All That Remains

Missing & Exploited Suspense Series #1

by Hannah Holborn

A broken cop. A fragile child. Will they save each other?

Harvey’s training at The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children prepared him for the most important case of his career to date, the abduction of eight-year-old Gabriel Wheeler. Nothing, however, could prepare him for the boy’s blame-shifting mother from hell who shoots up instead of alerting police when the boy goes missing. Nor is Harvey equipped to deal with the heartbreak when his girlfriend leaves him on the same night, taking Effie, the non-biological young daughter Harvey adores.

The case goes cold when Harvey fails to interview Effie’s best friend, the only witness able to identify the perpetrator’s car. As police resources are wasted on dead ends and wrong suspects, Gabriel receives unlikely help to escape from Willard Crawley, a simple-minded abductor seeking a replacement for the infant brother he accidentally suffocated years before.

Book 1 in the Missing & Exploited Suspense Series, All That Remains explores childhood resiliency in a dangerous adult world (previously published as Notes From a Cold Case).

Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Amazon

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 27, 2015

About the author

Need Suspense?

Go to hannahholborn.com to receive FREE short story sequel to All That Remains with newsletter sign-up!

Hannah Holborn’s rehabilitation work with trauma survivors inspires her dark and addictive suspense novels.

All That Remains is a"roller coaster from beginning to end." -Amazon Customer

All That Remains is a "dark, complex and suspenseful mystery."--Amazon Customer

Strange Lineup "...totally blew me away."--Majanka, I heart reading.

Fierce is “vivid and eccentric...”—Jan DeGrass, Coast Reporter

Fierce has “beautiful writing, offbeat characters, and strange scenarios — Alexis Kienlen, Grande Prairie Ink

Visit Hannah on Facebook and Twitter at Hannah_Holborn_.

Reviews

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

All That Remains is the first book in the Missing & Exploited series featuring Detective Harvey Sam. When eight-year-old Gabriel Wheeler is abducted during his school's Christmas production, the case affects Harvey deeply. Not only did his non-biological daughter, Effie, attend the same school, but she was also taken away from him that night. Harvey's partner, the girl's mother, left him and moved to the other side of the country. On top of that, Harvey has to deal with Gabriel's mother, an addict and prostitute, who firstly failed to report her son missing and then publicly shames Harvey when the police fail to find any clue of Gabriel's whereabouts.
This isn't a whodunit mystery, as the abductor is introduced early on and the reader is aware of the motive through the kidnapper's perspective. It is very much a character-driven psychological suspense story, as the reader delves into the lives of all those linked to the disappearance of Gabriel. Although dark and heartbreaking in parts, it was also very moving and uplifting to see Gabriel portrayed as such an extremely resilient little boy. The other characters were also very interesting, flawed, but very believable.
When I read the previous edition of this book last year, I kept wondering why there was such a focus on certain characters. Having now read the second book, Strange Lineup, I appreciate this a lot more and have to say I'm really impressed with Hannah Holborn's clever plotting. This novel works a standalone, there are no cliffhangers, but several of the characters reappear in the sequel, which I would also highly recommend.
Very captivating and a bit different from the usual detective stories, I would recommend this to anybody who enjoys well-plotted psychological suspense with meticulously crafted characters.
Many thanks to Hannah Holborn for providing me with a free copy.

