The Circle    by Bernard Minier Order:  USA  Can Minotaur, 2015 (2015) Hardcover      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth From the author, who debuted with the highly acclaimed The Frozen Dead, comes a second novel to keep us on the edges of our chairs. As before, Bernard Minier uses suspense and horror, as well as anticipation to keep readers' eyes moving greedily as they quickly turn pages to get to the next frightening event. A young boy is found sitting by a swimming pool watching a multitude of dolls float on the surface! He has no memory of where he is, or how he got there, or why the pool is filled with dolls. This is June in France in the middle of a World Cup match. Martin Servaz receives a call that in the nearby town of Marsac, Professor Claire Diemar has been brutally murdered. At the same time, Servaz learns that a vicious serial killer is back on the scene, having escaped custody, and is now too close for comfort. Servaz must face his own somewhat murky past as he and detectives Irene Ziegler and Esperandieu uncover betrayal and depravity in their search for this very dangerous killer. All the while, he is trying to keep his daughter safe as she attends school in Marsac. He doesn't want her frightened but is determined that no harm should come to her. Translated into a myriad of languages, The Circle is a dark tale but with a brilliantly constructed plot that makes me hope that a third gem from Bernard Minier is in the works. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews