What do you think?
Rate this book
The Circle of Thirteen
In 2082, a catastrophic explosion rocks the dedication ceremony of the new United Nations in New York City. Security Director Julia Moro is on the job, chasing after the misogynistic leader of Patria, a long-disbanded international terrorist organization now being whispered about again on the streets. This dangerous, shadowy figure has been linked to several bombing attempts and vicious attacks on women, including the Women of Peace—an organization headed by thirteen bold women who have risked their lives to restore worldwide peace. As Julia’s investigation unfolds, a deep secret from her past threatens to strip her of everything she cherishes and plunge her into unrecoverable darkness.
The Circle of Thirteen' s gripping narrative weaves back and forth in time, from an act of domestic violence that created the disturbed personality of the Patria mastermind, to the two weeks leading up to the bombing at the UN, to events half a century before the bombing that directly influence it. The strong, relatable women and the unbreakable bond between them provide an emotionally grounded window into the future’s unforgettable history.
The Circle of Thirteen' s gripping narrative weaves back and forth in time, from an act of domestic violence that created the disturbed personality of the Patria mastermind, to the two weeks leading up to the bombing at the UN, to events half a century before the bombing that directly influence it. The strong, relatable women and the unbreakable bond between them provide an emotionally grounded window into the future’s unforgettable history.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published September 16, 2013
1 person is currently reading
759 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
October 20, 2013
This book starts with events in 2012 and ends up in 2082. Women are mostly in charge since roughly 2055 and things are a bit different than they were in 2012. A new United Nations has been created, and the world seems more connected (helped with major advances in technology). However, not all is well. Patria, a hate group focused on women, are beginning to ramp up their presence as the U.N. makes plans to honor The Circle of Thirteen, 13 women who died as martyrs and were the impetus to the major changes in world. The book bounces around in time, blending past and present very nicely to move the tale along quickly. It's just enough "sci-fi" to keep the whole things fresh, enough feminism to make me fascinated (and wishful), and fast enough in it's storytelling to keep me reading to the wee hours. This is an impressive debut novel that I urge any lover of mysteries to read.
December 12, 2013
This is probably the dullest book I’ve read this year. It started off slow, continued on slow, and ended slow. It is advertised as a thriller, but I have no idea how anyone could have chosen to describe this book as anything remotely thrilling.
I think one of the biggest issues the novel has is that it jumps too much from past to present, from one character to another. It got to the point where I remember picking the book up and not having a clue as to who was speaking or what was going on because it’d been jumping around so much. I usually enjoy books that move back and forwards in time, but this one was a mess for me.
And then the action itself. Although it deals with terrorist attacks and what-not, there is actually very little action that happens on the page and is not part of someone’s back-story. I found my mind wandering too much throughout reading it and it took me much longer to get through it than I wanted. This is not one I’d recommend unless you have just run out of your Lunesta and need a good night’s sleep.
I think one of the biggest issues the novel has is that it jumps too much from past to present, from one character to another. It got to the point where I remember picking the book up and not having a clue as to who was speaking or what was going on because it’d been jumping around so much. I usually enjoy books that move back and forwards in time, but this one was a mess for me.
And then the action itself. Although it deals with terrorist attacks and what-not, there is actually very little action that happens on the page and is not part of someone’s back-story. I found my mind wandering too much throughout reading it and it took me much longer to get through it than I wanted. This is not one I’d recommend unless you have just run out of your Lunesta and need a good night’s sleep.
July 9, 2015
The age old nature versus nurture argument. We may never have a concrete answer of which has more dominance in certain traits, such as a propensity toward violence. William Petrocelli's The Circle of Thirteen adds to this debate in a near future setting of a matriarchal, dilapidated United States.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
The violent actions of a young boy in 2008 sets into motion other violent acts toward women in the following years to 2082, when the U.N. Security Director Julia Moro attempts to prevent a major terrorist action on a national ceremony. While trying to keep the nation safe, Julia is also trying to unravel a familial mystery of who killed her grandmother when her mother was only a baby and also come to terms with the gang activity she saw when she was a teenager. With everything on the line, can Julia figure things out with enough time?
The narrative was captivating in its realistic portrayal of how the world could evolve into a society that is an extrapolation (but not too far off) of contemporary issues and social politics; it addressed issues of women's social roles, politics, environment, and a general social climate in a tasteful manner. Suspense built quickly and action came, even if it was a bit cliched and trite at times. The text could use a thorough editing as there were several instances of "were" for "where" and vice versa. I was also frustrated by the way the dialogue of one character was split across multiple paragraphs and didn't follow the convention of using no closing quotation marks--it lead to a disorientation of which character was speaking. And as the narrative jumps around in time to pull vignettes together to create the whole image, it was a bit jarring at times how it seemed rather non sequitur to suddenly jump to a vastly different time or place--particularly when there were times that it jumped to a different character mid-chapter.
