A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi

Genre: Psychological Thriller

I was so lucky to receive an ARC copy of A Circle of Souls from the author, Preetham Grandi. I have to admit that at first I was apprehensive. This kind of book isn't my usual read and I am always nervous to encounter content riddled with swearing, gruesome scenes, and sometimes sex. However, I was happily surprised to find that A Circle of Souls was not like that at all. So first and foremost I want to thank the author for that, because it just proves you can write a stunning book without the muck.

The Plot: A Circle of Souls is set in Newbury, Connecticut where a young girl has been murdered. Since it is such a strange murder, the police detective calls the FBI for their top agent. Nearby at the Newbury hospital, a psychiatrist is trying to help a new patient who is having disturbing dreams at night. The seven year old girl can draw her dreams with complete accuracy the next day, and somehow the sketches are giving clues to solving the murder.

What I liked: I think the title of this book is a perfect description of how literally all the characters are tied together. I really enjoyed that aspect. The chapters tend to alternate between the two main groups of characters, so that really helps the book in terms of leaving you wanting more. It is definitely a page turner.

Another thing that I liked is the author's knowledge of child psychiatry. Where he actually is a psychiatrist, it makes the situations much more real for me. It really reminds me of another author I like, Robin Cook.

Since this book is about a murder, it is inevitable that we would have to hear some specifics about how it happened. I would call those parts a little bit shocking, but overall I didn't mind it. The author did a slendid job of keeping it from getting too disgusting to handle.


What I didn't like: There was just a little part at the end that kind of felt weird to me. I don't want to say what it is, because it is just a bit of a spoiler. I don't think it is a bad thing, I just think it is a different philosophy that is more difficult for me to embrace. That won't hold true for everyone and it didn't in any way change my view of the book or my enjoyment of it.

I was very pleased with this book. I thought it was a great read, and I want to thank the author, Preetham Grandhi, for sendimg me this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone. If you want to contact the author or see more about this book visit the website: A Circle of Souls.