THE CIRCLE OF SODOM

The Circle of Sodom
by Pat Mullan
356 pages
ISBN: 0-7596-9222-X
First Books Library
2002
$19.95

What would you do is you knew a secret about someone and the other people who have known this secret are quickly being killed? Even though some of us would prefer to hide our heads in the sand and impatiently wait out the situation, Owen MacDara believes in confronting the situation head on, and that is precisely what he does in The Circle of Sodom.

Owen is an unusual protagonist in that his determination is what makes this character so likable and trustworthy to the reader. Through his own hard work he quickly achieved his goal to make a million dollars in the business world. Prior to that, he spent time in the service in Korea and an incident during his time there is why his life and many of his friends’ lives are in danger.

The depths of personalities of all the characters were masterfully written. Each character, major or minor, has individual qualities that are displayed throughout this novel. The reader finds themselves thoroughly relaxed and knowing all the good guys. The bad guys, well, there is sometimes even good in them, too. It is impressive for an author to give true personality traits to miner characters such as Ruth Whiteside, the killed doctor’s wife.

The novel for the first one-hundred pages gives a strong foundation for when the book barrels into speed from then to the last page. This is an action-adventure that just doesn’t let go of the adrenaline until the final line.

What is most terrifying about The Circle of Sodom is not the actual hidden event from Korea, but how realistic Pat Mullan’s idea of the crumbling of the United States could actually happen. Considering that this book was written prior to the 9-11 tragedy, the threat and level of terrorism is chilling even though the incident in this novel does not resemble the 2001 attack. The organizations that are mentioned are the same ones that our country currently is investigating and watching. This novel is almost haunting since this attack mentioned in this book could realistically happen and unfortunately, could be our foreseeable future.

My only criticism of this book is really minute. I personally didn’t like Walter Reed Hospital being spelled as Walter Reade Hospital. If you’re going to use a well-known place, spell it correctly.

The pacing is wonderful once the characters and the foundation have settled. This is definitely a novel that is begging to be made into a movie. The Circle of Sodom has suspense, action, political negotiations, behind the scenes puppet masters, sex, violence, computer technology, and just some wonderfully kind and caring characters. The action continues until the last page with the reader even rethinking the conclusions at the very end. A book that can hold a reader’s interest until the last word and thinking about the possibilities in this book as ever becoming reality is a must-read for everyone.

The Circle of Sodom is definitely gripping in that it grips your thoughts and hold them long after you have read it.

Pat Mullan was born in Ireland but has lived in the United States most of his life. He retired from the world on finance and returned to Ireland to write. His previous books are Childhood Hills and Blood Red Square.