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notes From A Cold Case is the first book in the Missing & Exploited series written by Canadian author Hannah Holborn.
Eight-year-old Gabriel is abducted from school and held by simpleminded Willard Crawley as a substitute for his younger brother whom he suffocated decades earlier.
Gabriel's mother, an addict and prostitute, fails to report him missing for over twelve hours. Detective Harvey Sam, who is in charge of the police investigation, has just suffered a loss himself. His partner has moved to the other side of the country with her daughter Effie, whom Harvey adored. As the police investigation fails to find any leads, Harvey is blamed and shamed by Gabriel's mother, and Gabriel's teacher is struggling with feelings of guilt as well. Fortunately, Gabriel receives unexpected help from an unlikely source to escape his nightmare. As the months pass and Gabriel has not returned home, the story delves into the lives of various people affected by and involved in Gabriel's kidnapping. Written from different perspectives, including the insane child abductor's, I particularly enjoyed the depth of each character. I felt I really got to know them and that made me feel connected to the story.
Notes From A Cold Case was a very dark and disturbing story, a gripping blend of police procedural and psychological suspense that highlighted the resilience of children and the deeply flawed world of adults. It is quite a short story and written succinctly, but Hannah Holborn packs a lot into those 177 pages. The bleak, cold atmosphere and the damaged characters draw you in, and I had to keep reading to find out what would become of Gabriel. Hannah Holborn has created a really intriguing start to a series. After reading brief previews of the next books and realizing some of the same characters will appear in the sequels that will take place years after the current events, I am very much looking forward to finding out what life has in store for Harvey, Gabriel and the other characters in the future.
I received a free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Write a review and the site didn't save it. Argh! Good book, which is why I'm bothering to even rewrite this much.
The dog doesn't die.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Now I have a terrific vocabulary should I feel inclined but I also swear like a navvy along with the best of them !! However, this book has way too much unnecessary swearing and anyone reading this, knowing me, will have their jaws hitting the floor about now. Sometimes less is really more, though. She mentioned soccer moms who "think they're so effing great" and I had seen enough. That wasn't the only example. She'd effed her way through every sentence she uttered.
It is also very scrappily written, I found, in the little I tackled before I gave up on it. I don't see any cop behaving the way Harvey did upon calling in to Celine's home...that nonsense with her knives.
We meet Willard at the beginning who refers to a dead brother and a grandfather who kidnapped him. It didn't really make a great deal of sense at all. He was apparently the last male in the line of his family but then he promptly refers to other Crawleys.
Too much like hard work for me, I'm afraid.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily posting this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.

Here, Gabriel is being raised by a drug-addled prostitute mother. She is frequently too out of it to be real mother or even notice Gabriel. Gabriel is raising himself and he loves school. He is in the Christmas pageant and he promised his teacher he would attend. However, when his mother is again lost to the world in a drug induced haze, Gabriel makes his way to the school alone. After arriving at the pageant, he is kidnapped. His mother does not even notice that he has gone. Detective Sam, whose GF and her daughter leave him that very same night, is assigned to the case.

This is a well-written psychological suspense story. The subject matter deals with abused/damaged children and the adults these children can become. While at times, it was a difficult read, due to the subject matter, it was still full of hope and difficult to put down. This isn't a whodunit mystery. It is a character-driven story, as we learn about the the lives of all those linked to the disappearance of Gabriel. Although dark in parts, I loved that Gabriel was portrayed as such an extremely resilient little boy. Detective Sam, along with most of the MC's, is flawed but very believable as he tries to deal with the loss of his own child [well, his GF's child] while looking for Gabriel and being taunted by Gabriel's n'er do-well mother when he cannot immediately find him.

I listened to this book - the narrator did a very good job conveying the sadness and hope of this story.

[Ted Tayler · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Highly recommended"

Very difficult to put this one down. Excellent story line, brilliantly handled. There was so much going on it should have been confusing, but you're forced to stick with it until the end.

[Melanie Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested this book through the Audiobook Boom! service and therefore got it free. I was intrigued by the blurb and also thought if I enjoyed it I'd be in at the beginning of a new series. I wasn't hugely confident as I've received some real stinkers via Audiobook Boom!, (alongside some genuine gems). I am thrilled to report that All That Remains falls into the 'Genuine Gems' category. A well thought out story with thoughtfully developed characters and realistic dialogue. Detective Harvey Sam is a great character, I warmed to him more and more. Poor little Gabriel Wheeler really drew the short straw in the parents department and it provided an interesting angle, as despite wanting him to be rescued from his abductor I didn't feel he should be returned to his mother. Once I'd got my head around the concept of Chase being female, her thread was an excellent example of 'no good deed goes unpunished' and any book containing a gorgeous dog is always a winner with me. The fast paced story was brought to life by a flawless voice performance from Kevin Clay, who is a new narrator to me. His voice is rich and smooth like melted chocolate and was an absolute delight to hear. All in all a very well written, excellently narrated book that I'm thrilled to recommend.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters in this story are fully developed, flaws and all, although Willard seems a little too adept at covering his tracks for someone so simple-minded. I'm not fond of dream sequences, but they were integral to this story, however I think they could have been shortened a bit. Aside from that, this is a very suspenseful story.

Kevin Clay's performance is outstanding. He gives distinctive and appropriate voices to the characters, including accents. Not to give too much away, but I'm especially impressed with his voicing of a famous actor later in the story.

This is an exciting first novel in this promising new series.

NOTE: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[mohan raj cpm · Rating 5 out of 5]

All That Remains

A truly disturbing story. It talks about disturbed children who become disturbed adults and the misery and good that they cause to others. Just couldn't put it down and cannot ever forget Gabriel,or Williams for that matter.

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Childhood resiliency in a dangerous adult world’

Canadian author Hannah Holborn has created art out of life. Her series of books ‘A Missing and Exploited Suspense Series’ reflects her personal experience as an orphan and in the foster care system. As an adult she has spent making the world a safer place for society through rehabilitation work with inner city youth, the mentally ill and brain-injured adults. ‘Many of my clients were diagnosed with schizophrenia and as sociopaths, narcissists and psychopaths. I often worked one-on-one with dangerous individuals when few others could.’ Her rehabilitation work with trauma survivors inspires her dark, addictive suspense novels.

Authors who embrace richly colorful, atmospheric prose to relate stories of profound terror and suspense succeed in ways other writer’s more concerned with grizzly details rarely do. That is Hannah’s approach. Her writing is eloquent, creative, flowing even as she paints her blemished characters. Some excerpts for the opening chapter underline this trait: ‘He smells it coming. Not the powdery flakes with lacy patterns that children stick out tongues to taste, the kind of fluff that has fallen from November through early December. No, what’s coming is wet, heavy quicksand-snow, the kind to bury a person. Window-blocking, roof-crushing, mad snow: the snow of nightmares. The short, fat man sniffing the air is the last male in the Crawley family line. He stands alone on a cabin’s porch in the fading light. Although his first name is Willard, no one has ever made the mistake of calling him Will or Willy: not his parents, not the neighbors from his early childhood, not even himself. He has never managed to earn affection… Although Willard has been isolated in the wilderness for most of his life, he always feels spied-upon and always senses danger. His fears are not unjustified; there are Crawleys left alive who’d like to see him beaten to a pulp or buried feet-first in the suffocating snow. There are Crawleys who would do the job. Willard does not believe his family’s accusation that he is a killer. He does believe other nasty things about himself, however, convinced by the grandfather who stole him away from the family and raised him.’ And that tone surfaces on every page – beautiful writing.

But on to the story as Hannah has provided in her synopsis: ‘Meet Detective Harvey Sam, a small town cop who wants two impossible things—a happy family and a perfect solve rate. Harvey's training at The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children prepared him for the most important case of his career to date, the abduction of eight-year-old Gabriel Wheeler. Nothing, however, could prepare him for the boy’s blame-shifting mother from hell who shoots up instead of alerting police when the boy goes missing. Nor is Harvey equipped to deal with the heartbreak when his girlfriend leaves him on the same night, taking Effie, the non-biological young daughter Harvey adores. The case goes cold when Harvey fails to interview Effie’s best friend, the only witness able to identify the perpetrator’s car. As police resources are wasted on dead ends and wrong suspects, Gabriel receives unlikely help to escape from Willard Crawley, a simple-minded abductor seeking a replacement for the infant brother he accidentally suffocated years before.’

Hannah Holborn has a solid talent and is unafraid to place before her readers aspects of life too few understand. It is likely that with her successful series more people will become aware of the issues the flood the pages of her novels.

[Jo-anne Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The story and characters came together nicely. Highly recommend.

[heather steigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended

This book kept me involved. I had to finish it. Harvey Sam not a favorite character but even with that all else made me on over look him. I recommend this book :) highly. Hope you all enjoy o y as much as I did.

[Dr. Simone J. Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lose Yourself in the Search for the Boy

I highly recommend this book which held my attention captive. Crawly WAS creepy, but he was destined to be that way. Social Services should have taken the kid away from that toxic environment long before the kidnapping. I liked the writing about the mother _ excellent descriptions of her druggy behavior and personality disorders. Well done!

[Shaly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why is it that basically every adult in this book had an ulterior motive for whatever they did, said, wanted...etc. I've never read a book filled with so many selfish and quite frankly stupid adults. The nicest human being in this book was unfortunately the one person who got the shit end of the stick with every adult he came into contact with, poor little Gabriel. His mother was a junkie and a whore, at some point she tried to do right by her kid but at the end of the day she preferred drugs and whoring to finding her child. Willard was a child trapped in a mans body up until he kidnaps Gabriel, then he turns into his sick grandfather, abusing that child so badly.

Harvey was a fucking idiot, he was a good cop, but a screw up in the love department, as evidenced by his relationship with Pam who was just a straighup, money hungry bitch. I'm still trying to figure out what was the purpose of Romy, Ben and their kids in this story. Aside from little Helena seeing Willard's license plate, their family and everything that happened was just right out of left field, it made no sense to the story. Chase, while great with Gabriel and essentially saved his life was more concerned with getting drunk every night. I tolerated her character because she was the first adult that actually treated Gabriel with kindness and love.

I could go on and on but I think I've made my point. While the book was engaging, the only reason I continued until the end was because I just had to see if little Gabriel received his HEA, it just felt wrong to DNF a book when its about an abused and missing child.

[Shelly Itkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sam Harvey has had training at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children which should help him to find Gabriel an eight year old boy who was taken by a deranged, middle aged man trying to replace the younger brother he killed.

Gabriel is all excited about his part in the Christmas play and wants his mother to come and see him. She is not thrilled about the idea and explains "she works nights" so it will not be easy to take time off. She presently lives with her latest "Elvis" impersonator boyfriend who is far from a good influence on him. Gabriel who is used to taking care of himself decides even though it is a blizzard outside he must go to school to be in the play. It is there that he is kidnapped by a sick middle aged man named Willarad Crawley..

What is frightening is the fact that this could be true as we read about all kinds of terrible things that happen to innocent children all the time. Harvey is trying to solve the case when is girlfriend decides to leave with the non biological young daughter whom he adores.

His life seems to be spiraling out of control and yet he must force himself to move forward and try to find this missing child. Days lead to weeks which lead to months and still he keeps coming up short. Sometimes you have to be patient and a break or clue will help and that is exactly what finally happens to Harvey.

It is a very riveting story and one that leaves you wondering just how safe any of us really is. A somewhat hard to put down but upsetting read.

[Majanka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/book-tou...

All That Remains is the first book in the Missing & Exploited Series by Hannah Holborn, and it’s a strong introduction to this series. Gabriel, age eight, is abducted from school. On top of that, his mother prefers to shoot up some drugs rather than alert the police about the boy’s disappearance. Harvey Sam is the detective on the case, and although he wants to solve the case more than anything else, he’s dealing with some personal troubles too – his girlfriend left him, and took her daughter with her, knowing how much Harvey adores the little girl.

Harvey’s own emotional heartbreak causes him to miss some clues that could help find Gabriel, and Gabriel’s only chance to escape from the man holding him captive comes from an unlikely source.

The characters, especially Harvey, are quite interesting. Harvey is a flawed but realistic character, and the turmoil he goes through in his own life adds an extra layer to his personality. Gabriel too was an interesting character, and the book does a good job portraying his resilience and strength, even as such a young boy.

The book is fast-paced, but never feels rushed. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a solid suspense story.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the beginning of the novel appears disjointed it comes together to make a good story. On the whole it's a sad tale of abuse and neglect but with some unexpected bright spots. I think most of all it highlights the holes in the " SYSTEM " , as well as the resilience of human nature. While it is not a pleasant reading experience because of the nature of the story it is worthy of your time and for me that is important.

[Genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow,loved it.

A truly interesting book, different from the usual run oops the mill story. I am definitely planning to read this author again.

[doreen elixman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MUST Read For Sure!!

Eight year old Gabriel Wheeler is a good little boy who knows his place at home, he is to get himself up and ready for school, that's his job.

Gabriel's mother, Celine Wheeler, works nights. She isn't a very nice mom, she's pinky sweared to take Gabriel to the school play, it starts at 6, but Gabriel's the lead angel. He's supposed to be there at 5. Why won't his mother wake up??

