"In that scented, touch-filled Pipeworld, where notes speak clear as words, where connections are thick and countless, I felt the chaining up and circling together of other traces in my head. And as the Pipe amplified all sounds and souls, including mine, I heard my mind echoing: the mission is dead--No rat-kill, no reward, no liberation. No home, no Hofmanns, no Klara--It was all an illusion."

The Rats of Hamelin blends history and fantasy to reshape the hazy legend of the pied piper. After six years as a piper's apprentice, Hannes sets out on the mission that will make him a master in the guild. His orders seem simple enough: rid Hamelin of a plague of rats and use the reward money for a charitable cause. Simple indeed, until he discovers that the real rats of Hamelin aren't the ones scurrying underfoot. Unsure who to count among his friends--the mayor's beautiful daughter, generous businessman, a precocious little girl? Hannes struggles against deadly enemies and thoughtless allies. Every step he takes comes down to a deceptively simple choice: when to show mercy and when to bring justice.

Readers will be thrilled with this first novel by Adam and Keith McCune. This father-son team bring a wealth of linguistic and literary knowledge to bear on their retelling of the famous Pied Piper fairy tale. The story naturally lends itself to reflection on the themes of law and mercy, as well as the sometimes-complex nature of the relationship between fathers and sons.