The Killing Circle: A Novel

by: Andrew Pyper

Published by: Thomas Dunne Books

Reviewed by Julie Failla Earhart

I first came across Canadian author Andrew Pyper in the remainder bin at a local bookstore. I got The Trade Mission for a bargain. It is probably the scariest book I have ever read. Now Pyper has a new book, The Killing Circle.

Patrick Rush is having a tough time. His wife recently died, he is trying to care for their young son, and his job as a TV critic is less than fulfilling. He joins a writing circle in hopes of writing a novel. The problem is that Patrick has no ideas for plot or characters.

The writing circle is led by a once-infamous novelist from the 1970s who vanished from the literary scene after harsh reviews of his book surfaced along with accusations of criminal sexual behavior. The other members seem rather creepy to Phillip, for a variety of reasons.

The circle meets on a weekly basis, reading their assignments. Patrick becomes obsessed with one member, Angela, whose tales of The Sandman haunt Patrick. It doesn’t help that the story seems to tie in with the brutal murders occurring around Toronto. The police are finding mutilated bodies and cryptic messages all over the city. Nothing seems to link the cases together, until Patrick begins to feel someone is watching him.

As Patrick spirals out of control, his son is kidnapped and members of the writing circle begin to have accidents with deathly consequences.

The Killing Circle does not live up to the suspense and terror that I found in The Trade Mission. Others I know who have read this novel found it taut and masterful. I wonder if I would have felt the same had I read it first. Still, I believe Pyper is a novelist to watch. He has two other books, Lost Girls and The Wildfire Season, that I am looking forward to reading.

Armchair Interviews says: Suspense and terror fill Pyper’s books.

Author’s Web site: http://www.AndrewPyper.com