A review by trudilibrarian
The Killing Circle by Andrew Pyper

3.0

I enjoyed parts of this book very much. Andrew Pyper is a talented storyteller and I will continue to seek him out. He gets character development, understands the integrity of back story, knows how to draw out suspense and when to twist the knife in. All of these elements are on spectacular display in his latest novel [b:The Guardians|9519867|The Guardians|Andrew Pyper|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320543741s/9519867.jpg|14189055], but I did find them to be a little lacking here.

This is a good novel, and if you desire an original take on a whodunit mystery with some horror elements thrown in for good measure, there’s a chance it will read as a great novel. I’m not a mystery lover so much of what Pyper achieves here stylistically was lost on me. The long drawn out approach to the missing and murdered, the red herrings, and the process of making just about everyone equally suspicious started to lose its charm for me about three-quarters of the way through.

I will say that this is an expertly plotted piece that hits no wrong notes. It is a unique premise blending several genres together in an interesting way. I love Pyper’s insights into the psyche of aspiring novelists. The sequences describing the writing circle itself cast a spell on me that reminded me both of [b:Ghost Story|19581|Ghost Story|Peter Straub|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167258549s/19581.jpg|445057] and Stephen King’s novella [b:The Breathing Method|2288036|The Breathing Method|Stephen King|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266702305s/2288036.jpg|17960373].

I did appreciate the ending

Spoiler

and the fact that the father was able to sacrifice himself for his son using such currency as his own dark story. I also appreciated that what was looking to be a supernatural story, turned out to not be that at all. At least, I didn’t think so. The villains were vampires alright, but of the human sort. The fact that they could disappear into the night had more to do with their sociopathic tendencies and lifestyle, not anything paranormal.

All of this to say it’s my fault that this book didn’t get a higher rating, not Pyper’s. Recommended.