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"an entertaining and thrilling read of the first order…the chilling suspense will keep you restless !!!"
Narayan Radhakrishnan, New Mystery Reader, February 4, 2004
Part Tom Clancy, part Michael Crichton, The CIRCLE of SODOM by Pat Mullan provides an entertaining and thrilling read.
The novel begins like a Hollywood film (I am sure the author had in mind a film project) with a bizarre medical operation on a US Army colonel. The year is 1975 and MASH paramedic Owen MacDara is called to assist in an operation on the colonel by Major Whiteside. A blubbery like material is retrieved from the rectum of the colonel – and he leaves soon after the operation – and Major Whiteside swears MacDara to secrecy.
The action shifts to 1999, and MacDara is now a multi-millionaire and CEO of a large Financial Consulting company. He often thinks about that peculiar operation but does not lose sleep over it. But all that changes when suddenly his close friends and colleagues start to die. MacDara soon realizes that all those who died were witnesses to the operation on the colonel, now a high-ranking General of the US Army. MacDara enters the fray, and what follows is tense suspense action and a dark conspiracy that touches even the upper echelons of political power in the USA.
Mullan has done a good job. The great theme and plot is well told. A thrilling political read of the first order, The CIRCLE of SODOM is however not for a good night's read – for the chilling suspense sure will keep you restless !!!
The blurb informs us that Mullan is ready with another MacDara thriller, BLOOD RED SQUARE. I have already booked my copy!!
Recommended, highly recommended !!!
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The CIRCLE of SODOM (ISBN: 0-7596-9222-X)
By Pat Mullan |
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"Exciting action-packed thriller"
Harriet Klausner, Amazon No. 1 Reviewer, Morrow, Ga, USA, December 8, 2003
In 1975, MASH unit Commanding Officer Major Whiteside directs medic Owen MacDara and a few others on an unusual operation in which they remove some odd looking rubbery cartilage-like objects from the rectum of a colonel. Upon removal, the colonel dresses and leaves without a word. Whiteside informed his men that silence and confidentiality are critical.
Almost twenty-five years later, Owen is a millionaire running Global Management Associates that he formed with two colleagues. GMA is the international leading consultant firm on the global financial marketplace. However, that bizarre surgery in Korea comes back to haunt Owen. Someone is killing those who witnessed the removal of the weird items from the officer, who is now a highly regarded Four-Star General. The treachery goes high and even the president is in jeopardy. Owen combines his military and civilian skills to try to stay alive, keep his girlfriend (the murdered Whiteside's daughter) safe, and unravel a conspiracy that is the greatest threat to the American governmental tradition since the Civil War.
THE CIRCLE OF SODOM is a terse political thriller that never lets up until the final confrontation occurs. The story line is fast-paced and loaded with action, but also enables the audience to understand the motives of each of the key players as Pat Mullan constantly switches third person perspective so the reader receives a complete picture of an incident. It is this difficult to deliver the technique of the changing point of view that can easily lead to spectator confusion, but Mr. Mullan displays his skills as fans will easily follow along this one sitting thriller
Harriet Klausner's Reviews
Reviewer Rank: 1
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The CIRCLE of SODOM (ISBN: 0-7596-9222-X)
By Pat Mullan |
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"a rollicking ride…….a great new book in the thriller genre!"
Peggy Vincent, Oakland, Calfornia, February 12, 2004
Well, this was a rollicking ride. Read The 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.
Peggy Vincent is the author of Baby Catcher….film rights have been optioned by Elliot Gould's production studio and the screenplay has been assigned
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The CIRCLE of SODOM (ISBN: 0-7596-9222-X)
By Pat Mullan |
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" Number One Thriller! " Amazon, June 16, 2004
E.M.Schorb, award winning author and poet:
winner of The Frankfurt Grand Prize in fiction for his novel, Paradise Square;
1973 International Keats Poetry Prize;
Verna Emery Poetry Prize for Murderer's Day, his fourth collection of poetry (Purdue University Press).
The Circle of Sodom takes you on a roller coaster ride. Hang on! Or you won’t get to the end in one piece.
It begins with one of the most intriguing openings I’ve ever read. Then it takes you from today’s headlines, into the shadows behind them. It is a story of the forces that shape our world in the financial, political, and religious spheres, and of the leaders in these areas who battle for our allegiance. And in the end, I suppose, it boils down to the essential—good versus evil.
