The Darkest Gateway

August 19, 2019
Westerson’s fourth and final Booke of the Hidden romantic urban fantasy (after 2019’s Shadows in the Mist), centered on a magic book causing chaos, neatly ties up most of the loose ends and duct tapes the rest. Kylie Strange, the chosen host of the malevolent Booke, has resolved her romantic dilemma, choosing demon guardian Erasmus over stolid Sheriff Ed (who finds a demon of his own). With Halloween approaching, the Booke unleashes monsters faster than ever, forcing Kylie to travel the Netherworld and finally erase the Booke’s pages. Left behind, her allies (the Moody Bog coven) and ex-rivals (a demon-summoning biker gang) have to contain the Booke’s minions and an angry god while Kylie and Erasmus plead with a diffident if irritable Satan. Westerson generously parcels out the heroics among a diverse group of folks who undercut their stereotypes. The folksy local doc is a practicing Wiccan with immense occult savvy, and the town matron shows up in combat fatigues with sword in hand. In the end, the secret villain is quickly revealed, the lovebirds are happy, and readers who have followed Kylie’s saga get a satisfactory finale. Agents: Joshua Bilmes and Lisa Rodgers, JABberwocky Literary.