HANNAHWHERE is a mystery, and it is a love story, and it is a complex horror story. There are some supernatural elements interwoven with very real physical and psychological terror that, in the hands of a less capable writer, could have become so entangled as to never reach a suitable conclusion. John McIlveen did not resort to any convenience of plot to overcome the entanglements but rather followed the convoluted path wherever it might lead while giving his reader a truly gut-wrenching ride. At times it was hard to turn the pages fast enough.

The way we look at the issue of child abuse, or for that matter any abuse, has changed, in my lifetime, from something never to be mentioned to being emblazoned on the front page of the newspaper, or blog, or TV news. I don't believe that this is due to an increase in this horrendous behavior, but rather due to an increase in the willingness to talk about it. Abuse is a fact of life with which we should all be uncomfortable, and, at the same time, something that must never be ignored.

Key to the telling of the tale is the sympathetic language used to describe horrors we would like to think are unimaginable. By sometimes talking around the barbaric acts, a clearer picture emerges, images we would rather never see. I never felt that this language was meant to diminish the savagery. In some ways, the careful choice of words made the violence that much more real.

For the most part, the presentation here is highly polished and readable. However, there are several streaks that mar the finish. Overall, they are mere blips that ultimately do nothing to diminish the story.

HANNAHWHERE is one of those books that it is difficult to say you enjoyed reading, yet it is not unique in this characteristic. There have been any number of books that I am glad that I read but feel that to say I enjoyed them would reflect badly on me. Sometimes it is enough to read and understand what the author is saying to make a novel a worthwhile read. HANNAHWHERE is a worthwhile read. ( )

Review copy

John McIlveen is a relatively new voice in horror, having appeared in a number of high profile anthologies over the last few years including Epitaphs, Borderlands 5, Eulogies II, and Of Devils and Deviants. October of 2014 saw publication of his first collection of short fiction, Inflictions from Macabre Ink, a division of Crossroad Press.

Hannahwhere is his first full-length novel and it was worth the wait. The twins, Hannah and Anna Amiel, were only seven-years-old when they witnessed the worst crime imaginable, right in their own home, in Elm Creek, Nebraska.

Two years later and fifteen-hundred miles away, Isaac Rawls, is making his rounds hauling trash in Riverside, Massachusetts, when he discovers a little girl, laying right by a dumpster. Lucky to be alive, it's days before she speaks her first words to Debbie Gillan, the caseworker assigned to look into her situation. It's not long before it's discovered the girl is Hannah.

Where has she been for the last two years? Why doesn't she look any older? What happened to her sister Anna? As Hannah's secrets are revealed, the reader is thrown into a mystical world where the impossible is proven to be reality.

Hannahwhere is a smooth blending of fantasy and horror filled with mystery and a number of surprises. John McIlveen proves to have a vivid imagination and tremendous story-telling skills. As if the tale of Hanna and her sister wasn't enough, there's also the history of the caseworker which is a gruesome tale in it's own right.

Also published by Macabre Ink, a division of Crossroad Press, Hannawhere is available now as an e-book from the usual online retailers.

I heartily recommend. ( )