Piper

The Piper Trilogy #1

by Helen McCabe

‘He again sounded his pipe in the streets. But it was not rats and mice that came out this time, but children!’ In bleak, post-Ceausescu Romania, psychiatrist Dr Marcu investigates the high incidence of mental illness amongst the women of Arva village, while police inspector Valentin uncovers a horrific history of ritual child rape and murder there. Meanwhile, in the lakeside town of Sunny Mead, New Hampshire, USA, Diane Durrant hires music teacher Diep Koppelberg as a therapist for her disabled 13-year-old son Pip. But while the rest of the Durrant family are captivated by Koppelberg’s apparent charms, only Pip sees his true ugliness and malice. What unspeakable evil links events in these two very different locations? And can Pip convince his family of the danger they all face – or else deal with it himself …?

Genres: Horror, Supernatural, Paranormal

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2008

Reviews

[Sarah (is clearing her shelves) · Rating 2 out of 5]

4/2 - Finding an editing error in the summary is always an ominous beginning... To be continued...

5/2 - 1.5 stars. I've been struggling with this for the last four days but it's just too much like work, so DNF at page 109. Like another reviewer I think the plot in general is a good idea, but it's been executed dreadfully. The writing is amateurish and everything is so vague and badly explained that nothing makes sense. I wouldn't even attempt the sequel to this, or anything else by this author. This is going in the donate pile.

POPSUGAR 2016 Reading Challenge: A Book Based on a Fairytale (The Pied Piper)

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only managed to get about halfway through this book, and, unfortunately, I have to give up for now. It's a brilliant idea: an evil Pied Piper praying on a village and driving its inhabitants crazy. The first half of the book is well executed, even if it is a little awkward and uncomfortable at times. You really feel for the characters... in the first half of the book.

Once the antagonist is on American soil, it's like a completely different story. I really liked the treatment of the oldest son, who is mute and deaf following an accident, and I really enjoyed the dad. As for the rest of the family... The mother just comes across as shallow and self-absorbed. The older daughter has her moments, but tends to be annoying. The young twins, written convincingly enough for their age level, just seem like bratty filler. I couldn't really attach to or feel for any of the new characters, and that took away from the story for me.

Personally, I feel that the first half of the book would have been good enough on its own. The later half just couldn't grip me. I may try to read this at a later date.

[Buffy]

Little girls straddling a grave naked and then being violated by something or someone horrible? No ty. This book is far too squicky for me. I didn't make it past the first chapter.

[Angharad · Rating 3 out of 5]

very strange and creepy

[someone · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
pojebana ale wciągająca historia oparta na ludowej legendzie.

[Danielle Stevens · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good idea, terribly written. This is my first DNF in about a year. Just doesn't flow well at all and some of it doesn't make any sense. Gave up around page 170, only persevered that long because I felt unwell and thought it might help me fall asleep. Didn't work though as its so frustratingly bad.

[Secret Girls · Rating 1 out of 5]

Che dire... avevo grandi aspettative su questa saga. Dopo aver letto la sinossi, ero veramente tanto curiosa. Bramavo di sapere come fosse narrata questa rivisitazione della famosa fiaba del Pifferaio di Hamelin in chiave horror. Ma di horror non ha nulla, almeno per me ovviamente.

Trama avvincente, storia banale. Ma forse il problema sono io: non riesco più a trovare una storia che mi dia dei veri brividi, che mi faccia venir voglia di tenere la luce accesa di notte. Sono io davvero poco impressionabile o sul serio questa storia non è un granché?

E proprio per questo motivo che ho fatto una veloce ricerca sul web per vedere cosa ne pensassero altri lettori. I pareri sono discordanti ma la maggioranza ha osannato questa storia, mia madre compresa. A lei è piaciuta moltissimo e vorrebbe leggere anche il terzo libro.

Tutto soggettivo, mi pare ovvio e normale e ci tengo sempre a ribadirlo. Descrizione di luoghi e personaggi fin troppo dettagliate. Solitamente la Romania e la Transilvania in particolare, nei libri "horror" le associo a scenari lugubri, agghiaccianti, angoscianti... in questa storia non li ho trovati così.

Ho trovato questi libri anche molto prevedibili soprattutto in alcune scene: sapevo già cosa sarebbe successo dopo una determinata cosa. Non c'è stato nessun colpo di scena, nulla che potesse farmi stare con il fiato sospeso, impaziente di girare pagina per vedere che cosa poteva mai capitare.

Recensione completa sul blog: http://themydiarysecret.blogspot.it/2...

[Sara Twigg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth the read .

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still scratching my head over this. I feel like I need to read it again to learn the secrets of the Piper, but then I notice that there is to be a sequel of sorts so perhaps not revealing everything is part of the plan. Even so, it had me Googling 'The Pied Piper' in an attempt to learn more of the legend and what possible truth it derived from.

[sisterimapoet · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit muddled at times, but an ok page turner.