I'm trying to find a book that I read part of in the early 90s. I don't have much to go on, because I only read the first scene (I was a young child and it was too upsetting, definitely intended for adults). But I also have a very clear memory of the cover. It was in the sci fi/fantasy section of the library.
The book opens with a man who has just learned that his wife was in a car accident, and he is rushing to the scene. When he gets there, they don't want to let him through, but he gets to the car and opens the door. His wife falls out, dead or dying, and my memory is that blood pours out of her head, but there's a chance my mind may have exaggerated that part. It's a very emotional scene and the focus is on the man's distress at losing his wife. After that part it cuts to an entirely different setting and character, though that is where I stopped reading and I don't remember any details.
The cover was a night scene that showed the entrance to a place that looked like some sort of temple with light coming from inside. There was a cat on either side of the door, though I'm not sure if they were real or statues. There may have been another cat somewhere. The style makes me think it was from the 70s or 80s, but I could be off.
I've been looking for sci fi books with car crashes but I haven't found anything close yet, and I've also tried just looking through old sci fi book covers. Any ideas would be appreciated, thanks!
