessarily in the way you had hoped for.

The story opens with a small synopsis about the door and it's short, unknown history, followed by the introduction of some of the townspeople, each with a problem, and each wanting it fixed. We are introduced to a mother, Kari, who's twelve year old daughter died three years ago, suicide. Deets, a young man who accidentally hit and killed a young man while he was driving drunk. Toby, a young man, a pedophile, who preys on little girls, but wants the urges to go away forever. And Ed, an old man who works in the local hardware store, also a pedophile, and Toby's only friend. Toby hears about the door from Ed, Kari hears about it from Cicely, her older and only friend in the town she chose for her new start after her daughter's untimely death, as well as her marriage's. Kari toys with the idea of asking for her daughter back, however, this is soon quashed by Cicely and a story she tells, she saw what happens when people wish for the dead to come back to life when she was a little girl, and it was not pretty. Once Kari decides that she can no longer handle the pain associated with thoughts of her daughter, she writes her letter. Once delivered, three days later she finds that she is starting to forget her daughter all together, not at all what she had wanted. Running on panic and the need to remember, Kari goes to the door, not to use it for a second time, oh no, that is also not done, for those who use it a second time wind up dead, no matter what. Kari wants her letter back from "them" who reside behind the door. In a desperate action, not knowing what else to do, she opens the door...

I found this book definitely fit it's genre, horror. It gave the feeling of complete hopelessness, of wishes turned wrong, and what happens when those wishes and wants are rescinded. The oppressiveness of the atmosphere associated with that which got out, along with the things that joined it definitely invites unease. These creatures with no sure form, except, many mouths, moving eyes, and fluid bodies and bones, bringing to life that which the users of doors wished away.

The authors voice was very clear and concise, I found it a very pleasant and easy read. The inclusion of the pedophiles did elicit feelings of being uncomfortable as I didn't realise when I was first introduced to these characters that they would be remaining as semi-big players in the story itself, however, it wasn't enough to turn me off the story at all. The character's wrong doings to their victims is not really explored, though it is hinted at. If you find this subject something that you cannot stomach, maybe not the book for you as it does invite sympathy for one of these characters through his thoughts and his actions.

Kathy Ryan, she is the occult specialist called in by a retired sheriff, Bill Grainger. This is number two in the Kathy Ryan series, I haven't read the first one, but didn't feel like I'd missed much in Kathy's story, besides a bit of personal backstory. I was under the impression that Kathy would be the forefront character in this story, however found that not to be entirely true. She comes across as more a supporting character, which worked well for the story. I am incredibly intrigued to learn more about this character and her story, so am hoping that more of that comes to light in later books.

There wasn't really a mystery aspect to this story, which wasn't hinted at, but I've found to be quite common in accompanying the horror genre. It was a fast paced race against the clock, would the townspeople, the local sheriff's office and their called in expert on the occult, Kathy Ryan, be able to beat the door and monsters before they devour the town and everyone in it, in the guise of the town's most horrific secrets?

Behind The Door by Mary SanGiovanni is the 2nd in the Kathy Ryan Horror/Occult Series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Kensington Books, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Series Background (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books):
Kathy Ryan is called by police forces across the country when strange things are found. She is one of the leading experts in occult practices, ancient grimoires, devil worship, blood sacrifices, and rites to archaic gods and monsters. The reason behind her expertise is not well-known, but most agree that it has something to do with the scar that runs down her face. Her brother, once a member of a cult, and now in a mental hospital, is responsible for that scar.

My Synopsis:
Deep in the woods outside the town of Zarepath,  lies a free-standing Door leading to the unknown. The people of the town have grown accustomed to this Door, and give it the respect it deserves. Eventually newcomers are told about it as well. They all know not to open it. That doesn’t mean that people don’t visit the Door. If you have a desperate need, you can write a note, seal it with blood and wax, and slip it under the Door. Within three days, your wish will be granted, although the result may not be exactly what you were looking for. You must word your note very carefully, and there are no do-overs. You have one shot. There have been instances where people have brought back the dead, but unfortunately, they are still rotting. There have been other unfortunate incidents.

Kari has moved to Zarepath to finish grieving the loss of her 12-year old daughter who committed suicide. When Cicely tells her about the Door, she is full of warnings not to ask for her daughter back, and Kari agrees to phrase her letter appropriately, and only ask for the painful memories of her daughter to be removed. She follows the procedure, and slips her note under the door. A few days later, when she is in danger of losing all memories of Jessica, she sees her mistake. Kari tries to get the letter back, and opens the door before she realizes her error. She gets it shut again, but not before something escapes.

