The Piper's Pursuit

Written by Melanie Dickerson

Narrated by Jude Mason

A fairy-tale journey of intrigue and romance that reimagines the classic Pied Piper story.

A plague of rats. A giant beast outside the village walls. A host of missing children. And one young woman determined to save her people.

In 1424 Hamlin, Katerina faces threats from all sides. An outbreak of rats has overtaken the village, a mysterious beast is on a killing rampage of the village’s children, and Katerina’s evil stepfather is a dark presence inside the walls of her own home. Katerina is determined to hunt and kill the Beast of Hamlin herself before more lives are lost.

When Steffan, the handsome but brash duke’s son, comes to town seeking glory and reward, Katerina decides he might be the ally she’s been looking for—even though the only gentle thing about him seems to be the sweet music he plays on his pipe. But there’s more to Steffan than she suspects, and she finds herself drawn to him despite her misgivings.

Together Katerina and Steffan must stop the enemy from stealing the children of Hamlin. But their interference might create an even worse fate for the entire village.

Praise for The Piper’s Pursuit

“The Piper’s Pursuit is a lovely tale of adventure, romance, and redemption. Kat and Steffan’s righteous quest will have you rooting them on until the very satisfying end!” —LORIE LANGDON, author of Olivia Twist and the DOON series

• Full length clean fairy tale reimagining
• Includes discussion questions for book clubs

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Dec 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9780785228325

Melanie Dickerson

Melanie Dickerson is a New York Times bestselling author and two-time Christy Award winner. Melanie spends her time daydreaming, researching the most fascinating historical time periods, and writing and editing her happily-ever-afters. Visit her online at MelanieDickerson.com; Facebook: @MelanieDickersonBooks; Twitter: @MelanieAuthor; Instagram: @melaniedickerson123.

Reviews for The Piper's Pursuit

[Hoyt Stone III · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very well done. My girls loved this book. I am very conservative and felt it was a very clean read. Would have liked for there to have been less kissing until they were married. Sets a higher standard. The ending with the rats was a bit fanciful, but I understand it was written as an alternative to a fairy tale. All her books were on Scribd just a couple days ago and now they are gone until May 31. I am disappointed about that.

[Annette Torhjelm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of her best story’s yet. I was so exited to find out what happened to Stefan. The problems just kept on unfolding, and it had me on the edge of my seat. Highly recommended for strong girl lovers.

[meganleigh844 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"The Piper's Pursuit" by Melanie Dickerson is the tenth book in Ms. Dickerson’s “Hagenheim” series. This is a series of fairy-tale retellings set in a non-magical medieval world. This story is a loose retelling of “The Pied Piper of Hamelin.” There are so many things to love about Ms. Dickerson’s books. I love that this quest-like story involves a mystery as well. Who is the mysterious beast and why are children disappearing from Hamlin? Our main characters, Katerina and Steffan, work together to fight evil and figure out the mystery. I love both characters and their personalities and I think they have a great chemistry. Each grows personally throughout the story. Ms. Dickerson gives these characters some great dialogue and quips that had me smiling as I read. As in a lot of Dickerson’s novels, the characters pray when in danger. They learn about finding their worth in Christ and not by the things they do. There are some heavier subjects in this novel than in some of the past books of the series. Katerina has a stepfather who is abusive to herself and her mother. Dickerson deals with this topic with great care and sensitivity.I love this story and can’t wait for the next book!Content: I give this book a PG-13 rating due to the topic of abuse. Some examples of the content are: gruesome descriptions of victims of the beast; there is a controlling and emotionally and physically abusive husband and father; allusions to alcoholism in a character’s past; child slavery; a man suggests having his way with a girl.Rating: I give this book 5 stars.I want to thank Melanie Dickerson and Thomas Nelson for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.

[beautyinthebinding · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Piper’s Pursuit by Melanie Dickerson lands as book ten in her Hagenheim series, but reads fine as a stand-alone novel. I did enjoy the little mentions of Wolfgang and Mulan from The Warrior Maiden, plus cameos of Duke Wilhelm and Rose, the original couple featured in The Healer’s Apprentice.The Piper’s Pursuit entertains as it creatively retells the Pied Piper tale. Replete with danger and suspense, I found the story engaging in spite of a few predictable moments. Themes of gender equality and the necessity of confronting evil added depth to the story. Wrapping around those themes is a sensitivity to abuse victims that plays out in Katerina’s trust issues. I appreciated the author’s portrayal of Katerina as a strong and wise young woman in spite of past oppression. The suspense and embedded themes shine equally well in this novel while a sweet romance grows between Katerina and Steffan.Readers who enjoy Young Adult fairy tale retellings will probably like The Piper’s Pursuit by Melanie Dickerson. In keeping with its YA branding, the romance is very clean and the prose had that YA feel where it’s not deeply beautiful, but it’s entertaining. The Piper’s Pursuit was an easy, fast read for me that has a permanent home on my bookcase. 3.5 stars!Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.