4 stars with an extra half star and rounded up because I struggle so much with this genre (possession and exorcism) for a lot of the reasons that are specifically addressed in this book. It takes the tropes I hate and acknowledges them, uses them, without falling into the usual cop-out of just hanging a lampshade on them. And even more bonus points for maintaining some of the twists and red herrings that the thriller genre is known for without annoying me the way it usually does. I don’t think it’s the best possible exploration of why these stories hold such a fascination in our culture, but it comes closer than anything else has. I can’t decide if I want to take away or add half a star for the obvious call out to his own short story. It’s a good story… and it actually works here… so I guess we’ll say those two impulses cancel each other out. Anyway I’ll be recommending it to people who do like exorcism stories if only to give some idea of what I would like them to be.