O Círculo da Morte

by Andrew Pyper

Numa oficina de escrita criativa, Patrick Rush segue atentamente o trabalho de Angela, uma jovem que conta uma história lúgubre e hipnótica sobre uma criança atormentada por uma figura misteriosa que a persegue. Ao mesmo tempo, o bairro onde Patrick vive começa a ser testemunha de acontecimentos com estranhas ligações à história de Angela, e as fronteiras entre realidade e ficção tornam-se cada vez mais confusas e perturbadoras. Eleito Crime Novel of the Year pelo New York Times e já comparado a clássicos do género, este é um livro repleto de suspense que deixará os leitores irremediavelmente absorvidos pela sua intriga.

Genres: Horror, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Canada, Mystery Thriller

271 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Andrew Pyper was a Canadian author. He published over ten fictional books, including The Demonologist, which won the International Thriller Writers Award, and Lost Girls, which was a New York Times bestseller and Notable Book of the Year.

Pyper also published under the name of Mason Coile.

Reviews

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book took me a day to finish. Once I started it, I could not put it down. The main character of this story is a man who wishes that he could write a novel, so he joins a writing group. This group contains a variety of people whom all have their own stories and secrets. One woman in the group reads a story she has written about a stranger who does bad things, and he is called the sandman. As the story continues, it seems the Sandman is real; and begins to kill again.

This book really freaked me out. It wasn't a typical storyline that involved gory details and the obvious tell tales of the identity of the killer. This story went beyond that and had a way of building up the suspense; the killer lurked in the shadows or the main character thought he saw something, but did he really see anything at all? Then there was the idea that maybe the main character was a little crazy and nothing was really happening at all. There were misdirections, lies, twists, and at one point I just said out loud "what the fck?"

If you read this book though, I would suggest not reading it at night.

[Trudi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed parts of this book very much. Andrew Pyper is a talented storyteller and I will continue to seek him out. He gets character development, understands the integrity of back story, knows how to draw out suspense and when to twist the knife in. All of these elements are on spectacular display in his latest novel The Guardians, but I did find them to be a little lacking here.

This is a good novel, and if you desire an original take on a whodunit mystery with some horror elements thrown in for good measure, there’s a chance it will read as a great novel. I’m not a mystery lover so much of what Pyper achieves here stylistically was lost on me. The long drawn out approach to the missing and murdered, the red herrings, and the process of making just about everyone equally suspicious started to lose its charm for me about three-quarters of the way through.

I will say that this is an expertly plotted piece that hits no wrong notes. It is a unique premise blending several genres together in an interesting way. I love Pyper’s insights into the psyche of aspiring novelists. The sequences describing the writing circle itself cast a spell on me that reminded me both of Ghost Story and Stephen King’s novella The Breathing Method.

I did appreciate the ending and the fact that the father was able to sacrifice himself for his son using such currency as his own dark story. I also appreciated that what was looking to be a supernatural story, turned out to not be that at all. At least, I didn’t think so. The villains were vampires alright, but of the human sort. The fact that they could disappear into the night had more to do with their sociopathic tendencies and lifestyle, not anything paranormal.

All of this to say it’s my fault that this book didn’t get a higher rating, not Pyper’s. Recommended.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feb. 28 update:

I have come to the conclusion (late, in this case), that one should begin a review by making a positive, or at least, a nuetral statement! And I would like to add that I actually rated this 4 1/2 stars. (The following is the intact version of my original review.)


I want to say at the outset, that I wasn’t sure whether or not I liked the ending of this book. At first, I was disappointed. Not with the-who-dun-it part -- which was a bit of a surprise -- but the after-we-find-out part. So I thought about it for a while, and I have come to the conclusion that the ending is not as ambiguous as I first believed; but to say anything more would spoil the story.

Told in two chunks, the book opens in July 2007 introducing the reader to single Dad, Patrick Rush, and his precocious eight-year-old son Sam. In the first nine pages, Andrew Pyper hooks his reader; then he takes the story back 4 ½ years in time.

Grieving for his wife, Rush slowly spirals down in his journalistic career from literary columnist to that of the lowly TV critic. Even at his height, though, he believed: None start out wanting to review books, but to write them. To propose otherwise would be like trying to convince someone that as a child you dreamed of weighing jockeys instead of riding racehorses.

When he comes across an ad for a writers’ workshop, he answers it: I want to write a book. The problem: he is the only one in the circle who doesn’t have a story to tell. But Angela clearly does, although it isn’t clear whether her story is based on reality or fiction.
Meanwhile, a serial killer is on the loose, close to home in Toronto, and the events seem uncannily close to Angela’s story. After the writing circle ends, the killings stop.

