Layers upon layers! Such a intricately crafted horror book, though the premise is deceptively simple: a serial killer gets caught and sentenced to life in a mental institution,, whereupon he gets demonically possessed and slowly turns the whole place into a perilous, infernal hellhole! Enter Terry, the demonologist-slash-exorcist, who will attempt to drive all evil influences away. What more would you like to know?
Well, this being the third volume in the "Demons Among Us" series, there are a couple of things you should definitely be aware of. First, the book is no standalone, it picks up right where Book 2 left off, and is meant to bring all outstanding issues to a close. Second, it takes place in the author's fictional Northgate Hospital for the Criminally Insane, a hellish place in which the sickest and most depraved criminal minds are confined. The hospital has its own backstory (thankfully, not necessary for reading this book). Taking into account that Terry himself has his own agenda, and that some of the criminals are also implicated in a wider story, the book soon becomes a thing of many, many sorrows.
I really like Boote's take on Terry; he's no superhero (Terry, I mean lol), he has his own flaws and a list of failures, he's always one step from giving up, but eventually never does. His supernatural enemies don't play around, yet Terry sticks to his guns (his crucifix and holy water, in this case) and tries to deal with each situation as it comes. And there's a whole variety of strange happenings in this book, from people dying in horrific ways to plans hatching inside other plans, and the story getting quite complex really fast, especially towards the ending.
The ending! Action-heavy, and satisfying, but I don't think it really works as the culmination of a series. Is it meant to? Either way, I'd gladly visit Terry's world again, though hopefully not Northgate itself! Recommended!