Kathy Ryan is called to Zarepath when the retired police chief calls her about the Door. People are reporting that their wishes are being returned to them. People who wished for a clean bill of health are now filled with cancer, an unwanted teenage pregnancy returns to a woman who is now in her 50’s, and the dead are rising and coming back to kill their own murderers. And the list goes on. Kathy will have to find a way to reverse these events, and lock the door for good. But something else has been let out as well.

My Opinions:
Loved the book. Yes, this is the second Kathy Ryan book, but the author isn’t really concentrating on Kathy. The books are about the problem itself, and the people involved. Kathy just plays a part in solving the issue. On the other hand, Kathy is a strong, independent woman, earning the eventual respect (and perhaps a little fear) of the male police forces that she helps.

Mary SanGiovanni creates really good characters. Whether you like them or hate them, they are always deep enough that you understand where they are coming from, and sometimes you even cheer on the bad guy. This book was no different. Even the Door itself was a character.

The book had an interesting premise. A door that can grant wishes. It would be hard to resist. It is human nature to take the easy way out of a problem, and the author showed how people used the door for good, and for bad. The people hid their crimes, their murders, their sins….all behind a door that got opened. Scary, isn’t it?

It had a good balance of creepiness and lots of suspense, without being over the top. You didn’t want to set it down for fear you missed something.

SanGiovanni is a talented writer, and I am definitely looking forward to more!

The Biblical meaning of the name Zarephath is "ambush of the mouth." Appropriate, given that much of the horror in Mary SanGiovanni's Behind the Door is rooted in unspoken secrets.

Deep in the woods of Zarephath, PA stands a mysterious structure, the Door, framed in stone, its wood banded in metal. It opens to an alien landscape of a gray ocean and a enormous tower, a land populated by strange and evil creatures. Opening the Door is verboten - it is the one thing every man, woman, and child in Zarephath knows. You do not open the Door.

The Door, however, can grant wishes to those who dare to visit it. Properly worded, a letter detailing an individual's wants can be slipped through the thin crack at the bottom edge of the Door and their desires fulfilled within three days. But the urge to open the Door is strong, and after a single soul seeking a change in their life succumbs to pleas of "them beyond" the Door and briefly opens it, Zarephath is plunged into a nightmare. The wishes the Door has granted are being reversed, and after being haunted by the dead of his past, ex-Sheriff Bill Grainger calls on occultist Kathy Ryan to seal the Door forever.

Right off the bat, I was sucked into Behind the Door. SanGiovanni details the history and folklore of the Door, introducing us to the central figures of her small fictional town. We get an immediate sense of her characters, their afflictions, their flaws, as well as their relationships and their growing awareness of the Door and the evils that have crept through. This intimate overview of Zarephath and our protagonists reminded me, in some ways, of John Connolly and Stephen King, and SanGiovanni lulled me deeply into her narrative with deceptive, masterful ease. Her prose is crisp and tight, and the details are shared with such keen interest that it's impossible not to be absorbed.

Although it takes a while for series lead Kathy Ryan (first seen in 2016's Chills and very briefly mentioned in last year's Savage Woods) to appear, SanGiovanni at least gives us plenty of meat in other areas to chew on. Once Ryan finally sets foot in Zarephath, it's a headlong collision with Lovecraftian cosmic horrors and a race to the finish. SanGiovanni is flat-out an excellent Lovecraftian horror author, and she brings all the tentacled goods to the yard here. There's a particularly strong scene involving the discovery of a pair of corpses in a garage that, when Ryan prompts one of officers to turn over one of the prone bodies, had me softly muttering to my Kindle, "No, no, no, no, no." It's a wonderful bit of gross-out material, and the toll the Door begins to take on the townsfolk is a nicely horrifying discovery.

Ryan is a flat-out excellent series character, and I've been rooting for her return ever since I finished Chills a couple years back. She's a strong and capable master of the occult, and it's refreshing to see SanGiovanni's largely male cast treat her with the respect she's due. Perhaps it's wishful thinking to believe that a group of alpha male police officers and butch townies can treat a woman, even one with such specialized talents as Ryan's, as an equal whose abilities go unquestioned with nary a trace of mansplaining. But given that our Cheeto-In-Chief was, on the morning of this writing, taking to Twitter to call one of his former female staffers a dog, I'll gladly take it. Such an idealized portrayal of men easily and respectfully accepting the abilities and knowledge of women as equal, if not superior, to their own is not only welcome, but certainly necessary in these times. Maybe such a fair and balanced representation of the sexes is SanGiovanni's attempt to write her wishes into existence in the hopes that the Door can fulfill them. Or maybe it's just nice to read more into the text than was intended. If I can wish for something from this particular Door, however, it's for the return of Kathy Ryan, and soon. She's a character with plenty of staying power, and I hope to be reading many more volumes of her adventures in the years to come.

