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.
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