Book Review: Midnight Revelations by Karen M. Bence

By Chris Phillips

Is there a point at which the rational can no longer be reconciled with the facts? How is one to judge the difference between what the senses reveal and what the spirit world shows?

Bence takes these questions and answers them for Sara Miller, her husband David, and their son Jack. This mystery, and perhaps even horror story, is a tale that grabs the reader and never lets go. When Sara’s father dies, her mother, Maria, tells Sara that she was adopted. Sara moves to a new place, some distance from NYC, to help her cope and adjust to her losses. There is plenty of room on the Miller’s new Virginia farm for horses to run, dogs to play, and a family to heal after a heartwrenching loss.

The tale begins when Sara finds a mirror in her new home, a farmhouse that was abandoned by the previous owner, Patrick McHugh. The McHughs are a mysterious family that conceals much tragedy and darkness from the community. The mirror reveals things that Sara cannot explain. Even Jack, her son, sees images in it that only hint at the mystery behind it. Then a few boxes of old books are found with a book that is locked and tantalizingly attractive.

As the story progresses, other occurrences begin to build into a hodgepodge of hints and dark feelings. Sara and Maria, who’s far away in NYC, both experience nightmares. Tragedy strikes again, but this time history is repeated with the possibility of a more positive result. All this adds up to difficulty and grief for Sara and her family.

Bence’s characters are so real and finely wrought that family portraits appear in the reader’s head. Sara, of course, is very well developed. Donna, Sara’s aunt, slowly reveals secrets from the past until she comes to the rescue with important information at the last minute. Emma, a horse handler on the farm, is British, clipped, and very wise. Carlos, the farm hand, although quiet and unobtrusive, shows human compassion and caring in multiple scenes. David, Sara’s husband, struggles with visions he cannot understand and with nightmares that terrify Sara and keep him worried about her and Jack. They all begin to wonder why they moved to the house and why it is now so frightening. Jack fills out the family as the good son who experiences a series of accidents that parallel the nightmares that Sara is having.

The plot is thoroughly twisted and yet very tightly maintained. When in the course of the story the dreams and visions begin to come, they are so forceful and traumatic that they impede real life. Soon, logical responses no longer matter and spiritual ones take over. Bence is able to weave a complicated and intricate tale while maintaining flow and consistency.

Midnight Revelations is a great read, and this reviewer cannot recommend it heartily enough. It was a pleasure to read from cover to cover. Many times it was difficult to put the book down and return to real life. Bence has some real experience with grief and presents a wonderful and satisfying course for others to follow when grieving. She also deals with adoption and birth parents very practically. Any reader should enjoy and learn from this book.