Rating: 
Summary: "an exciting novel, tight and tense, with a stunning climax"
Review: This is the first novel by Pat Mullan, who is the author of a previously published a book of poems (CHILDHOOD HILLS). It follows the form of a classic action thriller with a political backdrop, and the author successfully engages the reader right from the opening paragraph. The prologue is a mysterious surgery performed on an unknown Army Colonel in a Mash unit in Korea in 1975 that was witnessed by Owen MacDara, who was then sworn to secrecy regarding all details of the event.The story is then resumed twenty four years later; MacDara is the head of the firm which he co-founded in 1984, Global Management Associates, an incredibly successful financial advisory firm. MacDara still meets monthly at his favorite bar in NYC with three of his Army buddies, but on this day tragedy will strike as one of them is killed in an apparently random killing in the topless bar which the dead man owned. While MacDara is still sitting at Costelloes (their meeting place) in shock, a picture appears on the TV screen that reminds him of that long ago night in Korea and makes him wonder if his friend's killing was not the random event that it seemed but in some way connected to the current political situation in our nation's capitol. As Owen attempts to unravel the truth concerning his friend's murder, he becomes involved with operatives at the highest levels of government. Further murders occur, and both his life and the government itself appear to be increasingly threatened as the story races ahead. The almost obligatory romantic thread is also interwoven into the story, but not in an entirely credible manner. (The way the romantic angle is handled is one of my mild criticisms, as it is used as a device by the author to increase the suspense and introduce some elements of the plot but is somewhat unconvincing under the circumstances in which MacDara finds himself.) Overall, this was a fast paced story with the elements of a good plot and an interesting hero in Owen MacDara (who is undoubtedly destined for greater exploits in the next book by the author). And I really liked the technique the author utilized of indicating the time and date of each segment of the story, which both kept the reader informed and also added to the sense of urgency as the pace quickened. Furthermore, the use of multiple narrators both to tell the story and also to provide historical background was handled much more adroitly than similar attempts by other authors with whom I am familiar. So, why not a five star rating like many other reviewers? Least importantly, while the editing was much superior to most books from second tier publishers, there were some typos but more annoyingly some minor errors that should have been caught.
(E.g. the description of the stock market panic during one scene included the phrase that "The Dow Jones has hit an all time low" which was a gratuitous exaggeration that only serves to annoy a reader familiar with financial markets.) More importantly, this sense of unnecessary exaggeration and unreality pervades several critical segments of the story. I have already mentioned the nature of the romantic involvement between MacDara and a key character, but more disconcerting is the way in which the MacDara repeatedly esxapes danger in a manner reminiscent more of Superman than a real life individual, even one of his extraordinary ability. Finally, in an attempt to further the plot and explain the motivation of the conspirators confronted by MacDara, many of the characters seem more like caricatures than real life individuals. Thus, paradoxically since my complaint concerning most novels of this genre is that the authors are too verbose (especially Clancy), this book needed to be somewhat longer in order for the plot to proceed in a more believable fashion and for many of the characters to be more fully developed. In summary, while I recommend this novel, my criticisms are the reason that I did not give it a higher rating. I agree with several reviewers who have suggested that it would make an excellent movie, since the storyline is exciting and may of the details which bothered me would be inconsequential or even nonexistent given the inevitable limitations concerning such details in any film version. Finally, I suspect a speed reader or others who read only for plot would probably not be bothered by the factors that I mentioned and might well find this to be a five star read. Disclaimer: In the interest of full disclosure, I was furnished a review copy of this book by the author based upon my interest in this genre as evidenced by my previous reviews of similar books. As is the case with many authors published by second tier presses with small promotional budgets, he is hopeful that a wider base of reviewers might stimulate additional interest in his book. I have no relationship and have never met either the author or anyone employed by the publisher, and furnished no guarantee that I would even submit a review. If anything, in order to prove my objectivity I perhaps presented my criticisms in more detail than they deserve. Nevertheless, people in my business have belatedly learned too much disclosure is preferable to not enough, so this addendum is offered in that spirit. Tucker Andersen
Rating: 
Summary: (4-) A Captivating Plot by an Author with Great Potential
Review: This is the first novel by Pat Mullan, who is the author of a previously published a book of poems (CHILDHOOD HILLS). It follows the form of a classic action thriller with a political backdrop, and the author successfully engages the reader right from the opening paragraph. The prologue is a mysterious surgery performed on an unknown Army Colonel in a Mash unit in Korea in 1975 that was witnessed by Owen MacDara, who was then sworn to secrecy regarding all details of the event. The story is then resumed twenty four years later; MacDara is the head of the firm which he co-founded in 1984, Global Management Associates, an incredibly successful financial advisory firm. MacDara still meets monthly at his favorite bar in NYC with three of his Army buddies, but on this day tragedy will strike as one of them is killed in an apparently random killing in the topless bar which the dead man owned. While MacDara is still sitting at Costelloes (their meeting place) in shock, a picture appears on the TV screen that reminds him of that long ago night in Korea and makes him wonder if his friend's killing was not the random event that it seemed but in some way connected to the current political situation in our nation's capitol. As Owen attempts to unravel the truth concerning his friend's murder, he becomes involved with operatives at the highest levels of government. Further murders occur, and both his life and the government itself appear to be increasingly threatened as the story races ahead. The almost obligatory romantic thread is also interwoven into the story, but not in an entirely credible manner. (The way the romantic angle is handled is one of my mild criticisms, as it is used as a device by the author to increase the suspense and introduce some elements of the plot but is somewhat unconvincing under the circumstances in which MacDara finds himself.) Overall, this was a fast paced story with the elements of a good plot and an interesting hero in Owen MacDara (who is undoubtedly destined for greater exploits in the next book by the author). And I really liked the technique the author utilized of indicating the time and date of each segment of the story, which both kept the reader informed and also added to the sense of urgency as the pace quickened. Furthermore, the use of multiple narrators both to tell the story and also to provide historical background was handled much more adroitly than similar attempts by other authors with whom I am familiar. So, why not a five star rating like many other reviewers? Least importantly, while the editing was much superior to most books from second tier publishers, there were some typos but more annoyingly some minor errors that should have been caught.
