The Killing Circle-Andrew Pyper

The Killing Circle
Andrew Pyper
Dunne, Sep 2008, $24.95
ISBN 9780312384760

Toronto TV reporter Patrick Rush has not recovered form the sudden death of his wife. He struggles at work as his performance has deteriorated so that he has been relegated from the National Star to the local reality beat and fears he will be fired from that if he does not turn it around. Patrick also wonders if he failing his young son though he tries his best to raise his child.

Trying to come out of his funk, Rush turns to his dream of becoming an author by joining a writing circle. However, Rush becomes stunned when he reads the work of another writer Angela during a peer review. Her book sounds autobiographical and not fiction to the journalist. Rush is especially fascinated with the evil lead villain, a paranormal serial killer who is partial to dissecting his victims. As his grip on reality slips, Rush considers his next step especially when fiction becomes reality.

This gripping psychological suspense thriller has a Poe feel to it as the reader keeps expecting increasingly bad things to occur. Rush is fabulous as a grieving man breaking down when he cannot afford to as his son needs him; could he be emulating the book in real life, imagining the murders occurred, or could Angela be writing based on first hand knowledge. THE KILLING CIRCLE is a one sitting read.

Harriet Klausner