Name: Smaller and Smaller Circles
Rating: 4.326923076923077 (26 reviews)

F. H. Batacan

A Novel

Smaller and Smaller Circles

Still as relevant today as the day F.H. Batacan wrote it. The country isn’t doing better then, it’s even worst now and seem we have learned anything.

Nate

"In northeast Manila's Quezon City is a district called Payatas--a 50-acre dump that is home to thousands of people who live off of what they can scavenge there. It is one of the poorest neighborhoods in a city whose law enforcement is already stretched thin, devoid of forensic resources and rife with corruption. So when the eviscerated bodies of teenage boys begin to appear in the dump heaps, there is no one to seek justice on their behalf. In the rainy summer of 1997, two Jesuit priests take the matter of protecting their flock into their own hands. Father Gus Saenz has been a priest for three decades, but he is also a respected forensic anthropologist, one of the few in the Philippines, and has been tapped by the Director of the National Bureau of Investigations as a backup for police efforts. Together with his protege, Father Jerome Lucero, a psychologist, Saenz dedicates himself to tracking down the monster preying on these impoverished boys. Cited as the first Filipino crime novel, Smaller and Smaller Circles is a poetic masterpiece of literary noir, a sensitive depiction of a time and place, and fascinating story about the Catholic Church and its place in its devotees' lives and communities"--

Smaller and smaller circles

i honestly do not know kung ano ilalagay ko sa review na ito. the book left me too torn and emotional. well-written and very compelling that i couldn’t put the book down. 

★★★★ // page-turner. a detective thriller that comes with a lens on the poverty situation in the Philippines, as well as a commentary on the crime investigation system in the country. shows that even the holiest can be just as corrupt as any politician out there. the next time someone tells you that there will never be a better bromance than Sherlock and Watson, say these names: Father Gus Saenz and Father Jerome Lucero. i have to admit, though, that i didn't quite like the ending.

isareads

First Filipino thriller book!! It was so cool that the characters are priests and investigators as well. I was curious with the other priest's backstory but it wasn't told in the story.

Nikki

** spoiler alert **
           My reading hours are at night and every time I turn a page, I feel like someone’s gonna come inside my room and slice open my face. 

I felt kind of disappointed with what happened to Alex. Felt like it was rushed. The whole book was so good though.

This harrowing mystery, winner of the Philippine National Book Award, follows two Catholic priests on the hunt through Manila for a brutal serial killer Payatas, a 50-acre dump northeast of Manila's Quezon City, is home to thousands of people who live off of what they can scavenge there. It is one of the poorest neighborhoods in a city whose law enforcement is already stretched thin, devoid of forensic resources and rife with corruption. So when the eviscerated bodies of preteen boys begin to appear in the dump heaps, there is no one to seek justice on their behalf. In the rainy summer of 1997, two Jesuit priests take the matter of protecting their flock into their own hands. Father Gus Saenz is a respected forensic anthropologist, one of the few in the Philippines, and has been tapped by the Director of the National Bureau of Investigations as a backup for police efforts. Together with his protégé, Father Jerome Lucero, a psychologist, Saenz dedicates himself to tracking down the monster preying on these impoverished boys. Smaller and Smaller Circles, widely regarded as the first Filipino crime novel, is a poetic masterpiece of literary noir, a sensitive depiction of a time and place, and a fascinating story about the Catholic Church and its place in its devotees' lives.

Miguel

zar 

Meniah

F.H. Batacan

This harrowing mystery, winner of the Philippine National Book Award, follows two Catholic priests on the hunt through Manila for a brutal serial killer Payatas, a 50-acre dump northeast of Manila’s Quezon City, is home to thousands of people who live off of what they can scavenge there. It is one of the poorest neighborhoods in a city whose law enforcement is already stretched thin, devoid of forensic resources and rife with corruption. So when the eviscerated bodies of preteen boys begin to appear in the dump heaps, there is no one to seek justice on their behalf. In the rainy summer of 1997, two Jesuit priests take the matter of protecting their flock into their own hands. Father Gus Saenz is a respected forensic anthropologist, one of the few in the Philippines, and has been tapped by the Director of the National Bureau of Investigations as a backup for police efforts. Together with his protégé, Father Jerome Lucero, a psychologist, Saenz dedicates himself to tracking down the monster preying on these impoverished boys. Smaller and Smaller Circles, widely regarded as the first Filipino crime novel, is a poetic masterpiece of literary noir, a sensitive depiction of a time and place, and a fascinating story about the Catholic Church and its place in its devotees’ lives.

Smaller and Smaller Circles A Novel

Reviews

Highlights