[Note: I received an advanced reading copy of this title from the publisher, Kensington, via NetGalley.]

Zarephath is a small town where there is a strange and unusual door. It's been there for as long as anyone has known, the towns people at one time tried to burn it but it wouldn't burn. They do know that you can write out your sins or a wish and seal it with your blood mixed in the wax and slip it under the door and in three days you get your answer. It might not always be what you want so you need to try and word it as good as you can in hopes that what you wanted to happen happens. 

Kari has moved to Zarephath to try and start a new life after the death of her young daughter who committed suicide. She befriends an older lady who tells her about the door. She told her that she could asked to have the memories of what happened to her daughter taken away though it could always backfire. Some others ask the door for things around the same time she does. There is a #1 rule, no matter what happens you DO NOT open the door! 

On the third day Kari not only forgets the bad things but she has started to forget who Jessica was completely and that is now what she wanted, but like I said it doesn't always work how you want it too. Kari can't stand not being able to remember the good things about her daughter so she pleads with the door, tries to scrap under and when that doesn't work, she opens it!! Only for a few minutes but it was enough to break whatever seal that kept what was behind the door, behind the door. 

All of a sudden everyones sins, wishes, or whatever they wrote to get rid of or hid comes back on the town. One ladies cancer comes back, another lady who is in her fifties becomes pregnant, there are lots of corpse haunting people with tentacles coming out of them. It gets real freaky real fast. The ex-Sheriff, Bill contacts a friend of his who he knows specializes in the strange and unusual. Kathy Ryan is an occult specialist who has studied all sorts of strange things and they have talked about the door before. She is going to have to work real fast to help the town because things are getting intense as people start getting beat up by things. 

This isn't a story where your are suppose to like all the characters and most of them you don't. It's hard to feel sorry for someone who wishes a crime away and it falls back on them, etc. I can't even say I connected with Kari much either but she isn't a bad character. I do like Kathy Ryan but she only comes in about halfway through the book and so you only get a glimpse of her as a character. I believe you will learn more about her as the series progresses.

There are a lot of things that go on in this story and there is a connecting story for a few of the characters which is why I am not saying anything about any of the other characters and their wishes, etc. You just have to read it for yourself. Once the door gets open it's a pretty fast ride to the end and I really enjoyed this one. I enjoyed Chill which is where Kathy Ryan was first featured even though this said on Netgalley it was first in a new series and now Goodreads has it marked as Kathy Ryan #2, that can be confusing. I can't wait till the next one comes out! 

I recommend this series and though you don't really have to start with Chill I am going to recommend you do.
4.5 stars

Review post goes live on August 27th on Books, Movies, Reviews. Oh my! (http://booksmoviesreviewsohmy.com)

Gross. Horrific. Twisted. Sangiovanni whips up a can of bloody gore and enthralling occult mayhem on par with the great horror writers of old.

This is not just a new series, Behind The Door beckons interest from a new generation of horror fans.

It was an absolute thrill reading this book from start to finish, each page as captivating as the last and each what-the-hell nightmarish manifestistation as gruesome as the previous one. If you want to read something similar to an Edward Lee or Clive Barker novel, you’ve come to the right place.

Telling her tale through the perspectives of dynamic characters, each with his or her own sin and irreversible life-choices, Sangiovanni expertly blurs the lines between reality and questions her readers with subtle hints about their own morality.

As the townspeople lay bare their sinister secrets, dark desires, and questionable deeds, it becomes something more than “be careful what you wish for” and more along the lines of “be careful of the consequences your wish brings back to you”. It quickly becomes apparent that, fortunately, there are things out there behind the peculiar door that is almost as evil as the inner demons these characters have brought upon themselves.

Sangiovanni uses excellent imagery, refuses to shy away from grisly detail, and keeps her readers turning the page.

I have tried and tried and tried to finish this book. In fact, I tried four times and only could get forty percent of the way into the book. I was really looking forward to a horror book. Instead, I got a snooze fest of a read. There was nothing appealing about the characters and nothing scary about the monsters that resided behind the door.

This is because the story moved extremely slow; as if to build up the big show down that was to come. However, when the story moves at a snail's pace, you have to have good character development in order to keep the reader's interest. For me, I lost interest. Within the forty percent that I read, I needed something to happen to keep me hanging on. The door can remain closed on this book for me.

4.5/5*

In the small town of Zarephath, PA there exists a door. Everyone knows about it, and everyone knows what it does. Everyone also knows not to open the door: as in NEVER, EVER open the door. But, of course, someone does, and this is the basis for BEHIND THE DOOR.