What a tale! I couldn’t put it down.
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The CIRCLE of SODOM (ISBN: 0-7596-9222-X)
By Pat Mullan |
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"You know you're reading a good thriller when you start to cast it for the movie before you've even finished."
Eithne Hannigan, BOOK REVIEWS, CONNEMARA LIFE magazine, Autumn 2002
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
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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The CIRCLE of SODOM (ISBN: 0-7596-9222-X)
By Pat Mullan |
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"exciting and fast-moving tale … a timely read"
Rob Preece, Book Reviews Editor,
BooksForABuck.com, January 31, 2004
It seemed like one of those random murders--a friend of Owen MacDara killed while he visited a strip club. But Owen's suspicions are raised when another friend vanishes. The connection, they, along with Owen, were on duty during a strange late-night operation in a military hospital in Korea. It doesn't seem possible that someone would be killing the witnesses now, but no other explanation seems possible either. As Owen begins to investigate, he finds clues of a huge right-wing conspiracy to overthrow the government and put their own man in office.
With the help of a General and the President's authorization, Owen pursues the clues--and puts himself in danger. The conservatives have moles everywhere and it doesn't take them long to discover that Owen is after them, or to do their best to turn the tables. Worse, if the President goes public with the plot, he'll be accused of being paranoid--insane. The right would get their coup without even having to fight.
Author Pat Mullan writes an exciting and fast-moving tale. From almost the first page, Owen finds himself in danger and confronting men who believe that God has called on them to bring about the end times. The use of computer warfare and cyberterrorism to undermine the economy, discussions of antiterrorism tactics, and the modern militia movement all are well researched and seamlessly incorporated into the adventure.
With today's increasing split between the right and left in America, THE CIRCLE OF SODOM is a timely read.
The CIRCLE of SODOM (ISBN: 0-7596-9222-X)
By Pat Mullan
"A Fun Read"
John R. Linnell, Top 1000 Amazon Reviewer, from New Gloucester, ME, United States , January 21, 2004
As a story with fast moving action and plenty of interesting twists and turns, this is fun to read.
The story line of the book is that right wing zealots are plotting to take over the Presidency of the United States in such a way that the people are not aware that a coup has actually taken place. There is a mastermind to all of this who weaves in and out of the plot like a Svengali who will undoubtedly reappear in a future novel as will Owen MacDara, the James Bondian business consultant.
I also agree that this could make a very good movie and I actually think that the plot and story line may be better suited to the screen.
The CIRCLE of SODOM (ISBN: 0-7596-9222-X)
By Pat Mullan
THE CIRCLE OF SODOM by Pat Mullan, is compelling. It's a political thriller that happens to be timely. And timeless.
In the prologue we find an Army Colonel having some sort of bizarre surgery via a MASH unit it Korea (1975) whose only witness is Owen MacDara (our noble protagonist) who is forced to keep the surgery a secret. As the novel begins, we have moved twenty years forward (1975 + 20 = 1995) where MacDara is the head of a financial consulting firm. His Army buddies start getting knocked off and suddenly MacDara is flooded with memories from his days in Korea (a la MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE.) As you can imagine, the conspiracy builds and builds and eventually finds its way to the President (of course), ultimately posing the greatest threat to the American Government that we have ever seen (okay, at least in the top ten.)
Now, if you're not into thrillers, this sounds sorta goofy. But it's not--it's engrossing. I'll admit the book has its usual share of thriller-esque elements (the hot sex that is misplaced, and oddly graphic; the close getaways that even James Bond might second-guess, etc.) But remember, these elements (almost) always exist in this genre and you have accept them and let them unfold accordingly.
With all that in consideration, this book is an even mix of Crichton and Clancy and written equally as well. It's a classic page-turner and almost comes across as though it had been adapted from a screenplay. It's was a guilty read for me. But who cares? I'm guilty of so much anyway.
Who I am : I am an author and teacher, in that order (for now.) My debut novel (which debuted in the midlist) was released by Penguin Putnam in 2004 and my second novel will be released early 2006. (Washington, D.C., USA) | http://girlondemand.blogspot.com/2005/04/circle-of-sodom-by-pat-mullan.html |
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Blood Red Square by Pat Mullan
Publishers: LBF Books, 2006 ISBN: 0977308251
Reviewed by Narayan Radhakrishnan, New Mystery Reader
“…. blurb informs us that Mullan is ready with another MacDara thriller Who Killed Hammarskjold? I have already booked my copy!! Recommended, highly recommended.”
