3 Gates of the Dead by Jonathan Ryan

3 Gates of the Dead by Jonathan Ryan, 311 pgs.

From the book jacket:  Sometimes, the most evil things come from the most holy…

Conflicted with his faith in God and the hypocrisy of the church, Aidan Schaeffer, a young assistant pastor, is in a constant state of spiritual turmoil. When Aidan learns that his ex-fiancée is the first victim in a string of ritualistic killings, he finds himself in the middle of an even deeper fight. Tormented by demonic threats and haunted by spirits, Aidan throws himself into investigating Amanda’s death; all the while supernatural forces have begun to attack the people around him. The more questions he asks, the more he is drawn into the world of a mysterious Anglican priest, a paranormal investigation group and a rogue female detective investigating the murders. As the gruesome rituals escalate, ancient hidden secrets and an evil long buried threaten to rip Aidan’s world apart.

This is the first book in a new series by St. Louis author Jonathan Ryan.  It has been described as “a Harry Potter novel for adults”.  I might add a very dark and sinister version of that series but it flows and plays out in the head of the reader as if watching a movie on screen. Ryan’s novel receives a starred review from Library Journal and pronounces his writing style to be “a real attraction for fans of The Exorcist and the darker fiction of C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams”.  Readers will eagerly anticipate the next volume in this series:  The Dark Bride.