Slight spoiler below: (This is hidden in spoiler tags on sites):
In my mind, this is a novel of cosmic horror. It doesn't feature Cthulhu or any Lovecraftian creatures, (though there are tentacles), but major aspects of it are there. What's behind the door is not of this world. Check. What's behind the door doesn't give a hoot about humans or humanity in general. It is cold, indifferent and unfeeling. Check, check, check. Now, it could also be interpreted as supernatural horror, in general, and that's fine too. But this is MY review and here we are.


Kathy Ryan is a fascinating character and I can't wait to read more about her. An occult specialist, she knows things. For this reason, she is called to Pennsylvania to help the town figure out what happened, and hopefully, how to undo it. She comes in and she's heard. Surprisingly, she's understood and respected-pretty much right off the bat, with the few naysayers quickly changing their tunes as the situation escalates. (As a women in a primarily male field, I felt that this was a bit optimistic, but hey, that's just me and again, my review.)

I thought the other characters were also well drawn and believable. I just wanted to hug both Kari and Cicely as much as I wanted to kick Ed and Toby. (And I wanted to kick a certain place on their bodies that isn't ladylike for me to mention.) Characters that inspire that kind of feeling in me demand to be heard.

To recap: BEHIND THE DOOR is a fast paced novel that moves right along. Evil in a small town is a favorite trope of mine, and combined with this type of horror, (see spoiler above), this was a must read for me. If any of this sounds vaguely good to you? This is a must read for you too!

My highest recommendation!

Available everywhere August 28th, 2018, but you can pre-order here: https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Door-Ka...

*Thank you to Kensington, Lyrical Underground and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*

I wasn't sure about this book. Not a big fan of the horror book. I enjoyed the suspensful, mystery of the book. I did like the book but I won't be reading the others in the series. Due to the chilling nature of the storyline. Enjoy the read....

"Behind the Door" has a fascinating premise - a door in the woods that makes one wish come true. For the people of the town, the wishes tend to be more in line with making mistakes, dark secrets and regrets disappear than wishes for happiness or well-being. When one town member does not take a primary rule of the door seriously, it unleashes all of the horrors that had been removed back onto the town. The premise was great, the descriptions of the horrors and creatures were well-drawn, and the prose flowed, but I just couldn't get absorbed in this book and lose myself in it.

Some doors should never be opened . . .

In the rural town of Zarepath, Pennsylvania there is a door. To the town, it feels as if the door has been there forever. No one knows where it came from, no one knows what lies behind the door, and yet generation after generation people have come to the door. They slide their carefully worded handwritten notes under the door, asking for forgiveness, asking for change, asking for an emotional burden to be lifted, looking for absolution, to be free of judgement, or free of their tormentors. Three days later, their wishes are granted. But as always one must be careful about what he/she wishes for, for better or worse, you will get what you ask for. There are no do-overs. There are no second chances. You can only submit one note and above all else you are to NEVER open the door.

Kari, like so many others in the town, has learned about the door and the wishes being granted. She hopes the door and what lies beyond on can help her. She writes her note, seals it with her blood mixed with wax, and leaves it under the door as instructed. But then she begins to regret leaving the note and decides to take it back. All she wants to do is retrieve her letter and in doing so, she does the thing she has been instructed never to do - she opens the door. In the process she has released every secret, every wish, every sin that others have left with the door.

“Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it."

Soon people in town have their letters come back to haunt them and occult specialist Kathy Ryan is brought in to investigate and figure out how to close the door once and for all. But how? Will her experience be enough? Just what is her experience? I would have liked to have known more about her character. I am guessing that perhaps her story will be fleshed out more in future books. I hope so as she is the expert and I felt I knew more about the townspeople than I did her.

This book gets props for being both entertaining and original. There are a lot of characters in this book and the Author did a great job at giving them distinct personalities, sins, wishes, etc. Not only did that help with my enjoyment of this book but it also made keeping track of the characters easy.
Not once did I have to stop reading to try and figure out which character was being talked about.

This book is in the horror genre, but it is not what I would call scary or overly gory. There are some creepy and menacing scenes but nothing that was too gruesome or terrifying. With many books, readers need to suspend disbelief and I found it easy to do so with this book. A mysterious door in the middle of the woods with powers that opens to......(read and find out). I would have liked to have known a little more about the door and what lies beyond but again, I am wondering if this will be explored in future books in the series. Not this door perhaps, but other portals?

Overall an enjoyable book. This book is the first in the series and I will be looking forward to reading the next one.

Thank you to Kensington Books - Lyrical Underground and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.