This is how I ended my review of THE CIRCLE OF SODOM by Pat Mullan in 2003. And I was WRONG. The new MacDara thriller is out, but the title has been changed to BLOOD RED SQUARE. And readers who expect the suspense, thrill and chill of THE CIRCLE OF SODOM are in store for a shock….for the suspense, thrill and chill are double in tone and content in BLOOD RED SQUARE- and its one hellovva read.
This time around former MASH Commanding Officer- turned- multimillionaire – turned Special envoy of the President of United States is called for duty .. international duty…. It all starts with the surfacing up of certain secret documents which shed light on the true story behind the death of Dag Hammarskjold. For those weak in history, here is the story- Dag Hammarskjold was the UN Secretary General during the late Fifties – y’know doing the same job our Kofi Annan does now. He died in mysterious circumstances, supposedly in an air crash in the Congo in 1961. though rumors were afloat that it was a murder, investigations drew a blank, and the death was considered as an accident. But now certain documents which throw light on the death of Dag Hammarskjold have reached the wrong hands, in particular one Misha Kedrow and a terrorist named Eduardo Kelly Herrara aka Conor Brady. If the documents, reaches the general public, and if a new twist is given to the same, it might simply mean a new world crisis, a new cold war…. A not so cold a war. Chaos is the verdict, and only one man can stop them, and that someone is our own Owen MacDara. How MacDara solves the problem, and how he prevents world chaos forms the theme of the work.
Pat Mullan is no one-book wonder. Each book is heavily researched and authenticated by factual reality and with some literary license, his books are not ‘fiction’ but ‘fact-ions’. The idea of taking a page from history, giving a fictional twist to it, has been used by many an author, in particular by Ken Follett (Eye of the Needle) and Jack Higgins (Eagle has Landed). These books were grand reads, and it was difficult to distinguish where reality ended and fiction started. Likewise herein, BLOOD RED SQUARE also provides a grand read, and as already said it’s a thrilling chilling read.
The blurb again informs us that the author is ready with another thriller TRIBUNAL: DUBLIN NOIR, and I for one have already booked my copy.
With THE CIRCLE OF SODOM, Mullan had challenged Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton, and with BLOOD RED SQUARE he has challenged Ken Follett and Jack Higgins. One thing is for sure, Mullan is a force to be reckoned with.
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Childhood Hills (ISBN: 0595093078)
by Pat Mullan
"You will be moved to joy and sorrow as you traverse the winding path over these Childhood Hills"
Review by Anne K. Edwards, author of "Death Comes Knocking"
http://www.rfiwest.com for eBook Reviews Weekly
Reading this collection of poetry and writings was like holding a conversation with a very interesting person who can fascinate with a hypnotic flow of words. His muse is an old country bard who whispered secrets of the ancient days in the poet's ear. Pat Mullan has translated those secrets onto these pages.
You will be moved to joy and sorrow as you traverse the winding path over these Childhood Hills. Within these hills dwells a child who remembers the man he was, not a man dreaming over a lost youth. He still lives in the poetry contained herein.
This author is a spirit freed from the fears of childhood that we all have shared, no matter what shape those fears take, what horrid dreams they inspire. If you allow him, this poet will guide you through imagery and images, familiar and strange, to a destination where understanding waits.
A poem is music of the soul that takes its inspiration from ordinary events, places, and people. It is a music you hear with your heart. I recommend you read Childhood Hills slowly and listen carefully. It will quicken the spirit that lives within.
Childhood Hills
by Pat Mullan
His evocative poetry creates for us lush landscapes,
towering cities and weeping hearts that share the sorrow
within all of us.
(ISBN: 0595093078)
Reviewed by Diane Morgan – Editor, http://www.newbookreviews.com
Pat Mullan takes us on a poetic journey through Ireland, the world and childhood. His evocative poetry creates for us lush landscapes, towering cities and weeping hearts that share the sorrow within all of us.
Relationships are key to his poetry, love, loss and remembering. I truly enjoyed his style of writing; it wasn’t at all like the rhyming cliché poetry we are overburdened with as we read aspiring poets; it has a rhythm all its own; one could almost hear an Irish lilt to it.
He adds to the end of his book a section in memory of James Dickey that is poignant and stirring reminding us of the vast heritage we have of poets often forgotten.
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