The Pied Piper

Norfolk Ghost Story #1

by Shane Brown

1943. Michael Hamilton, just out of hospital after being wounded in the war, goes to recuperate in a cottage on the Norfolk coast. He is to share the cottage with Anna and Peter, a mother and son who are living there after their London home was bombed a couple of years earlier. The nearby village is reeling from a series of recent tragedies involving the local children, and, within days, Michael himself prevents a further death from happening. He sets about looking for answers at the same time as becoming attracted to Peter - someone who seems to be at the very heart of the mystery. A chilling, old-fashioned ghost story. NB. A shorter novella version of this story was previously published as "The Lookout." The Pied Piper has been fully revised and expanded.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror, Ghosts, LGBT

220 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 7, 2020

About the author

Shane Brown has a PhD in Film, Television and Media from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK, with his thesis about representations of male queerness in silent and early sound film. His book on the same subject will be published in September 2016. In 2013, Shane published his young adult novel, Breaking Point, dealing with the subject of homophobic bullying in schools. To date, it has had over 7000 Kindle downloads. A new edition was published in 2019, along with a sequel, Breaking Down. His 2016 novel, The Lookout, is an adult ghost story set on the Norfolk coast. He has also published song-by-song guides to the music of Elvis Presley and Bobby Darin.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in 1943 we see a wounded soldier named Michael turning civilian on the countryside. In his grandfather's cottage he tries to recover and meets a new lover. At the small village children sleepwalk at night and jump from the cliffs. What about a mysterious man standing on the cliffs? Is there any connection to the children? Some time ago a man died there, Harry Quinn. Parents didn't like him too much but their children did. Was he a pedophile? Who killed him and has he returned from the death? The tale was extremely slow and long winded until the action started. Besides I didn't like the sugary homoerotic experiences of Michael with Anna's minor son Peter. There is no need for that. The author should have focused on the mysterious Harry Quinn. Who is he and what was his motif with the kids? In this section too many questions remain open. It could have been a compelling page turner but so the author only comes up with some additions to the Pied Piper motif. That's a pity. Well, in his afterword he referred to The Turning of the Screw as a main influence... this story also is a bit long winded and slow. It was okay but nothing too extraordinary. A short book made longer than necessary...

[James Kinsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing style is straightforward and engaging, although the occasional idiom feels anachronistic. The slow burn works as well, we're relatively deep in before anything unnatural is even hinted at, which really allows the location and the characters to breathe. That said, the protagonist, however, is not altogether likeable and some of the subject matter feels... almost too gently handled, as if the author's somewhat uncomfortable with his own themes. Overall, though, an engaging, well-crafted tale.

[Susana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young man coming back from war with a severe injure which impairs him, finds himself fascintaed by the mysterious death of some kids in a remote area of Norfolk...
Creepy and entertaining, this story has many elements that make it worth your time. The only problem for me is the first person narrative, which I find a bit tiresome, and the fact that the romance falls flat in my opinion... Maybe it is the fact that Michael, the narrator, seems to be writing the story on a flashback from a distant future, but there is no building in the relationship between him and Peter, one day they are perfect strangers, and the next one they are in love... Nop. Besides, solution to the mystery makes no sense to me. Despite these things, I must recognise I found it interesting and was intrigued until the end

[Leona Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous cover which caught my eye and the writing lived up to the promise of something a bit special. The relationship - and the various reactions to it - was handled with a sympathetic and timely style and the plot was sufficiently creepy to keep me engrossed.

[Klissia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story,but I felt it was a little rushed the relationship between Peter and Michael. I wanted to know more about the them,Anna,the city,landscapes...Maybe in the next book?