Gabriel decides to walk to the school with his costume in hand, through the deep snow. A stranger stops, offering him a ride, leaving him with a giant candy cane instead. He's so happy that he gets to be in the school play! The lead angel! But what goes wrong, why is the ambulance and paramedics at the auditorium? Gabriel sees the stranger from the road that he'd seen when he was walking to the school, the stranger's waving him over.

Gabriel doesn't realize until it's too late, that he should have recognized the "stranger danger." But he told Gabriel that he'd take him to his sick mother, how would he have known she didn't wake up?

Based on true evidence, this book didn't take but one page for me to be engrossed. I couldn't stop reading, had half of it devoured within two hours. I'll definitely be following this author.

[sherri bane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Very good book. Would like to read the next one after this one..I would like to see what happens to the little boy..

[Scotchneat · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, the title wouldn't be my choice. Gives it a pulp series feel and I don't really think it's that.

I love Holborn's characters, and there are some good ones here. I think Harvey Sam has potential - the dedicated but hard done by in personal life detective. The secondary characters have some life to them as well, especially a woman who plays a part in the missing little boy's life. There are some good comic bits as well.

Gabriel is a young boy with a troubled mother who goes missing during a Christmas pageant. Sam is meant to find him, but the critical clues that would help him to do so are missed.

The story unfolds over several months, but it goes fast. I almost wanted more time and more downbeats to be put into the story so we could feel that.

[Tracy Bray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreakingly Twisted

This book was really interesting. I could not put the book down. I worried about poor Gabriel, but I also sympathized with Willard. I loved how the story juxtaposes between Gabriel’s feelings and Willard’s thoughts. The only part I felt was a bit off was when Detective Harvey San lets his own issues get in the way of helping him stay focused on the case. He allows a selfish, conniving prostitute to throw him off his game. In all fairness he is going through some domestic problems and he’s feeling like he’s just not getting things done. It’s a great first novel in what I hope becomes a long series.

[Laurie Hanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gritty, complex, tightly crafted tale grabbed me from the first chapter. The reader experiences the events through the eyes of each of the layered characters – the villain, the kidnapped child, his distraught mother, the cop, and others. Their stories weave together to create an intricate whole. The ending left me breathless, wrung out, and hungry for more. Needless to say, I immediately purchased the next book in the series and started reading.

[P Hartzog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this Book!

Great fast moving story with characters to love & a sweet old dog.

There is a bit of bad language but this author, Hannah Holborn, used it to sometimes burst a giggle or a downright belly laugh outta me.I

The story has no predictable paths, just carries on it's imaginative way while taking you through even the bits of gore, without pausing to let you be too appalled.

I wanna read everything this woman writes . . . . & I'm sure you will, too,

[Wisetraveler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightfully different detective story! Holborn’s meticulously developed characters keep the pages turning as this marvelous suspense story delves into the individual lives involved in a missing child case. Raw honesty; intimate innocence; heartbreaking errors; and yet hope remains, for most of them. An entirely captivating and entertaining read.

[Tammy Radford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prepare to feel many emotions!

This was very well written and you felt like you knew the characters personally. Ms. Halborn did a fantastic job with this story and will read more from her. Need more to bring the problem of missing and exploited children to the news daily. It should never to play to forget one child isn't at home.

[Joshua Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I get most of my reading done when I travel so the read was broken into many sessions. Characters are easy to identify with and the author builds and develops them in a way that is easy to relate to.

Looking forward to next chapter in this story. I tend to enjoy crime related mysteries and this hit the spot.

[Dsweepstakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic Book!

I loved this book and had a hard time putting it down! Quite a few twists that held my interest. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a book that you get addicted to. Am ready to read her next one. Kudos to the author. I wish I could have given it more than five stars.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow start but

I read the sample for next book so decided to read this one first. Turned out enjoyable. I'm a children's therapist & lived the description of the kiddos disorders! Excellent characters!

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

This book started off slightly boring but I was hooked quickly!
I just was not sure where it was going, but the characters were tied together soon enough and I couldn't put it down. I'm off to download the next book and look forward to more!