Then Angela is suddenly out of the picture, and Rush, who had secretly been recording her readings, goes on to steal Angela’s story. By 2007, he has achieved his dream, to write a best-seller – and obviously, someone isn’t happy about this, because Sam is kidnapped.

Throughout this well-crafted story, Pyper keeps us guessing at who might be real, who might be the killer, whether or not the protagonist is going crazy, and is therefore suspect – even Patrick wonders if it’s all in his grief-stricken mind. And when is a story truly one’s own? By putting the narrator into the line of suspicion, along with all the other members of the writing circle, Pyper adds another dimension of suspense, and brings us full circle to a well-plotted conclusion.

Told in four parts, the Killing Circle is a gripping, complex, literary thriller.

[Steve Stred · Rating 5 out of 5]

'A father and son used to live here.’

I first read this in April of 2020.

It was the last of Andrew’s books I hadn’t read and I held off on it because I was worried I might not like it, the synopsis teasing that this release was more in-line to be a crime-thriller than a supernatural read. Having read it twice now, the book IS more crime-thriller than anything else, a psychological-horror novel that races around the streets of Toronto and ultimately ending up in rural Ontario, but no matter the ‘genre’ labelling, you’d be hard pressed to find a creepier novel out there.

Also, the first time I read this one, I raced through it, completely captivated and desperately wanting to know what happened. The ending was a gut punch, so I decided to wait until doing a re-read of this one, until I felt the timing was right.

For this re-read, I took my time, savoring it, as though now I’m enjoying a glass of wine after having slammed the beer.

It also should be noted – for those two or three people in the world – that I’ve spent the last half dozen years pushing people (almost daily) to read Andrew’s work. I’ve essentially forced myself into the periphery of Andrew’s work, and (almost daily) get a DM/message from someone asking what book should they start with for reading his work or asking my thoughts on one of his books or his characters. I am no expert – and I’d even suggest others out there most likely know his work inside and out better than I – but I also don’t shy away from the fact that Andrew’s work has been paramount to my life – both as a reader and a writer (Hell, I just released a non-fiction book about just that!) and I’d like to think I do a decent job of getting others to discover his wonderful style of crafting a story.

And lastly, before I dive into the ‘review’ portion, I just want to note that 2008 is the fifteenth anniversary year of this novel being released. In May of this year, we celebrated the tenth anniversary of Andrew’s novel ‘The Demonologist’ releasing, and while it was that novel we focused on, ‘The Killing Circle’ is just as deserving as receiving celebration!

What I liked: At it’s basic level, ‘The Killing Circle’ can be described as a novel about a widower – TV critic Patrick Rush – who navigates life while raising his young son, Sam. Until one day, Patrick decides he finally wants to write the novel he’s always dreamed of writing and joins a writing group.

But, this is an Andrew Pyper novel, which means nothing is what it seems. And while this came out in 2008, you can lay comparisons of this novel with ‘Lost Girls,’ ‘The Homecoming,’ ‘The Only Child,’ and even ‘The Demonologist.’ The search for the truth. The realization that the truth was closer throughout the entire novel. And that sometimes a journey is needed to return everything as close to ‘normal’ as it can be.

As Rush continues to visit the writing circle, Pyper does a few neat things.

The first is the meta aspect.

Throughout, Andrew infuses this in the ‘real.’ Real places. Real world -isms. Characters based on real people (I can only assume Conrad is someone Andrew’s had dealings with in the past. Possibly Angela as well). And even the book itself. At first we follow how Rush becomes an instant-bestseller with ‘The Sandman,’ the story he stole from another writing circle member. But ‘The Killing Circle’ becomes a thing-within-the-thing as we learn (full-circle moment) the truth, the horrifying ‘why’ and the ‘what-next.’

Andrew even takes a swipe at Canada’s beloved Booker Awards, with Rush attending a pretend version of the event and eviscerating the usual attendees and even more common winners and celebratory authors. It can be seen as bitter, sure, especially considering an author of Andrew’s pedigree and bibliography having not been even nominated, or it can be seen as another sarcastic take on this ‘Toronto,’ Andrew’s ‘Toronto’ that is just like the real one, but shaded grey with the artistic license. It lends itself even more to the meta-ness of the entire novel.

Oddly enough, while this was written probably sixteen years ago – to be released fifteen years back – much of what Andrew describes about the city felt as though it was an observation from today. A city scorched by heat, humid as fuck, and how the buildings get taller, the rent gets higher and the mix of people coming and going makes for a reduction of knowing your neighbor.

In May, when I went to Toronto for the first time, my entire weekend. I was walking the streets of ‘The Killing Circle’ with the author who wrote ‘The Killing Circle,’ while surrounded by the buildings that keep getting taller and the rents getting higher.

The second aspect that Andrew does so well with this is the layers.

