The Circle of Thirteen by William Petrocelli

In 2082, a catastrophic explosion rocks the dedication ceremony of the new United Nations in New York City. Security Director Julia Moro is on the job, chasing after the misogynistic leader of Patria, a long-disbanded international terrorist organization now being whispered about again on the streets. This dangerous, shadowy figure has been linked to several bombing attempts and vicious attacks on women, including the Women of Peace—an organization headed by thirteen bold women who have risked their lives to restore worldwide peace. As Julia’s investigation unfolds, a deep secret from her past threatens to strip her of everything she cherishes and plunge her into unrecoverable darkness.

This was a hard book/story to follow. The concept itself was intriguing; evil mastermind first killed his mother as a kid and then killed the mother of his child. This child grows up searching for the killer not realizing it is her grandfather. Unfortunately, it’s this sense of too much that drowns the story.

 It’s almost like the first time author threw everything in but the kitchen sink. The Hunger Games type future with its Food Cartel,  Holo-cast, omni-cameras, vid-screens and vid-phones prove too distracting from the overall story. The story covers the period from 2012-2082 which is told in flashbacks and flash forwards. The going back and forth is not seamless and a little confusing which further adds to the disconnect. Having said all this, I get the sense that there is great potential for this story arc and am actually looking forward to the author’s next book. 

 

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Roberta