Reviewer: Gillian Hamer, author of The Charter, Closure, Complicit, Crimson Shore & False Lights (www.gillianhamer.com)
What we thought: Excellent first in the series gritty crime drama from a new crime author for me, and I always love discovering new talent! Hamelin’s Child is the story of Michael Redford, one day an innocent seventeen year old and the next through no fault of his own he becomes a heroin addict known as Mikey. The journey into his new lifestyle was totally real and I learned a lot of details and information about the dark side of London’s underbelly.
The author has a background in police work and the realism and procedural details help to make this book a real page turner. I found the journey into the murky world of drugs a real eye opener, the details of how heroin takes over Mikey’s life was very real and created a real sense of empathy with the character. It was a refreshing approach to see the story unfold from the point of view of the victim rather than the bad guy.
Characters and dialogue were expertly handled by a competent writer. The lost innocence of Mikey and Lee were very well detailed and the imminent threat and sense of danger hung heavy over the story, giving the reader no doubt that even though these boys were often not prisoners in the real sense of the word, they were most definitely under the complete control of their captures and the drugs they made sure the boys soon became addicted to.
Pacing, style and tone suited the genre perfectly and I would recommended this book to anyone who enjoys dark and realistic crime fiction. The ending was well handled, the highs and lows of Mikey’s family kept the reader gripped to the very end, and leaves us wanting more from the next in series.
Highly recommended!
You’ll enjoy this if you like: Val McDermid, Peter James, Peter Robinson.
Avoid if you don’t like: Drugs and life on London streets.
Ideal accompaniments: McDonalds Quarter pounder and a coke.
Genre: Crime Fiction.
Available from Amazon
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