Patrick is a suspect. Patrick is a victim. Patrick is having to constantly look over his shoulder while also looking forward in fear of the Sandman. The members of the writing circle dip and dash within the story itself, ebbing and flowing to create a constant mix of chaos and anxiety. The story itself practically drips anxiousness from each page. We remain perplexed until the very, bitter end.

The third aspect that Andrew throws at us is the emotional aspect.

His son, Sam, loves him more than anything. As does Patrick to him. So, when the book opens with Sam being taken and Patrick desperately searching for him, Pyper throws us to the emotional wolves from the get go. From there, we get the news of Patrick’s wife, Tamara, dying young, of how his employment status changes and how, even up until Sam is taken, Patrick struggles with how to keep Sam safe, as new developments unfold.

Lastly, Andrew has a penchant for ‘non-typical’ endings. What I mean is – he’s a big five published author – an award-winning, and internationally lauded writer, yet not a single one of his novels end like you’d expect an author being published through these houses should end. We don’t get happy endings. We don’t get ‘everything-tied-up-in-a-neat-bow.’ When I read this the first time, I bawled my eyes out when it ended. Same thing here. Patrick’s story, ‘The Killing Circle’ novel, and the exploration of grief that Pyper infuses throughout this, come to an end and it left me devastated once again.

What I didn’t like: I think the only thing of note this time around, was that parts of the story may feel a bit dated – much like with ‘Lost Girls’ – in that it predates our current availability of technology. Patrick has to hoof it back and forth around the city to see if people are home, not able to fire off a text or DM. Patrick has to utilize the stacks to find clues about a characters real identity. It’s minor aspects, but is something that I pulls the story from the hear and now and firmly stamps a date on it.

Why you should buy this: The problem with having a favorite author who has released so many AMAZING novels, is that it becomes difficult to pick a favorite. When I first read this one, I declared it my favorite of his work. Now, having re-read it, I think it still remains there, but depending on the day (and the DM), other works from Andrew raise their hands up high to be chosen. ‘The Homecoming’ with its PNW fuckery. ‘The Only Child’ with its world-wide galivanting. ‘Lost Girls’ with its lady of the lake. ‘The Demonologist’ with its race against time and a demon. And ‘The Guardians’ with its small-town-coming-of-age-ghost-story brilliance.

It’s also odd to think ‘The Guardians’ came after ‘The Killing Circle.’ I was dumb-struck when I came across this passage in ‘The Killing Circle’ on my re-read.

‘People used to live in every empty house you’ve ever stood in, and this makes them no less empty.’

An inter-connection between these two novels, separated by three years of publication date. It reinforces my long held belief that all of Andrew’s works are thematically connected, that grief and journey are always at the forefront, always paramount to the ‘why’ of the characters we are introduced to and follow.

As for ‘The Killing Circle’ itself, if you’ve not read any of Andrew’s work and you’re looking for a not-so-horror-y-but-still-edge-of-the-seat-y read, look no further. This one races along, has plenty of twists and turns and ultimately leaves you gasping for air. A novel of the highest order.

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, the life of the lowly author who realizes that his output is not one that reaches the subjective level of high art, but rather belongs quite snugly under that dreaded (and equally subjective) label of popular fiction. What a crushing blow to the psyche it must be to aspire to join the esteemed ranks of Bellow, Roth, and Findley, and instead find oneself lumped in with the likes of Grisham, Koontz, and Patterson.

Canadian author Andrew Pyper has been battling with this conundrum for quite some time now. A writer with a poet’s eye for atmosphere and an entertainer’s skill at building crackerjack entertainments, Pyper has found himself more often than not consigned to the shelves of popular fiction. But a) why should that be considered a bad thing, and b) who ever said an author couldn’t be both? It’s a hoary old chestnut (but true nonetheless) that Charles Dickens wrote his stories to entertain the masses, and his artistry was only truly understood and appreciated through the passage of time.

Take Pyper’s debut novel Lost Girls, a story initially marketed as a John Grishamesque legal thriller. Using the well-worn plot device of a lawyer, Pyper wove a story far more thrilling than anything Grisham ever produced, layering on the themes of death, loss, grief, and memory with an artist’s touch. Lost Girls was an ‘entertainment’ in the sense that it followed a linear plot, had exciting characters and plot twists, and was in every sense a ‘page-turner’. But it was ‘literary’ in its complexity of character, its crafting of mood, its evocation of dread. Lost Girls was to a John Grisham construction as a microbrewed lager is to a can of Busch Lite; the ingredients are more or less the same, but only one shows care, craft, and character. Only one, in other words, is really any good.

Pyper belongs to the rarified sphere of thriller authors who bring far more to the table than a performer’s understanding of how to draw an audience in. Like Walter Mosley and George Pelecanos, Pyper writes novels that exhilarate first and foremost, yet explore themes that would cripple lesser writers. No one of any sense would write that Mosley’s Easy Rawling novels were simply mysteries that, once solved, were to be tossed aside. They aren’t confections filled with empty calories. They stick with you; big juicy three-course meals.

But maybe I’m reading too much into it. Or maybe I’m overcome with gratitude that finally, someone has written a novel with a book reviewer as the main protagonist. Either way, The Killing Circle, Pyper’s fourth novel, is his best to date.

The hero is Patrick Rush, a former National Star book reviewer who has slowly descended the hierarchy of the newspaper to become what is surely the nadir of journalistic identity, the television reviewer. Stuck watching taped programs with titles such as Falling from Buildings! and Animals that Kill!, Patrick longs for what every book reviewer secretly wants; “I longed to be an embossed name on a spine, to belong to the knighthood of those selected to stand alongside their alphabetical neighbours on bookshop and library shelves. The great and nearly so, the famous and wrongly overlooked. The living and the dead.” Patrick suffers from a malady common to the frustrated author; “I could no longer open the Book Review of the Sunday Times without causing physical pain to myself. The publishers. The authors’ names. The titles. All belonging to books that weren’t mine.” No self-respecting book reviewer (or wanna-be author) will be able to resist Pyper’s accurate and caustically funny depictions of the deep-seated cravings for fame common to every person who has attempted to pen a story of their own.

The problem for Patrick is not the drive to write, but rather the fact that he has nothing to say − although if you consider that he is now writing his story (or is he?), you must then assume that something interesting must have happened. Patrick joins a writing circle to help jumpstart his writing, but instead of finding an avenue into his own stories, he finds himself entranced by the disturbed writings of Angela, a member who tells stories of a childhood tragedy and a “terrible man who does terrible things.” While Patrick worries that assuming that Angela’s tales were based on fact would reveal himself as “that most lowly drooler of the true-crime racks, the literal-minded rube who demands the promise of Based on a True Story! from his paperbacks and popcorn flicks,” there are eerie parallels in the story to certain news items making headlines.

It spoils nothing to reveal that the terrible man does show up and begin committing terrible things, as Pyper expertly turns the screws on the suspense, and takes a few unexpected turns along the way. The Killing Circle offers some sick and twisted fun, especially when Patrick realizes that he is living “[not] the life of one who writes or even writes about books, but a malingering lowbrow who wrongly thinks he deserves better. No wonder, when his life decides to assume the shape of literature, it isn’t a novel of ideas, but a chronicle of murder and suspicion… A bloody page-turner.”

An author becoming a part of his own personal horror story is not exactly a new literary theme − Stephen King (talk about a thriller writer with talent!) has created an entire cottage industry around the conceit − but Pyper layers his serial killer tale with a meta-layer on the importance of stories themselves to the individual. Are the stories we live important to others? When is a story truly our own? Are we even the main characters in our own lives? As Patrick muses, “Nobody lives their life as though they’ve only been cast in a grisly cameo.” Pyper takes full delight in keeping the reader guessing as to the true identity of the killer, so much so that Patrick himself cannot guarantee that he’s not making the whole thing up. He might not even be telling the story, if it’s his to tell at all.

Pyper does a splendid job of lampooning the literary types who dismiss popular fictions while at the same time straddling both worlds. The Killing Circle is a terrific thriller for those who want it simple, and an intricate exploration into personal myths and stories for those who demand a little more meat on their bones. Scary, original, and unsettling, The Killing Circle is a treat.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book because I've really enjoyed several of Pyper's other books, but couldn't remember at all what it was supposed to be about, and decided not to spoil it by reading the synopsis on the back cover and dove right in unknowing. And I'm glad I did. It starts off with an emotional bang, and sudden mystery, and it's not long before it's implied what the truth behind that shocker will turn out to be. From the get-go, there's a pall just seeping off the pages of the story, an immediate gloom that sets the tone and continues throughout. This book packs an incredible emotional punch, right through the tension and sense of doom that permeates throughout. Anyone who claims there can't be a literary psychological thriller that delves into horror, this book proves there most certainly can.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved The Guardians. I am surprised at the average rating of that book here, and I gave it a well deserved 5 star rating. It hit all the right buttons for me.

I wish I could say the same thing for The Killing Circle.

While I thought the entire concept of the novel was excellent, I found the pacing was rather uneven. I'm not sure why I found that, perhaps there were a little too many introspective insights by the main character. I just found the story's momentum seemed to suffer for it.

Regardless, Pyper is a fine writer, and you're best to check out The Guardians for evidence of that, particularly if you enjoy Stephen King's nostalgic stories.

I'll definitely read more of him.

[Vicky Sp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thriller intriso dalla giusta dose di terrore

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I much preferred The Killing Circle to Andrew Pyper's Lost Girls. This seemed more polished and maybe straight-forward. I liked the tension, the creepiness. Patrick Rush, a single father and frustrated writer, joins a writing group. While the group doesn't actually inspire him, one story, by Angela, draws in all the budding authors. It tells the story of The Sandman, a killer who stalked a small town killing children. Is Angela telling a story from her past? In either case, killings begin in Toronto, members of the group notice a presence following them. Rush begins to see this stalker as well. Is the group in danger? The story progresses at a steady pace with Rush wandering between reality and fantasy? Or is it all reality? There are many typical horror elements in the story; why doesn't Rush tell everything to the police? Why does he feel he should investigate on his own? However, it is a horror, thriller, so these are expected. Pyper has a nice grasp on the way to build and hold tension. Very entertaining and spooky story. Well worth reading. (4 stars)

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the epitome of the M. Night Shyamalan problem. A good mystery can become great if the twist/ending blows your mind. On the other hand, it can stumble and spit on everything you just read. Guess which one this is?

Now then, up to the last twenty pages of this novel, it is absolutely engaging. The oppressive atmosphere of the Sandman serial killer is visceral and constantly is blurring the lines in the character's own mind of whether the Sandman has actually left the page and begun killing in the real world. From that angle, it's a great work. You can't ask for much more in a mystery than great atmosphere, an interesting main character, a seriously threatening and terrifying killer, and constant page-turning.

Well, yes, you can. You can ask for the ending to make sense. I won't spoil it, but there are two twists at the very end of the book that are patently ridiculous. Neither has any lead-up whatsoever and just left me frustrated with the author for throwing away all the good will he'd built up. I mean, it's a mystery novel so theoretically you don't NEED a twist. I'm of the opinion that a good mystery novel shouldn't let the reader automatically know whodunnit, but should be within the realm of possibility. If I'm left going, "...what" there's a problem.

[Ricardo Mendes · Rating 4 out of 5]

O círculo da morte despertou a minha atenção pelo seu nome e sinopse que me fizeram acreditar que se tratava de um thriller sombrio e sangrento, mas rapidamente apercebe-se que se está a par com um thriller psicológico despromovido de acções violentas e sangrentas.

Mas como sou também um leitor apaixonado de thrillers psicológicos este livro não podia ser mais indicado. Andrew Pyper apresenta-nos a história de um escritor, Patrick, que busca ajuda numa oficina de escrita para resolver a sua falta de criatividade.

É a partir desta oficina que a trama se desembaraça na nossa mente. Um livro que expõe a arte de escrever, de plagiar, de matar, de confundir, de ter medo daquilo que mais temos medo.

Desde as primeiras páginas, em que o filho do protagonista é raptado, passando pelo retrocedimento no tempo e a inevitável e tão aguardada volta ao inicio o leitor é magistralmente acorrentado a esta história onde a lucidez e a loucura andam de mãos dadas atormentando Patrick e o leitor.

Linhas ainda para louvar a exímia escrita de Andrew Pyper que de forma tão simples, palavra a palavra, solidifica uma leitura rica e bela.

[Crowinator · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this through the Goodreads giveaways and I'm so glad. I stayed up all night to finish it, which I haven't felt compelled to do for a book in a long time, and I found it unnerving enough that I had to check the lock on the door and look in the closets about halfway through. I naturally have an overactive imagination anyway, but I haven't been this creeped out by a book in years. The story is intricate and nonlinear, and even though the narrator Patrick is kind of distant (which is appropriate for his character), the present tense narration made his story feel very close and immediate. That was especially good for the scary bits when Patrick felt someone had been in his house or in his yard or following him. The way the writing circle worked in and the novel that Patrick writes -- the idea that our lives, our identities, are stories that can be told and therefore stolen -- gave the book depth, as well. I couldn't guess where the story was going so the ending had real impact. This was a great, chilling read and I'm going to have to look up Pyper's other books.

[Bruce Hatton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patrick Rush, a widowed single father and TV critic has always harboured ambitions to be a novelist. To realise his dream he joins a writing circle run by a formerly famous writer called Roland White. Each member of the circle is invited to read out their recent efforts. Things take a sinister turn when one of the member’s tales of a child-stealer begins to bear a frightening resemblance to a real-life serial killer called “The Sandman”.
This sets the premise for the rest of the novel; the blurring of the distinction between the real and the imaginary. As more and more bizarre events unfold: such as people assumed dead suddenly reappearing: Patrick begins to wonder whether he is paranoid or whether someone is really after him. Is there really a “Sandman” or is he just the figment of Patrick’s or someone else’s imagination. Events build to a head when, as outlined in the opening chapter, Patrick’s son, Sam is kidnapped.
This is a gripping and unusual thriller where much of the suspense derives from the fact that we often wonder if we can trust the narrator.

[Sebastien Castell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andrew Pyper's fluid prose style immediately grabs you and makes it easy to keep picking up the book. There's an ambitious story here that's worth seeing through to the end, though I found it difficult to really credit the characters at times. Motivations seem not just odd but almost trivialized--as if the narrative almost explicitly intends to ignore such issues. The ambiguousness worked in some places, less so (for me, at least) in others.

[Vivian Perez · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't the best book I've read and unfortunately, it wasn't one that I looked forward to reading. Often times, it made me sleepy and I frequently found myself Re-reading several pages. It had an okay plot and it had decent writing but I found it could have flowed a lot better.

[Julian Fortunato · Rating 2 out of 5]

The exact opposite of The Sun Also Rises: all plot and no vibes. I think I prefer the vibes because at least I feel something.

Alternate title: “The Killing Melodramatic 391 Pages”

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Killing Circle by Andrew Pyper is an ambiguous novel. The novel opens with Patrick Rush, a widowed father and successful novelist going to a drive-in movie with his eight year old son. When his son disappears, we learn of Patrick’s past, when he was still an aspiring author and joined a writer’s workshop called the Kensington Circle. After a woman goes missing in his neighborhood, he and the other attendees believe there is a connection between a story being written by one of the would-be authors and these crimes. Patrick struggles with his roles as widower, father, failing journalist and would be author. He must examine the darker workings of his own mind and his past in order to understand who has taken his son and why.

I really had a hard time getting into this novel. However, I don’t think it was the books fault, I think the failing was all mine. It is very well written, the narrative flows very well, the story is paced so to not give away anything and really keep the reader guessing. I think the problem was that I just couldn’t connect at all with the main character. I really didn’t like him very much. In fact I didn’t actually like anyone in the book, with the exception of Sam, Patrick’s son. I had a bit of trouble with Sam, I found him immensely likeable, but way too precocious for a kid his age. But I also understand that a boy raised from infancy by a single man, a reader, may just be that well spoken. I think I was supposed to like and empathize with Patrick, however, and I just couldn’t. Its hard to feel involved in a novel like this when there is a disconnect of sorts between the character and the reader.

I would like to find fault with the ending of the novel, it is quite ambiguous and could be taken two ways. But I actually thought that was the best part. It appeals to the Pollyanna nature of readers such as myself, we can assume a happy Hollywood ending, and yet it would also appeal to readers who prefer darker and more realistic endings.

I think I just wasn’t in the mood for this type of novel. This might have been a perfect read for a dreary stormy week, when after a long, cold, wet day, I could have curled up by the fireplace and read for hours. I can see how this book could have the ability to almost cast a spell over the reader at such times. Unfortunately, I was reading in the bright, hot and sunny dog days of summer, with lots of distractions. The atmosphere and mood just wasn’t right, and my enjoyment of the novel suffered because of it.

The Killing Circle will be released on Sept. 16, 2008

[Laren · Rating 2 out of 5]

After his wife dies, the main character joins a writing circle. One of the writers has a tale of murder which captivates them so much that our main character ultimately steals it and publishes a successful novel based on it. But when members of the writing circle start dying one by one, the remaining writers try to determine if the story was true or if someone is copying the novel while a shadowy figure follows them everywhere. It's a interesting premise, but the main problem is that I never completely bought the writing circle's extreme level of terror at the shadowy figure. Without that, their actions don't make a lot of sense. Also, without giving away the ending, I can say that the culprit didn't make a whole lot of sense either, and there is little chance of anyone figuring this out on their own as a result. I found it a disappointing read.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Patrick is a journalist whose career is going nowhere. His wife passed away when his son was a baby. Single dad, limited social life, career doldrums, unfulfilled dreams, sadness, that's Patrick's life in a nutshell. He clips an ad for a writing workshop, facilitated by a self-described published author and poet. Patrick has never heard of him, but he needs this, a kick start to his forever dream of writing a book. The writing circle will change his life, albeit not in the way he thought.

The Killing Circle straddles the line between horror and mystery. I was anticipating horror as the two previous books I've read by Andrew Pyper fit that genre best. The suspense needed to be more overt in this book to match the creepy story Pyper was telling. The lack of intensity made this somewhere between okay and good for my reading enjoyment. However, there are some choice bits in this book, including the passage below which I could relate to:

"It's because both of us are readers. Not by passion necessarily, but by character. Observers. Critics. Interpreters. Readers of books...told in bedtime snippets, (for Sam). But also comics, travel brochures, bathroom-stall graffiti, owner's manuals, cereal-box recipes. The material doesn't matter. Reading is how we translate the world into a language we can at least partially understand."