(E.g. the description of the stock market panic during one scene included the phrase that "The Dow Jones has hit an all time low" which was a gratuitous exaggeration that only serves to annoy a reader familiar with financial markets.) More importantly, this sense of unnecessary exaggeration and unreality pervades several critical segments of the story. I have already mentioned the nature of the romantic involvement between MacDara and a key character, but more disconcerting is the way in which the MacDara repeatedly esxapes danger in a manner reminiscent more of Superman than a real life individual, even one of his extraordinary ability. Finally, in an attempt to further the plot and explain the motivation of the conspirators confronted by MacDara, many of the characters seem more like caricatures than real life individuals. Thus, paradoxically since my complaint concerning most novels of this genre is that the authors are too verbose (especially Clancy), this book needed to be somewhat longer in order for the plot to proceed in a more believable fashion and for many of the characters to be more fully developed. In summary, while I recommend this novel, my criticisms are the reason that I did not give it a higher rating. I agree with several reviewers who have suggested that it would make an excellent movie, since the storyline is exciting and may of the details which bothered me would be inconsequential or even nonexistent given the inevitable limitations concerning such details in any film version. Finally, I suspect a speed reader or others who read only for plot would probably not be bothered by the factors that I mentioned and might well find this to be a five star read. Disclaimer: In the interest of full disclosure, I was furnished a review copy of this book by the author based upon my interest in this genre as evidenced by my previous reviews of similar books. As is the case with many authors published by second tier presses with small promotional budgets, he is hopeful that a wider base of reviewers might stimulate additional interest in his book. I have no relationship and have never met either the author or anyone employed by the publisher, and furnished no guarantee that I would even submit a review. If anything, in order to prove my objectivity I perhaps presented my criticisms in more detail than they deserve. Nevertheless, people in my business have belatedly learned too much disclosure is preferable to not enough, so this addendum is offered in that spirit. Tucker Andersen
Rating:
Summary: Movie Material
Review: Truly gripping from start to finish....a good read in front of the fireplace or in an airplane. Looking for more from Mullan in the coming years....
Rating:
Summary: New thriller by Pat Mullan
Review: Well, this was a rollicking ride. Read Circle of Sodom, and you'll get to follow Owen MacDara on his odyssey from New York to the Atlantic Ocean, from Palm Springs to the backwoods hills of Tennessee, all in the name of love and daring-do. There's a lot of action packed in these 300+ pages, action dealing with terrorism, spying, attempted coups, and religious fanaticism.
Good, tight writing, clean prose that just zips along, and characters that are engaging and memorable all contribute to a great new book in the thriller genre. It's not my usual choice of reading material, but the book was a gift. I read it and am glad I did.
Rating:
Summary: "WOA! is really the only word I need. This is GREAT!",
Review: WOA! is the only word I need. This is GREAT! I am really amazed that this has not been published before now. It does not read like five or six Bond books, but so what if it did? Ian Fleming wrote a great story and had people turning pages. This was extremely gripping and at times I wanted to turn away, but couldn't. Great work!
Rating:
Summary: "It's pacey and exciting and filmic in its descriptions..."
Review: You know you're reading a good thriller when you start to cast it for the movie before you've even finished. The plot is as complex as a Grisham novel, with twists and turns that kept me reading all night. It deals with corruption in high places and sinister secret societies and collusion between those who want more power.
The characters are exceptionally well drawn and the dialogue fairly whips along. With the action moving from the elegant rooms of the White House to shootings in New York bars, car chases and mysterious cult rituals, the story catapaults the reader around the United States with confidence. As the plot thickens - as they say! - paranoia battles with genuine anxiety about the U.S. government under threat from those who have a blackmailing agenda.
All the ingredients for a good thriller are here. Owen MacDara is an ex-medical intern who served in Korea, now a millionaire business consultant. His previous history in the army leads him to take up a personal vendetta for the deaths - or are they murders? - of several of his former army buddies. His soulmate is the beautiful daughter of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff upon whom MacDara had operated, in strictest confidentiality, in Korea. The subplots interweave as the protagonists' lives become affected by seemingly unrelated killings. Only MacDara begins to sense a more wide-ranging conspiracy.
The details about the internal workings of the U.S. President's office and the machinations of those 'who would be king' are neatly plotted, with enough kidnappings, torture and sex to satisfy any connoisseur of the thriller genre.
It's pacey and exciting and filmic in its descriptions, and is an impressive first novel. Definitely a gripping read for those long winter evenings...
Eithne Hannigan, BOOK REVIEWS, CONNEMARA LIFE magazine, Autumn 2002
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ABOUT EITHNE HANNIGAN Eithne Hannigan holds an M.A. (hons.) in English and Law from King's College, Cambridge. She worked as an actor, musician and writer with Liverpool Everyman, Liverpool Playhouse, National Theatre and Donmar Warehouse in London. She then joined the BBC to present Playschool and, from 1987 to 1990, she presented her own show, Dot. Today she tours Ireland with her own band, Some Like It Hot. She has played at all the prestigious Jazz and Blues festivals both in Ireland and Britain, including Edinburgh and Glastonbury. Television appearances include The Late Late Show and Nighthawks.
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