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THE KILLING CIRCLE is a suspense thriller that conjures up both the worst of childhood nightmares concerning figures like the bogeyman and every parent's fear of having a child snatched away. The protagonist Patrick Rush lives alone with his son Sam after the death of his wife from cancer. Except for Sam, his life is not very rewarding. He is a disgruntled journalist who has no personal relationships except with a friend and rival at the newspaper His own career has been reduced to writing reviews of reality TV programs. In desperation he tries to revive his literary aspirations by joining a writing circle. The members are an odd group to say the least. As is the custom in these workshops, the leader's strategy is to have each person read their stories for group feedback. Patrick is frustrated when he finds that he is completed blocked and cannot produce a story. Only one contributor's writings capture his interest and that of the whole group. Angela writes about a menacing figure called the Sandman who stalks, kills and dismembers his victims. Trouble is, similar murders are taking place in their own city of Toronto. Soon members of the writing circle reveal that they too feel they are being watched by a shadowy figure like the Sandman. Angela's story becomes further blurred with reality when member's of the writing circle start to disappear and suffer the same fate as the Sandman's victims. The climax of this dark and threatening tale is set in motion when Sam disappears during a night out together at the Drive-in Cinema. This is the fourth book by Andrew Pyper and more than lives up to his reputation as a writer of "outstanding thriller-mystery-novels." It has been chosen as a New York Times crime novel of the year. His first novel, LOST GIRLS, was also a notable book selection by both the Globe & Mail and the NYT and won the Arthur Ellis award for best first novel. Both these novels are being adapted for film production. I'm not sure I want to experience the creeping sense of dread and horror that THE KILLING CIRCLE evokes in a larger than life format ! I'm wondering if I now dare to read Pyper's LOST GIRLS but I probably will as he is such an excellent writer, even if he did scare me blue.
Reviewed by Ann Pearson, June 2009
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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