[Ana Correia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mais um guião de um thriller com contornos sobrenaturais do que um livro policial.

[Sue Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

God, this was good! Although, I do not especially like a horror story that has a kid as one of the 'targets' - it just ramps up the anxiety level for me tenfold. You are forewarned though - the first chapter is the beginning of the end, so you know the start of the climax anyways. Not that is going to let you out of any of that anxiety mind you - it just serves to ramp it up even tighter because you know it's coming. Bloody sneaky.

Great story though. Just shows you how rapidly a mental breakdown can happen! And the nasty consequences afterwards.

[Elmo · Rating 2 out of 5]

kravina, vubec me to nechytlo, ale aspon 2 za snahu ig

[Haley McCuaig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very slow to start, but worth hanging on for!

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a pleasure..I am so glad I stumbled on this book and didn't return it after having it in my to-read pile for weeks now..I was pleasantly surprised by this book as it was well written and engaged my interest whenever I had a spare moment--love a book that I cant wait to get back to--love to be engrossed in a great book! And the subject matter of this one--a wanna be writer and his desperate journey to become an author is a touching one indeed..I truly felt his longing and brilliant description of the wanting to be among the names in the library, the mother of your own brainchild naked and open to criticism from the world not just your own inner thoughts..it was touching indeed and I loved the way its written with a main character you feel like you really get to know..The book is about Patrick, a widowed single father who writes a literary critique column then later a television reviewer who secretly longs to write a novel but feels he has no story to tell, no inspiration and to get inspired he joins a writing group of seven other aspiring authors to share their works, get assistance and feedback..Patrick goes without much hope or much to say and meets his muse (reminded me very much of The Mentor by Sebastian Stuart) and is drawn to her spooky tale of a terrible man who does terrible things..The book takes off from there as Patrick sneakily steals the other writer's haunting story and claims it as his own (every writer's worst nightmare) and from there he also inherits the creepy villain in the story intent on haunting Patrick and causing him to lose his job and eventually his sanity...The creepy villain "The Sandman" was sufficiently dark and mysterious enough but still not enough backstory and in depth killing descriptions for me..I also felt the last part of the book was not as strong as the first 100 pages that had me compulsively reading into the night..Overall though I would DEFINITELY read more from this Canadian author as I love his wit and writing style with its subtle humor and dark intelligence..I thought for a while it was a five star and though I knocked a star off (hard to knock me all the way out really) I will remember and recommend this book for sure...Oh to be a writer, how far would you go...ah reading and critiquing will do for a while, until my story comes......great book.

[Erin Clemence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pyper’s “The Killing Circle” is a gripping tale of a father’s love, and how far we will go to achieve our dreams.
Patrick Rush, a journalist, is a single father taking care of his young son after the unexpected death of his wife. When he is fired from his job, he decides to pursue a career as a novelist and joins a writing circle, becoming part of an eclectic group of want-to-be authors trying to make their start in Toronto. During a meeting of his writing circle, Patrick hears a story told by one of the attendees that changes his life forever; a haunting story about a murderer called “The Sandman”. When Patrick’s son is kidnapped, he is forced to come to terms with the reality that the Sandman might be real, and everyone he knows is now a target, including himself.
Pyper continues to hold his position right up there alongside Canada’s best (in my opinion of course) and it is works like The Killing Circle that earned him his spot. With well-known (and not so well known) Canadian cities and towns as his backdrop, Pyper uses gruesomely descriptive language without being gory, and weaves a tale that is just as haunting as it is suspenseful. The ending hits you unexpectedly, and leaves a reader feeling saddened at its bittersweet conclusion, however it is an honest and appropriate ending and is satisfying, albeit heartbreaking.
Pyper is able to tell a terrifying tale with words alone, and it is not necessary for him to delve into the blood and guts that are popular with some of his counterparts. Fans of Stephen King will find parallels with Pyper, and this is nothing but the utmost compliment to one of the best Canadian horror writers (again, in my opinion).

[N · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad that The Killing Circle was my introduction to Andrew Pyper, as by most accounts some of his other pieces are better. Perhaps I've been reading junk lately (coughLuckiestGirlAlivecough), but I found this engaging and innovative. I don't even have time to get into an in-depth look because I'm already reading The Demonologist, so here's the short version.

Strengths:
-I love stories about writers who question reality (because who doesn't when he deals with literature all the time?)
-An excellent story within a story
-Fantastic characters, with excellent backstories
-The relationship between Sam and Patrick was completely realistic
-The very end of the ending was well-crafted, although I usually hate those endings
-The Len reveal was great

Faults:
-The suspense was, at times, unnecessarily drawn out (How many times can one realistically chase a shadow?)
-The focus is unclear--are we to believe the supernatural is possible or not? In any supernatural suspense text, there needs to be a tipping point where the reader/viewer realizes "Oh shit, this is for real!" after being toyed with during the exposition and rising action. Here, we lose that excitement.
-Angela's motives are unclear--what does she get out of this? I liked it better when she was some kind of literary succubus.
-The William and Raymond Mull storylines weren't explored enough, in favor of Patrick running around chasing shadows. William seemed awful, so what did Angela and Len do that was so horrific, it shocked even William?

In the end, I really admire and enjoy Andrew Pyper and have already taken out two of his other novels.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The curriculum of my course in English Literature last year included this on its (lengthy) reading list, and I opened it completely blind to what it was about. Overall, I'm giving it three stars. It was a well done book, really. The intrigue was strong, the plot turned unpredictably, and Patrick Rush was three-dimensional and human enough for my tastes. There were, however, a few elements that bothered me.

Like how it was set in Toronto. I don't know if anyone else gets this with books specifically set in your cities, but it was terribly distracting to me as a lifelong Torontonian. The newspaper Patrick works at is plainly the Toronto Star. He lives in Queen West. His writer's circle meets about ten minutes from where I live. Little things like that wrenched me out of the story, especially in the emotional scenes. I knew I was supposed to be concerned for Patrick's fate, but instead I couldn't help thinking, "I know that street corner, I was there last weekend!"

Also, I'm not that great with horror. I am nineteen years old, and am still kept up half the night every time I watch a Doctor Who episode that contains weeping angels. I broke out in hives when my friends took me to see Fright Night. While I adore getting emotionally invested in books, these were not the emotions I wanted to be experiencing.

In conclusion, unless you're me, you'll probably like this book more than I did.

[Steven Langdon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suspense, some sharp and insightful slices of Toronto, a wicked and mischievous take on the writing life, and vivid characters sketched out in skillful prose -- that's what this unusual novel provides in spades. Andrew Pyper can write, he knows his context well, and he has a way of mixing crime and violence that works to build tension and engagement.

The Circle begins as a group of aspiring novelists, working with an older published author. All of them are overwhelmed by the compelling, frightening draft that a young woman, Angela, reads to them. Then the Sandman, her "terrible man who does terrible things," seems gradually to emerge from her pages, to begin stalking the group, turning it into a Killing Circle. Pyper's central figure, Patrick Rush, fights back, driven especially to protect his 8 year old son.

The plot twists become more and more complex, but they seem to carry the reader along . . . until, for me, they finally become just too bizarre and improbable to accept. Is Andrew Pyper playing out one more chapter in a satire about writing novels? Is he testing to see how far he can get in lampooning the mystery story genre, by trying to persuade his readers to accept a totally laughable conclusion?

Overall, a clever book . . . but too preposterous to stay credible.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I much preferred Pyper's "The Trade Mission" to this one, "The Killing Circle." This story was just too "off" for me. The main character, Patrick Rush is a recent widower, now a single parent, who has recently also lost his job as a journalist at the newspaper.

Patrick want to be a writer. He joins a writing circle group. This group consists of all weird and strange people. Everyone shares a story and the stories are extremely oddball. A few years after this writing circle, Patrick takes the story of one of the women in the group and writes a novel with it. It centers on a "Sandman" that kills and dismembers people. Soon life for Patrick takes on a surreal kind of existence. The lines between imagination and fact are becoming blurred, when his own son is snatched.

I also thought the ending was blurred. It left the reader not knowing how things turned out. I wasn't completely engrossed in the book. I think Pyper is a wonderful writer, but this story didn't grab me as I thought it should have.

[Basil Elton · Rating 3 out of 5]

“¿qué es la cordura sino mantener el límite entre las secciones de ficción y no ficción?”

Disfruté en verdad muchas partes de este libro. la premisa es interesantísima, la narrativa de Pyper es fluida y correcta, los personajes, salvo algunas excepciones están bien logrados, sin embargo como puntos flacos veo la relación padre - hijo que pudo haber sido explotada mucho mas así como, y muy importante - el hombre malísimo que hace cosas malísimas - poco profundo, poca exposición de la génesis de sus motivos y de lo intrincado de sus métodos (quien lo haya leído ya comprenderá).

Por lo demás, repito he disfrutado como niño en busca de sangre varios de los capítulos, un final muy adecuado que emociona grandemente y una historia original. Tal vez haya sido yo, quien tenía expectativas distintas, no obstante es un libro que cumple, y viniendo del autor de uno de mis libros sobrenaturales predilectos, El Demonólogo, este parece menor.

Recomendable. Sigo en busca de más de Pyper, bien lo valen.