I am generally an avid reader of crime and horror fiction.  All the better if they have firm basis in real life – “could this really happen?”.I first picked up 13:24 as I had heard it being described as disturbing, its cover appealed to me and I was intrigued by the title itself, as I had no idea what it referred to.I like to discover a book as I read it, and let it speak for itself, without it being marred by any preconceptions I might have due to someone else’s account of it.  As such, it took some time and a lot of guessing on my part before I came across the actual significance of 13:24, and as I delved deeper into the story I was slowly able to truly appreciate the full meaning of the tagline “A story of faith and obsession”.
 
I would strongly suggest to any reader to do the same.  The narration will explain everything.Just a word of warning: the book deals graphically with child abuse, but it only touches upon child pornography.  If you are squeamish, or thin skinned… well, get over it!  This is real life – face it. Learn from it (and there is a lot to learn and plenty of food for thought here) and stop burying your head in the sand. Events such as those described in this book are most probably occurring in your neighbourhood (especially if you live in the USA), not that far away from you, and they are only going to stop if people are aware, if people are horrified and take an active stand against it.
 
13:24 is not your usual crime story – we know from the beginning who the killer is (a teenager, Chris).  What we need to figure out is why these murders are happening, and what ties them to a rock band, Rehoboam and to 13:24.
13:24 is an excellent read, sensitively written by a survivor.  The pace of the story is fast and gripping, reminiscent of a blockbuster: we follow three main characters, Chris –the killer, William – the investigator, and Josh – the rockstar, as current events unfold and through flashbacks, which connect more and more of the dots and which will take you to places which are darker than you had ever imagined.  M Dolon Hickmon’s style is clear, gritty and emotionally charged and you cannot help finding yourself fully engaged with the protagonists.
I found that some passages were difficult to swallow as they evoked many personal memories – albeit (and thankfully) not as extreme as the ones described in the book.  Once I had reached the end, having spent the last twenty years in the UK, it all felt rather insular and detached from my own experiences and from those of the ones closest to me.  However, having been raised in Northern Italy by a Southern family, some of the methodology described in the book did ring clear bells, but I had never associated it to the root which is identified in this book.  I believe that these practices are mostly widespread in the United States, however you just need to watch the news to realise that they also happen all around Europe and the rest of the world, behind closed door – people are the same no matter their geographical location, of course the right encouragement from the right pulpit can provide the thin justification required to release dark impulses.
You can find out more on M Dolon Hickmon’s website.  The blog ‘A Survivor’s Conversation with Christianity’ is of particular interest, with its links to Michael and Debi Pearl and their manual “To train up a child”.
 
(ARC received via Netgalley) ( )

13:24 - a story of faith and obsession, at its' heart is a novel about revenge, a revenge exacted by a victim of physical and mental abuse. This is not a novel written to praise or attack any particular religion, although many anti-religion advocates could so easily find plenty of ammunition.

The cover is a little misleading as whilst two of the major characters are a rock fan and the cult rock star who is the focus of his adulation, and whose lyrics and motivations are examined in some detail, this is not the story of that band.

Our third major character is cop, Detective William Hursel as well as finding his main suspect 14 year old Chris Pesner, he needs to determine exactly what is the motivation behind the murders.

This is not so much a whodunnit, the book opens with the killer on his way to commit his second murder, and in fact we find ourselves watching in horrid fascination as he does the deed, instead we are concerned with the why?

The rock fan, Chris and the lead singer of the rock band Rehoboam Josh Sebala have made contact with one another long before 13:24's opening paragraph, and it is obvious to Detective Hursel from the offset that this is not a typical fanboy relationship. Why would the leader of a cult rock band with thousands of fans reply personally to just one fan? It is this connection that Hursel needs to understand and unravel in order to catch his killer before it is too late.

The abuse here is the use of belts and other instruments to beat children, it is not blatant child sexual abuse, although there are hints that the ultimate villain may indeed be so inclined. Certainly he is not opposed to kidnapping, child trafficking and murder to reach his ultimate goal.

Sadly, so many aspects of this novel mirror reality. Why has it been so easy to convince followers of certain religions that the brutal disciplining of very young children is the right thing to do? How does regularly beating a child down until you break them make you a better parent? There is a fairly big jump from spanking a naughty child, to beating a child and leaving them covered in bruises, or worse.

I am fairly conversant with the majority of strange fetishes and possible forms of abuse that human beings can inflict on one another and even knowing that this was a work of fiction, M Dolon Hickmon succeeded in unnerving me with this dark, disturbing tale of serial child abuse and the resultant trauma. Can I say that I was rooting for our killer all the way through this book?

This is M Dolon Hickmon's first novel, and that is somewhat surprising, an incredibly well written and researched book.

There is absolutely no reference in this book to the book penned by Michael and Debi Pearl,'To Train Up a Child', but it does not take a genius to see the correlations. The Pearl book advocates beating children into submission, beating children until you break their will, and then perhaps beating them some more to be certain. It states that you can pull your baby's hair as a disciplinary measure and even advocates that you start beating your child from the age of 4 months old. There are people who have used the Pearl book as their child-rearing bible, a few of these people have beaten their children to death.

To Train Up a Child is widely available, unfortunately.



This copy of 13:24 was received from the publisher for an honest review.

Recommended, it should spark an internal debate, especially for a parent.
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This book was a difficult, yet fascinating read. Therefore how does on review this book without revealing too much of the plot and spoiling it for the next reader? Warning though, this book is not for the faint hearted and is a book that touches of some religious and social taboos and therefore s very emotional and challenging.

There are two main stories in this novel which are told in the current timeline and with flashbacks which at times was a little confusing. Then there is the additional murder mystery time line (although the protagonist was never really hidden from the reader. There are some twists and turns in the story line to keep you interested. This reader found the constant jumping about confusing and it wasn’t until chapter 32 that all the storylines melded into one.

The characters are well developed and this reader felt empathy for the little boy. However, the grammar was questionable in placed but perhaps it is just that the author’s style is different to what this reader is used to.

The novel itself is well paced and well written. IT is powerful enough to make the subject matter sinister but also interesting enough for the reader to keep reading. It is pitches at just the right level for the reader to understand the topic and even empathise with the protagonist. A thoughtful, un easy read that stays with you well beyond the time it takes to read the book.

The book deals with a few taboo subjects, that this reader will not go into as it would ruin the surprise. The author goes into just enough detail without getting too graphic. The seriousness of the crime and the church preachers can twist the good book to make it mean what they want. In this novel the incident is not blasphemous to Christianity in general.

One thing that we can learn from this novel is how a little marshal punishment can become a twisted type of discipline at the hand of religious fanatics. Where does punishment end and sadism begin? This this reader found the novel very level handed in its treatment; and though provoking. I would highly recommend this book to others.

Full Disclosure: I received a free copy from Netgalley for an honest review. ( )

If it was Mr. Hickman's intent to get the word out about child abuse and abuse by church leaders and church-going parents, I say mission accomplished. He has created a story with contemporary appeal by using the rock music world and has blown the cover off of PTSD in the the victims of abuse. The words are graphic and brutal. The plot is cleverly conceived and has great potential for a TV or movie screenplay. It is time we all get back to non-violent love, isn't it? My thanks to LibraryThing and the author for a complimentary copy. ( )

If you are a victim of physical child abuse, this book may be hard for you to read. This is a sad tale of what can happen to these children when they become adults. Two men, one a rock star and the other a murderer have lives that have crossed paths in an unusual way. Both are victims of abuse because of religious reasons based on the Old Testament. The abuse scenes are realistic and I had to put the book down after reading some of them but am glad I finished the book. ( )