Hamelin's Child [Kindle Edition]

DJ Bennett (Author)

Book Description

Michael Redford died on his seventeenth birthday – the night Eddie picked him up off the street, shot him full of heroin and assaulted him.

Now he’s Mikey and he works for Joss. With streaked blond hair and a cute smile, he sleeps by day and services clients at night. Sometimes he remembers his old life, but with what he’s become now, he knows there is no return to his comfortable middle-class background.

Then he makes a friend in Lee. A child of the streets, Lee demands more from friendship than Mikey is prepared to give. But the police are closing in on them now and Mikey’s not sure anymore who he really is – streetwise Mikey or plain Michael Redford.

Hamelin’s Child was long-listed in the UK Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Award. A thriller set in the seedy world of London's drug rings, this book contains strong scenes and adult material.

(approx 85,000 word novel)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

I tell lies and make things up. Sometimes people pay me for it. www.debbiebennett.co.uk

Product Details

• File Size: 442 KB
• Print Length: 275 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 147013103X
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004PLNLWY
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #400,794 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Strong Story From a Strong Writer March 29, 2011

By Mike M

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Hamelin's Child is an outstanding read. I came across the title in a forum discussion and was interested enough to download a sample, and from that decided it was worth the purchase. I started reading it the same day and didn't stop until it was finished. The story is about a 17-year old boy who falls into the clutches of a couple of villains who drug him over a period of weeks and force him into homosexual prostitution. There is some explicit sexual activity in the book, but not for the sake of being lurid. It is critical to the plot as the protagonist (Michael/Mikey) slowly loses touch with his former self and his addiction takes control of his life. While the subject matter is dark, Michael is a character you will care about. Even as he makes unwise choices and immerses himself in the very lifestyle he hates, he manages to hang onto his soul. DJ Bennett is an excellent writer, and she does a wonderful job fleshing out her characters, especially Michael and his sister, Mary, who never gives up on her brother even as her own life veers off course. The author resisted the temptation most writers have to wrap everything up in a pretty bow at the end, but I still find the conclusion satisfying. If you like a bit of rawness in your reading as I do, I highly recommend this book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping, 5 stars. October 29, 2011

By Marj

Format:Kindle Edition

One of the most utterly gripping books I've ever read. It made me angry what happened to Michael. It seemed so shocking - but when I thought about it, getting a girl addicted to drugs has been a favourite method of pimps to acquire girls for many, many years. It is not new because Michael is male. Yet it seems so much more shocking.
I was with Michael all the way, and Kate, the big sister, doing her best. Hamelin's Child is an extremely good book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping July 2, 2011

By Jenny Hilborne

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Wow. Hamelin's Child is dark, raw, shocking, and a fascinating read. Tricked and drugged on his 17th birthday, Michael Redford wakes up and finds himself thrust into the worst kind of nightmare imaginable. Forced to go to extraordinary lengths to survive, I wondered all the way through the book if he ever would or could. The horrors he faces are horrors that could easily happen to any vulnerable kid in a moment of rebellion, weakness, whatever you might call it. Nothing about the story is predictable, certainly not the ending. I will certainly look out for more books by DJ Bennett.

More About the Author

Debbie is a middle-aged boring English civil servant with a secret life as a writer...

She's worked in law enforcement for over 25 years, in a variety of different roles, which may be why the darker side of life tends to emerge in her writing. If she makes enough money selling books, perhaps she'll be able to afford counselling instead.

www.debbiebennett.co.uk