Product Description

A gang of teenage youngsters is running riot on the streets. Responsible for a number of burglaries and car thefts, the police are at their wits' end trying to put a stop to the gang's activities. Terror and hatred have become part of everyday life for local residents and, just when it seems things cannot get any worse, the gang targets Shelby House - an old people's home.

Supervisor Veronica Porter, her two staff and the nine elderly residents become the gang's most vulnerable victims yet as the thugs conduct a hate campaign against them, sending abusive mail, daubing graffiti on walls and shattering windows. The intimidation escalates until Veronica's own father is dragged into the scene of terror when, disturbing some of the gang members burgling his house he is put into a coma. But enough is enough. The senior citizens of Shelby House decide to take the law into their own hands and fight back...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #117834 in Books
• Published on: 2002-08-09
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 200 pages

About the Author
The bestselling author of twenty-one previous novels, including most recently EXIT WOUNDS, Shaun Hutson is recognised as a master of dark urban suspense. He lives with his family in Buckinghamshire.

Customer Reviews

Shaun does it again!
Yup, he's managed to make me pretty much read a book from cover to cover in one sitting (not quite, but damned near). Pretty different to his previous works this one, but still with the same style. I really did want to jump into the book and throttle the kids.

A word of warning though. I've always been able to read his books without a problem, but don't eat anything while you read this one. You'll choke a couple of times. There's some pretty good twisty bits, and it's as dramatic as hell. Shaun Hutson will never win a Pulitzer, but his books are good eye candy. My eyes now have to get a filling. enjoy.

Very gripping-but be warned!
Being a great fan of Shaun's novels I couldn't wait to get to grips with his latest offering(may I just point out that is was up to the old standard of bloody scary!!!that the last couple didn't quite manage in my opinion) -BUT -and there's always a "but" isn't there- I was quite disturbed about the awful incidences concerning animal cruelty.I've noticed that in most of Shaun's novels that there is usually an animal or two that cops it but this time I found the graphic details(one whole chapter describing torturing and eventually killing a young cat) very upsetting and not really necessary.Yes ,I am aware that it is just fiction -but these days I have more respect for animals than I do of people and in my opinion I think it went a bit too far. Otherwise,a fantastic book and I can't wait for the next one- I'll have to get my husband to vet it for me first though!!!

Overdose on the macabre feel-good factor.
After picking up Compulsion on the 14th of August, I was a little sceptical on what to expect as I wasn't too impressed with Exit Wounds (Shauns previous novel), sorry Shaun!

Compulsion is about teenage crime. It follows a group of young adults in their bid to make everyone's life around them a complete and utter misery. This includes violence, vandalism and harassment.

As everyone knows, in real life, the police do absolutely nothing to stop these situations, other than perhaps slap their hands, or send them to the Bahamas for "rehab".

Imagine yourself being terrorised by a group of youngsters until you reach breaking point, they hurt people you love and they damage your property. The police cannot and will not do anything to help and still their harassment continues. Then, one day, you catch the culprits. What would you do? How would your anger manifest itself?

Everyone loves to see scum get they're comeuppance. Compulsion gives you the opportunity to experience the primitive, sweet human emotion of revenge.

Shaun's style of writing is as usual very fast moving. I love the short action packed chapters. The characters are well defined and the scenario is different to any other I've read before.

The moral of this story: respect your elders.