Overall, I'd give it a 4 our of 5 stars.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
The violent actions of a young boy in 2008 sets into motion other violent acts toward women in the following years to 2082, when the U.N. Security Director Julia Moro attempts to prevent a major terrorist action on a national ceremony. While trying to keep the nation safe, Julia is also trying to unravel a familial mystery of who killed her grandmother when her mother was only a baby and also come to terms with the gang activity she saw when she was a teenager. With everything on the line, can Julia figure things out with enough time?
The narrative was captivating in its realistic portrayal of how the world could evolve into a society that is an extrapolation (but not too far off) of contemporary issues and social politics; it addressed issues of women's social roles, politics, environment, and a general social climate in a tasteful manner. Suspense built quickly and action came, even if it was a bit cliched and trite at times. The text could use a thorough editing as there were several instances of "were" for "where" and vice versa. I was also frustrated by the way the dialogue of one character was split across multiple paragraphs and didn't follow the convention of using no closing quotation marks--it lead to a disorientation of which character was speaking. And as the narrative jumps around in time to pull vignettes together to create the whole image, it was a bit jarring at times how it seemed rather non sequitur to suddenly jump to a vastly different time or place--particularly when there were times that it jumped to a different character mid-chapter.
Overall, I'd give it a 4 our of 5 stars.
April 27, 2014
Well, I have to agree with the current Goodreads ranking of 2.92. There's two problems with it--the writing and the story.
Petrocelli writes this in alternating chapters of long-ago history and recent history. At times there's flashbacks of even further back, so you're going three layers deep. At the end you understand how all the people are related to each other but it's hard work the first third. Even more than halfway through, I was thrown when the person I thought was an intern suddenly turned into a Defense Secretary. It all takes place in the future, so there's near future and far future and keeping up with the changes of living, technology, etc.
And the story, well, if it's supposed to be a mystery, even as someone who doesn't read mysteries could figure out who was doing what. If it's just supposed to be a thriller, the climax was very anti-.
I'm surprised that a man would be so hard on his own sex.
Petrocelli writes this in alternating chapters of long-ago history and recent history. At times there's flashbacks of even further back, so you're going three layers deep. At the end you understand how all the people are related to each other but it's hard work the first third. Even more than halfway through, I was thrown when the person I thought was an intern suddenly turned into a Defense Secretary. It all takes place in the future, so there's near future and far future and keeping up with the changes of living, technology, etc.
And the story, well, if it's supposed to be a mystery, even as someone who doesn't read mysteries could figure out who was doing what. If it's just supposed to be a thriller, the climax was very anti-.
I'm surprised that a man would be so hard on his own sex.
October 25, 2013
I loved The Circle of Thirteen; I could hardly put it down! It takes place mostly in the future, in a more matriarchal version of America and with a United Nations that sprang from the ashes of the deaths of the Women for Peace, the 13 women who changed the planet and gave their lives to bring about peace when things were not going so well in the world. The story jumps back and forth between 2082, the "current" day in the book, and earlier parts of the story in an attempt to peel back the layers of a fascinating and exciting chase to prevent the UN from being blown up by a misogynistic sociopath and his criminal network, the Patria. I didn't know anything really about the book before I picked up, but it sounded exciting and it definitely turned out to be a suspenseful and interesting thriller.
November 29, 2013
This is a unique tale about a future earth in which women have seemingly not only equaled but even surpassed men in power and leadership soles in society. Many men are having trouble dealing with this world of gender reversal. The "circle of thirteen" refers to a group a women who were martyred for their stance on the social issues of that day. A terrorist group called the Patria is a group of men striking out against the empowerment of women. The principle heroine finds that she is connected to both the important women of this time but also the men who are trying to bring this more humane society down. This book is well conceived and captivating from first page to last.
February 5, 2022
This book sounded really interesting, and I had a sample on my Kindle for years. I finally spent a lot more than I usually do on this book, and decided to read it.
Some of it seemed like half thoughts in an outline. There was a moment where a pronoun was used making me think that one of the central characters was one gender, in a conventional relationship, and I was almost done with the story when it was done.
It also seemed a little like the author did not want men in the book unless they were purely evil or a minimally used secondary character. Like the man who turned out to be a woman, seemed like a nice guy, and that they still had some in this world. But instead, almost every main male character was misogynistic and cruel.
I also thought the timeline was a little weird. I would expect an 80 year old man to be sitting in a chair, ordering younger people to do things, especially since he had a following. Instead, he did everything for himself, despite his age. The book jumped around a lot, which I was okay with, but throw in a he/she somewhere.
In all, I would not have paid as much for the book if I had known it was not extremely well written, but the author was interesting enough that I would read another novel by them.
Some of it seemed like half thoughts in an outline. There was a moment where a pronoun was used making me think that one of the central characters was one gender, in a conventional relationship, and I was almost done with the story when it was done.
It also seemed a little like the author did not want men in the book unless they were purely evil or a minimally used secondary character. Like the man who turned out to be a woman, seemed like a nice guy, and that they still had some in this world. But instead, almost every main male character was misogynistic and cruel.
I also thought the timeline was a little weird. I would expect an 80 year old man to be sitting in a chair, ordering younger people to do things, especially since he had a following. Instead, he did everything for himself, despite his age. The book jumped around a lot, which I was okay with, but throw in a he/she somewhere.
In all, I would not have paid as much for the book if I had known it was not extremely well written, but the author was interesting enough that I would read another novel by them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2021
Interesting read... lots of movement between multiple years. Was confusing at first, so it required me to flip through previously read pages to get my bearings. Women as the calm-headed leaders with the majority of the men presented as rabid destroyers. I like the premise!
March 6, 2017
I gotta say it was suspenseful. And a quick read.
Futuristic but realistic. I could even see how the conditions the author posited for the future have their roots in our current reality. The book was published in 2013 and even fit in with the results of the last election! Disturbing in a lot of ways, even if the ending was more upbeat that it seemed it might be.
I found it hard to follow though because it jumped between two or three time periods.
Futuristic but realistic. I could even see how the conditions the author posited for the future have their roots in our current reality. The book was published in 2013 and even fit in with the results of the last election! Disturbing in a lot of ways, even if the ending was more upbeat that it seemed it might be.
I found it hard to follow though because it jumped between two or three time periods.
October 22, 2013
The story opens with a jump back in time to 2012 where a violent event will have an effect on a young boy’s future. Fast forward to the present, 2082 New York, and the opening ceremony of the new United Nations headquarters where all the world’s leaders have assembled. A sculpture is to be dedicated to the founders of Women for Peace. The thirteen women were murdered by a terrorist attack years ago and today are symbols of the peace movement. As the ceremony begins, an explosion rocks the building and people around the world watch in horror.
Much of the novel takes place in the two weeks leading up to the opening ceremony. Julia Moro, Security Director for the event, has reason to believe the terrorist organization Patria, know to despise the leadership and power women have gained, is planning an attack. The shadowy, reclusive leader of Patria is not easy to find and Julia has limited time to track him and his group. We go back and forth in time as Julia races against the clock. Her investigation leads her into her own past, revealing long buried secrets about her own family.
I almost didn’t pick this one up because of the title. It made me think of the way-too-many paranormal books on the market today, and I was not in the mood for one of those. Don’t be fooled, this is not about the supernatural. This is a fast-paced action thriller with a complex, compelling plot. The title refers to the thirteen women killed in the terrorist attack.
The story is multi-layered with many jumps in time and flashbacks that require a little extra concentration, but once I got used to the time shifts the plot flowed and moved quickly. The setting is believable and the world of 2082 feels familiar. There are some advances in technology and electronics, climate change has continued to warm the planet, and factory farming and genetic engineering has created world-wide food shortages. It feels like the future we are creating today. The story is more thriller than science fiction.
This is an exciting debut novel that will appeal to fans of multiple genres. Recommended.
Much of the novel takes place in the two weeks leading up to the opening ceremony. Julia Moro, Security Director for the event, has reason to believe the terrorist organization Patria, know to despise the leadership and power women have gained, is planning an attack. The shadowy, reclusive leader of Patria is not easy to find and Julia has limited time to track him and his group. We go back and forth in time as Julia races against the clock. Her investigation leads her into her own past, revealing long buried secrets about her own family.
I almost didn’t pick this one up because of the title. It made me think of the way-too-many paranormal books on the market today, and I was not in the mood for one of those. Don’t be fooled, this is not about the supernatural. This is a fast-paced action thriller with a complex, compelling plot. The title refers to the thirteen women killed in the terrorist attack.
The story is multi-layered with many jumps in time and flashbacks that require a little extra concentration, but once I got used to the time shifts the plot flowed and moved quickly. The setting is believable and the world of 2082 feels familiar. There are some advances in technology and electronics, climate change has continued to warm the planet, and factory farming and genetic engineering has created world-wide food shortages. It feels like the future we are creating today. The story is more thriller than science fiction.
This is an exciting debut novel that will appeal to fans of multiple genres. Recommended.
February 23, 2014
A plot that will keep you on your toes, this sci-fi/thriller takes the reader from 2012 to 2082, with a few other interesting stops in between.
In the beginning, what seems like a ‘norm’ for a thriller book plays out; a man demanding to see his son argues with a woman bearing a restraining order against him. Although violence commences, the reader immediately knows this book is something far different than their mind expects, and the non-stop action takes them on the ride of their lives.
In New York City, 2082, a brand new United Nations Headquarters is in the spotlight, as all the world’s leaders arrive to view the opening ceremonies of the grand building. Smack-dab in the center of the new hall stands a sculpture dedicated to the founders of ‘Women for Peace’. The artist has done a wonderful job, profiling all thirteen women in the sculpture who lost their lives in a terrorist attack many years before. The commemoration of the work dubs this group as the martyrs who will forever depict the peace movement. But…shortly after the dedication, an explosion rocks the building.
Heading back in time, the reader observes the action taking place two weeks before this ceremony is to be held. The Security Director for the UN building, Julia Moro, believes a terrorist group is planning an attack at the event, and is beyond frightened. She will do anything to stop this from happening, so Julia races to find the leader of the group who seems to be the invisible man. As Julia digs deeper, she finds herself stuck in a web of secrets from her own past that may just have a direct connection with the horror-show she’s trying to stop.
This thriller does bring a fresh quality to the often-used terrorist angle. But with such a multitude of twists and turns, make sure to double your efforts to keep total concentration at all times.
October 31, 2013
The story opens in 2012, in Dallas. It's a dark scene where lives are irreparably and negatively impacted. Exactly who and how are left to the reader to wonder, for now.
The timeline jumps to 2082 and the dedication of the new UN headquarters, including the unveiling of a new sculpture of the 13 founders of the Women for Peace, aka the Circle of Thirteen. From here we travel back and forth in time and learn a great deal about the founders, their lives and loves, and their descendants. It's an intriguing tale full of mystery, thrills, and an interesting perspective on how the world and its female population have fared over the years. I struggled with it, but in a good way. Part of me didn't believe things could ever develop, or degrade, the way that they had in The Circle of Thirteen. But another side of me wasn't so sure about that. The state of the world and how it came to be is an excellent mind bender, mixed in with fascinating twists and turns in the lives of the characters.
I was a bit challenged by the jumps back and forth in time, but overall I very much enjoyed the book, and appreciate the hard work that it must have taken to develop this new "state of the world" and create many interesting and likable characters.
The timeline jumps to 2082 and the dedication of the new UN headquarters, including the unveiling of a new sculpture of the 13 founders of the Women for Peace, aka the Circle of Thirteen. From here we travel back and forth in time and learn a great deal about the founders, their lives and loves, and their descendants. It's an intriguing tale full of mystery, thrills, and an interesting perspective on how the world and its female population have fared over the years. I struggled with it, but in a good way. Part of me didn't believe things could ever develop, or degrade, the way that they had in The Circle of Thirteen. But another side of me wasn't so sure about that. The state of the world and how it came to be is an excellent mind bender, mixed in with fascinating twists and turns in the lives of the characters.
I was a bit challenged by the jumps back and forth in time, but overall I very much enjoyed the book, and appreciate the hard work that it must have taken to develop this new "state of the world" and create many interesting and likable characters.
January 25, 2014
**ARC provided by Edelweiss**
Brief Review: Set in the future, this book is give us a thrilling look into what the future could be for women's rights. Overall, I enjoyed the plot. I liked that even while women's rights had evolved, there were still people who were trying to hold women back. Those very same people were strong enough to create havoc on our world. There were many heartwarming moments, especially Julia's relationship with her "grandmother". The book did move slower than I had hoped, but I blame all the jumping around in time for that. It is very distracting. I also got the feeling that most of the women didn't have very good relationship with men, only with other women. I wish that was more balanced. But overall, it was a delightful book, and gives us a perspective of how damaging misogynistic thinking can be.
Brief Review: Set in the future, this book is give us a thrilling look into what the future could be for women's rights. Overall, I enjoyed the plot. I liked that even while women's rights had evolved, there were still people who were trying to hold women back. Those very same people were strong enough to create havoc on our world. There were many heartwarming moments, especially Julia's relationship with her "grandmother". The book did move slower than I had hoped, but I blame all the jumping around in time for that. It is very distracting. I also got the feeling that most of the women didn't have very good relationship with men, only with other women. I wish that was more balanced. But overall, it was a delightful book, and gives us a perspective of how damaging misogynistic thinking can be.
November 5, 2013
Book Review & Giveaway: When I first saw The Circle of Thirteen by William Petrocelli, I was captivated by its concept but I wasn’t sure how I would feel about a debut novel written by a man that’s about women embracing their power. Thankfully, that was never an issue with this novel. The Circle of Thirteen is a near-future novel providing a glimpse of what could happen to our world if it continues to become even more violent and polarized. At the same time it offers a message of hope, especially for women, as we all continue to grow and evolve. This is an action-packed sci-fi/thriller but it’s so much more than that – it envisions the possibilities of a new world order. I guarantee that it will make you stop and think. Read the rest of my review & enter to win a copy at http://popcornreads.com/?p=6733.
July 19, 2014
I had to force myself through this book, as the time and character jumps made me feel like I needed to make a chart to understand it. "Main" character Julia is flawed, uncomfortable with herself and her legacy, and not the easiest protagonist - but author Petrocelli doesn't really give you more to work with. For a first novel, it can be a bit heavy-handed, but when you think of the scope of the entire novel, I have to say I'm impressed with the author's ability to reshape the world as we know - even 70 years in our future. Some of the lines were so beautifully vivid, and left me having to close the book at times to reflect a bit. For that alone, I would read Petrocelli's next endeavor.
April 27, 2015
Great concept, good execution, but a bit too long. I found that the writing didn't hold my interest as well as it might. It was nice revisiting the world of science fiction, but I've kind of drifted away from it lately. I'm more into cheap thrills that I get from thrillers and mysteries these days. A few years back I probably would have liked this even better. You should know that I received this book for free from Goodreads.
July 29, 2015
Okay, so the world's food supply is in the hands of a monopolizing cartel. The climate chickens have come home to roost and the earth is reaping a bitter harvest. Unemployment and poverty are rampant. Governments world-wide are in crisis. And yet, there is now gender equity. Hm. I think not. Besides, I'm also bored now. There are worthy and interesting characters and stories within a dull telling of future history.
September 6, 2016
I read this book only a month ago and I forget most of it.
The story of the women of the Women for Peace movement was fascinating but the possibility of a terrorist attack of their memorial was boring. The time jumps were confusing and basically the entire book plodded along. Super disappointing.
The story of the women of the Women for Peace movement was fascinating but the possibility of a terrorist attack of their memorial was boring. The time jumps were confusing and basically the entire book plodded along. Super disappointing.
October 4, 2013
I wasn't sure I was going to like this book when I saw that the plot was driven by misogyny, but it actually worked. I'm also not normally a fan of jumping around in time during the course of a story, but again, it worked. Decent story about strong women
This review is based on an advance copy received from the publisher.
This review is based on an advance copy received from the publisher.
July 2, 2015
I really enjoyed the story line of this book. I did not enjoy the way the author jumped around between three time periods and too many characters. If it was more streamlined and time lined it would have made a more enjoyable read. Strong female characters and strong science on how climate change & big business is messing with food supply for the world
October 5, 2013
Thank you to Turner Publishing for the advance copy!
Once I got used to the 'back-and-forth in time', I couldn't put this book down. Exciting, thrilling, and full of the strength of women dealing with adversity, this book should go far.
Once I got used to the 'back-and-forth in time', I couldn't put this book down. Exciting, thrilling, and full of the strength of women dealing with adversity, this book should go far.
December 28, 2013
I really enjoyed the thriller/mystery aspects of this book but a novel written by a man where practically all of the women are man-haters or gay really annoyed me. I'm also not sure why this was set so closely in the future, didn't quite ring true.
September 7, 2015
This is a good story. The whole thing is told in flashback style. It is a thriller but low key, the narrative is sometimes a bit like a legal case study and it gets a bit slow in the middle of the book. Other than that it has a satisfying ending. I liked it.
October 21, 2013
The Circle of Thirteen by William Petrocelli unfortunately was not a genre a enjoyed. I recommend reading other reviews before deciding if this is the book for you.
October 17, 2013
didn't finish, good premise just too long, very bogged down in the middle
November 9, 2013
Pretty good book. Not as captivating as they would like one to believe, but nevertheless, all the pissed off chicks kicking ass were pretty fly.
November 29, 2013
Not bad. Not as suspenseful as I expected.
June 5, 2014
awesome! Loved it!
July 29, 2014
I couldn't make it through this book. I wanted to like it, but it was too confusing to follow.
January 20, 2017
Buy PME now.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews