What do you think?
Rate this book
Cirque Macabre #1
The Show Must Go On
The Gallati Family Circus has never known a world outside of the big top. All they know is how to entertain and put on spectacular shows. One night, Dante Gallati springs a surprise on them by announcing a change; he's giving them a new theme called "Cirque Macabre". No one is pleased with the change but they try not to think about it.
The next morning, Dante goes missing. Hours later, a piece of him is found and their circus has been turned into a crime scene. Knowing very little about the world outside of their shows, the performers must try to move on while trying to figure out who killed Dante. As they search, they learn that that Dante had a secrets and their old home isn't as safe as they thought.
The next morning, Dante goes missing. Hours later, a piece of him is found and their circus has been turned into a crime scene. Knowing very little about the world outside of their shows, the performers must try to move on while trying to figure out who killed Dante. As they search, they learn that that Dante had a secrets and their old home isn't as safe as they thought.
- GenresMystery
221 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 22, 2013
1 person is currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
C.S. Patra
55 books86 followersCS Patra is the Amazon bestselling author of several book series. They include but are not limited to The Reaper's Apprentices, Operation: Genome, Cirque Macabre, Portman's Creamery mysteries, The Patterns & Parallels Saga, Ghosts of Burning Inn, and Flavors of Love. She loves to dabble in different genres and loves to cross over. Her personal favorite thing is write about female characters in different situations. She is also fond of writing many LGBT stories and stories focused on PoCs.
Although she does work during the day, most of her nights are taking up by writing. A native of North Carolina, she currently lives in Nebraska with her husband. She loves ladybugs, yellow roses, movies, book signings, mysteries, watching old Youtube videos, ghost stories, gossip, music, people making her fanart, museums, ice cream, and being a wisecrack though not all in that order. Writing and peacocks hit the top of her list though.
Although she does work during the day, most of her nights are taking up by writing. A native of North Carolina, she currently lives in Nebraska with her husband. She loves ladybugs, yellow roses, movies, book signings, mysteries, watching old Youtube videos, ghost stories, gossip, music, people making her fanart, museums, ice cream, and being a wisecrack though not all in that order. Writing and peacocks hit the top of her list though.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 6, 2017
** Review of Audio Format **
The Show Went On...
...and on. This seemed like a much longer book than it was. And I listened to it on 1.5 speed! For me, it was the narration that made it difficult to listen to. Zachary Liebenstein's female voices were wanting, his male voices were OK, and his narration style left much to desire. He was definitely 'reading' the material rather than telling the story. He also called Henry the Fifth Henry V (as in the letter) or Henry Five throughout the book (and it was used a lot) and mispronounced words throughout which was very distracting. At one point, he leaned away from the microphone while recording and coughed.
It seemed like a great premise for a book. A single-minded, strong-willed circus owner announces the transformation of the show to his 'favorite' performers just before disappearing. Soon after, bits of him begin to be found and seeming to point the finger at different performers. I just didn't love how the story unfolded. Too much was kept back for too long and it took too long for discoveries to be made and secrets to be revealed. I usually like longer books over shorter ones but this book could have done with some editing and the ending definitely could have given more details heading into the second installment in the series. Would I listen to the second book? Yes, to see if Patra develops the story more fully and matures as a writer. I usually enjoy the author's work and would give this another shot.
I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom! in exchange for an honest review.
The Show Went On...
...and on. This seemed like a much longer book than it was. And I listened to it on 1.5 speed! For me, it was the narration that made it difficult to listen to. Zachary Liebenstein's female voices were wanting, his male voices were OK, and his narration style left much to desire. He was definitely 'reading' the material rather than telling the story. He also called Henry the Fifth Henry V (as in the letter) or Henry Five throughout the book (and it was used a lot) and mispronounced words throughout which was very distracting. At one point, he leaned away from the microphone while recording and coughed.
It seemed like a great premise for a book. A single-minded, strong-willed circus owner announces the transformation of the show to his 'favorite' performers just before disappearing. Soon after, bits of him begin to be found and seeming to point the finger at different performers. I just didn't love how the story unfolded. Too much was kept back for too long and it took too long for discoveries to be made and secrets to be revealed. I usually like longer books over shorter ones but this book could have done with some editing and the ending definitely could have given more details heading into the second installment in the series. Would I listen to the second book? Yes, to see if Patra develops the story more fully and matures as a writer. I usually enjoy the author's work and would give this another shot.
I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom! in exchange for an honest review.
September 21, 2013
An awesome book!
I can’t imagine anyone that would read this book and would not be overcome with warm emotions. My mind was flooded with great memories of days gone by. What child didn’t love to visit the circus with their parents and friends? And how can you forget the smells, the ringleader with his fancy uniform, the performers, and the beautiful animals all part of a great show.
The memories are all the same for every person that has ever been to a circus, however the experiences and the emotions do remain separate for each individual. This is really and awesome book about the circus life and the eleven performers in the story.
The main character Dante Gallati was the ringleader and everyone’s boss. One day he just disappeared and it was not until part of his body was found, that murder becomes the center of the story. The other performers are shaken up trying to understand who could have done something so horrible. Suddenly mysterious Shakespeare-loving texting messages start showing up daily on their cell phones. It seems to be some kind of stalker but they have no idea who he is, and why he is doing that.
As you turn the pages you can’t help feeling that you are right there in the middle of things and you do feel the fears and questions of the people that live in the circus. It was so wonderful to get to know each one of the characters and feel their emotions as they are getting ready for a performance and as they live their daily lives. The author has done a great job in making the reader feel that you are part of his story.
As the story evolves you find out that the ringleader was not as good of a person as the circus performers thought. He had a reason behind everything he did up to the point that he disappeared. The performers left behind are shaken up from his murder and try to reason with the unknown as they try to move on. The book was great!!!
I can’t imagine anyone that would read this book and would not be overcome with warm emotions. My mind was flooded with great memories of days gone by. What child didn’t love to visit the circus with their parents and friends? And how can you forget the smells, the ringleader with his fancy uniform, the performers, and the beautiful animals all part of a great show.
The memories are all the same for every person that has ever been to a circus, however the experiences and the emotions do remain separate for each individual. This is really and awesome book about the circus life and the eleven performers in the story.
The main character Dante Gallati was the ringleader and everyone’s boss. One day he just disappeared and it was not until part of his body was found, that murder becomes the center of the story. The other performers are shaken up trying to understand who could have done something so horrible. Suddenly mysterious Shakespeare-loving texting messages start showing up daily on their cell phones. It seems to be some kind of stalker but they have no idea who he is, and why he is doing that.
As you turn the pages you can’t help feeling that you are right there in the middle of things and you do feel the fears and questions of the people that live in the circus. It was so wonderful to get to know each one of the characters and feel their emotions as they are getting ready for a performance and as they live their daily lives. The author has done a great job in making the reader feel that you are part of his story.
As the story evolves you find out that the ringleader was not as good of a person as the circus performers thought. He had a reason behind everything he did up to the point that he disappeared. The performers left behind are shaken up from his murder and try to reason with the unknown as they try to move on. The book was great!!!
September 18, 2013
This book brought tears to eyes. It reminded me of my visits to the circus with my parents who are not living any longer. I have to agree with the first reviewer’s statements because they can’t be any different than the ones any person would have after a repeated circus experience.
The author has done an amazing job bringing into the pages the true picture of the people who live everyday in a circus environment and what made them be part of that life. I could see vividly in my mind the acts, the sounds of the animals, the loud voice of the ringleader, Dante Gallati, and the excitement in everyone’s eyes that attended each show. There's something about the circus atmosphere that is very enthralling and unnerving at the same time. The author does a great job at putting the reader right in the story.
It was so wonderful to see the site of each character in this book and feel like you are there experiencing their emotions and their intensity before each show. They were all looking forward to a perfect performance that would delight the audience and the book delighted me.
Then the mystery of the missing Dante Gallati becomes a murder suspense. After recovering part of his body the circus becomes a crime location. Who could have done something like that? Who is the mysterious Shakespeare-loving texting stalker? The 11 performers must go on even thought the death of the ringleader is not solved. As the story moves on the performers find out that their leader was not as pure as he wanted everyone to think. He seemed to have motives behind everything he had done up to the moment he went missing. Their lives now do not look as safe as they thought they were.
The book is great and I would recommend it to everyone that I know!
The author has done an amazing job bringing into the pages the true picture of the people who live everyday in a circus environment and what made them be part of that life. I could see vividly in my mind the acts, the sounds of the animals, the loud voice of the ringleader, Dante Gallati, and the excitement in everyone’s eyes that attended each show. There's something about the circus atmosphere that is very enthralling and unnerving at the same time. The author does a great job at putting the reader right in the story.
It was so wonderful to see the site of each character in this book and feel like you are there experiencing their emotions and their intensity before each show. They were all looking forward to a perfect performance that would delight the audience and the book delighted me.
Then the mystery of the missing Dante Gallati becomes a murder suspense. After recovering part of his body the circus becomes a crime location. Who could have done something like that? Who is the mysterious Shakespeare-loving texting stalker? The 11 performers must go on even thought the death of the ringleader is not solved. As the story moves on the performers find out that their leader was not as pure as he wanted everyone to think. He seemed to have motives behind everything he had done up to the moment he went missing. Their lives now do not look as safe as they thought they were.
The book is great and I would recommend it to everyone that I know!
September 17, 2013
The show must go on. This is a story about circus life and those that are the Circus. The trapeze artists, the lion tamer, the clowns and, of course, the Ringmaster.
This story is a murder mystery. The Ringmaster turns up missing. Body parts turn up near the lion's cage and there are mysterious Shakespearian messages. But this book fails to pull them all together. The murder is never solved, if indeed there was a murder, those mysterious messages are not ever tied to anything, not even the murder and there aren't any clues that could even help to solve it. There is an unrealistic detective that pays for grief counseling, takes the cast on police rides for no purpose, never has any clue as to what happened, if a murderer is close at hand, but pays for hotel rooms for the circus people until he can figure it out. There are continuity problems in space and time and the beats around the dialogue doesn't help to figure out the personalities or emotions of the characters.
I think that this is a good premise for a story and the cover is awesome. But it needs some work and some finality.
This story is a murder mystery. The Ringmaster turns up missing. Body parts turn up near the lion's cage and there are mysterious Shakespearian messages. But this book fails to pull them all together. The murder is never solved, if indeed there was a murder, those mysterious messages are not ever tied to anything, not even the murder and there aren't any clues that could even help to solve it. There is an unrealistic detective that pays for grief counseling, takes the cast on police rides for no purpose, never has any clue as to what happened, if a murderer is close at hand, but pays for hotel rooms for the circus people until he can figure it out. There are continuity problems in space and time and the beats around the dialogue doesn't help to figure out the personalities or emotions of the characters.
I think that this is a good premise for a story and the cover is awesome. But it needs some work and some finality.
July 22, 2016
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom.com
The book/story: The premise of this is great. The actual plot was pretty good too. The dialogue between characters wasn't as good. There were a lot of repeated/echoed phrases that didn't move the plot forward. I do want to know what happens though, so I will probably check out the next one in the series :)
The audiobook: I think most of the problems I noticed with this were probably editing/production issues. In Chapter 2 (I think), there was a long pause, a loud cough, and then back to the story. It was very strange & something that should have been edited out. It was also narrated as Henry V (vee, like the letter, not the number), but it alternated between the correct and incorrect, and many of the first/last sentences were repeated. All are things that I think maybe just required a little more editing.
The book/story: The premise of this is great. The actual plot was pretty good too. The dialogue between characters wasn't as good. There were a lot of repeated/echoed phrases that didn't move the plot forward. I do want to know what happens though, so I will probably check out the next one in the series :)
The audiobook: I think most of the problems I noticed with this were probably editing/production issues. In Chapter 2 (I think), there was a long pause, a loud cough, and then back to the story. It was very strange & something that should have been edited out. It was also narrated as Henry V (vee, like the letter, not the number), but it alternated between the correct and incorrect, and many of the first/last sentences were repeated. All are things that I think maybe just required a little more editing.
September 25, 2013
This book (and, I suspect, the rest of the series) gives an interesting insight into the misfits that make up the performers in a circus, from their respective pasts that they wish to escape to their troubles in the present.
I find this book incredibly slow going, as it hops from head to head, sometimes even from paragraph to paragraph, so it's difficult to keep track of which character is which as there is an entire circus of them, from the performers to the police. Even with the multiple perspectives, I still don't know who the culprit is...and I read this book to the end.
I did like the story and I do want to know what happens next...but I'd prefer less perspectives to tell the story far more quickly.
I find this book incredibly slow going, as it hops from head to head, sometimes even from paragraph to paragraph, so it's difficult to keep track of which character is which as there is an entire circus of them, from the performers to the police. Even with the multiple perspectives, I still don't know who the culprit is...and I read this book to the end.
I did like the story and I do want to know what happens next...but I'd prefer less perspectives to tell the story far more quickly.
June 25, 2016
The story is about nine circus performers with a tragic past.
Their ringleader is "believed" to have been murdered.
The Show Must Go On, therefore, the young performers decide to do a free performance to compensate their fans for the shows canceled because of the circumstances.
The story ends after the successful performance and the detective tells the group that he has arranged for them to continue on their tour, hinting that he might join them in the sequel.
The murder is never solved, if there really was a murder..
Zachary Liebenstein did well with the narration.
Note:
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."
October 3, 2013
This book contains some wonderful imagery and descriptions and provided a great escape from the daily grind of my job.
Reading CS Patra's work tramsported me into a colourful world that was new and exciting to me. I really enjoyed the way the mystery was dragged out and pieces were solved nail-bitingly slowly. It added to the tension in the plot.
I felt that I got to know the characters really well and was gutted when the book ended. This author clearly has a talent for this genre and I can't wait to read more. She has aquired a new fan!
Reading CS Patra's work tramsported me into a colourful world that was new and exciting to me. I really enjoyed the way the mystery was dragged out and pieces were solved nail-bitingly slowly. It added to the tension in the plot.
I felt that I got to know the characters really well and was gutted when the book ended. This author clearly has a talent for this genre and I can't wait to read more. She has aquired a new fan!
May 14, 2016
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."
This book takes the listener inside the circus world. We meet the "family" of performers and learn of their pasts they escaped from. Their leader disappeared and is presumed dead. Lots of mystery text messages, a few body parts and lots of questions! I'll need to move to the next book, to see what happens next.
The narration was well done, the characters were well portrayed.
This book takes the listener inside the circus world. We meet the "family" of performers and learn of their pasts they escaped from. Their leader disappeared and is presumed dead. Lots of mystery text messages, a few body parts and lots of questions! I'll need to move to the next book, to see what happens next.
The narration was well done, the characters were well portrayed.
October 6, 2013
It was fun to read but the ending was a bit too obscure.
It is good enough to keep the reader until the last page but in the end I did not know who the murderer was or even if a murder had actually been committed.
Your suspension of disbelief needs to remain high for this one.
Still, I enjoyed nearly every minute of it. I’m just perplexed and not at all satiated.
It is good enough to keep the reader until the last page but in the end I did not know who the murderer was or even if a murder had actually been committed.
Your suspension of disbelief needs to remain high for this one.
Still, I enjoyed nearly every minute of it. I’m just perplexed and not at all satiated.
September 25, 2013
A mystery wrapped in a childhood favorite experience, Cirque Macabre is a tale of murder riddled with Shakespearean that is bound to make you go "hmm".
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews