diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 # Changelog for Hedis
 
+## 0.8.0
+
+* Major speed improvement by using non-backtracking parser (PR #69)
+
 ## 0.7.10
 
 * Improved performance (PR #64)
diff --git a/hedis.cabal b/hedis.cabal
--- a/hedis.cabal
+++ b/hedis.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:               hedis
-version:            0.7.10
+version:            0.8.0
 synopsis:
     Client library for the Redis datastore: supports full command set,
     pipelining.
@@ -63,10 +63,11 @@
   if flag(dev)
     ghc-prof-options: -auto-all
   exposed-modules:  Database.Redis
-  build-depends:    attoparsec >= 0.12,
+  build-depends:    scanner >= 0.2,
                     base >= 4.6 && < 5,
                     bytestring >= 0.9,
                     bytestring-lexing >= 0.5,
+                    text,
                     deepseq,
                     mtl >= 2,
                     network >= 2,
diff --git a/src/Database/Redis/Protocol.hs b/src/Database/Redis/Protocol.hs
--- a/src/Database/Redis/Protocol.hs
+++ b/src/Database/Redis/Protocol.hs
@@ -9,11 +9,14 @@
 import Control.Applicative
 #endif
 import Control.DeepSeq
-import Data.Attoparsec.ByteString (takeTill)
-import Data.Attoparsec.ByteString.Char8 hiding (takeTill)
+import Scanner (Scanner)
+import qualified Scanner
 import Data.ByteString.Char8 (ByteString)
 import GHC.Generics
 import qualified Data.ByteString.Char8 as B
+import qualified Data.Text.Encoding as Text
+import qualified Data.Text.Read as Text
+import Control.Monad (replicateM)
 
 -- |Low-level representation of replies from the Redis server.
 data Reply = SingleLine ByteString
@@ -48,36 +51,61 @@
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 -- Reply parsers
 --
-reply :: Parser Reply
+{-# INLINE reply #-}
+reply :: Scanner Reply
 reply = do
-  c <- anyChar
+  c <- Scanner.anyChar8
   case c of
-    '+' -> singleLine
+    '+' -> string
     '-' -> error
     ':' -> integer
     '$' -> bulk
-    '*' -> multiBulk
+    '*' -> multi
     _ -> fail "Unknown reply type"
 
-singleLine :: Parser Reply
-singleLine = SingleLine <$> (takeTill isEndOfLine <* endOfLine)
+{-# INLINE string #-}
+string :: Scanner Reply
+string = SingleLine <$> line
 
-error :: Parser Reply
-error = Error <$> (takeTill isEndOfLine <* endOfLine)
+{-# INLINE error #-}
+error :: Scanner Reply
+error = Error <$> line
 
-integer :: Parser Reply
-integer = Integer <$> (signed decimal <* endOfLine)
+{-# INLINE integer #-}
+integer :: Scanner Reply
+integer = Integer <$> integral
 
-bulk :: Parser Reply
+{-# INLINE bulk #-}
+bulk :: Scanner Reply
 bulk = Bulk <$> do
-    len <- signed decimal <* endOfLine
-    if len < 0
-        then return Nothing
-        else Just <$> take len <* endOfLine
+  len <- integral
+  if len < 0
+    then return Nothing
+    else Just <$> Scanner.take len <* eol
 
-multiBulk :: Parser Reply
-multiBulk = MultiBulk <$> do
-    len <- signed decimal <* endOfLine
-    if len < 0
-        then return Nothing
-        else Just <$> count len reply
+-- don't inline it to break the circle between reply and multi
+{-# NOINLINE multi #-}
+multi :: Scanner Reply
+multi = MultiBulk <$> do
+  len <- integral
+  if len < 0
+    then return Nothing
+    else Just <$> replicateM len reply
+
+{-# INLINE integral #-}
+integral :: Integral i => Scanner i
+integral = do
+  str <- line
+  case Text.signed Text.decimal (Text.decodeUtf8 str) of
+    Left err -> fail (show err)
+    Right (l, _) -> return l
+
+{-# INLINE line #-}
+line :: Scanner ByteString
+line = Scanner.takeWhileChar8 (/= '\r') <* eol
+
+{-# INLINE eol #-}
+eol :: Scanner ()
+eol = do
+  Scanner.char8 '\r'
+  Scanner.char8 '\n'
diff --git a/src/Database/Redis/ProtocolPipelining.hs b/src/Database/Redis/ProtocolPipelining.hs
--- a/src/Database/Redis/ProtocolPipelining.hs
+++ b/src/Database/Redis/ProtocolPipelining.hs
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 import           Prelude
 import           Control.Exception
 import           Control.Monad
-import           Data.Attoparsec.ByteString
+import qualified Scanner
 import qualified Data.ByteString as S
 import           Data.IORef
 import           Data.Typeable
@@ -116,11 +116,11 @@
       ~(r, rest') <- unsafeInterleaveIO $ do
         -- Force previous reply for correct order.
         previous `seq` return ()
-        parseResult <- parseWith readMore reply rest
-        case parseResult of
-          Fail{}       -> errConnClosed
-          Partial{}    -> error "Hedis: parseWith returned Partial"
-          Done rest' r -> do
+        scanResult <- Scanner.scanWith readMore reply rest
+        case scanResult of
+          Scanner.Fail{}       -> errConnClosed
+          Scanner.More{}    -> error "Hedis: parseWith returned Partial"
+          Scanner.Done rest' r -> do
             -- r is the same as 'head' of 'connPending'. Since we just
             -- received r, we remove it from the pending list.
             atomicModifyIORef' connPending $ \(_:rs) -> (rs, ())
diff --git a/test/Test.hs b/test/Test.hs
--- a/test/Test.hs
+++ b/test/Test.hs
@@ -437,14 +437,17 @@
         scriptFlush                             >>=? Ok
         -- start long running script from another client
         configSet "lua-time-limit" "100"        >>=? Ok
-        liftIO $ do
-            _ <- fork $ runRedis conn $ do
-                -- we must pattern match to block the thread
-                Left _ <- eval "while true do end" [] []
-                    :: Redis (Either Reply Integer)
-                return ()
-            threadDelay 500000 -- 0.5s
+        evalFinished <- liftIO newEmptyMVar
+        void $ liftIO $ fork $ runRedis conn $ do
+            -- we must pattern match to block the thread
+            Left _ <- eval "while true do end" [] []
+                :: Redis (Either Reply Integer)
+            liftIO (putMVar evalFinished ())
+            return ()
+        liftIO (threadDelay 500000) -- 0.5s
         scriptKill                              >>=? Ok
+        () <- liftIO (takeMVar evalFinished)
+        return ()
 
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 -- Connection