A Circle of Souls

Jul 18, 2009

Shellie (Layers of Thought) rated it

Recommends it for: those who like medical/psychological thrillers

Recommended to Shellie (Layers of Thought) by: Preetham Grandhi

Shelves: genre-socio-psych-philosophy-anthro, genre-general-fiction-literature, friends-goodreads, genre-mystery-thriller-true-crime, challenge-gr-summer-09, read-in-2009, aa-blogged-reviews, spec-fic-fant-slipstream-magicreali

It was very exciting for me when I received a personally signed copy of A Circle of Souls from the author several weeks ago.
Mini Synopsis:
There's a serial killer on the loose, in this quiet upper middle class suburb, and he has stumbled upon a little girl. His killings are ritualized and have a psychological connection from his past and an exotic culture. The plot is further embellished by the main characters, a kind child psychiatrist with a fear of commitment, a gorgeous yet sligh...more

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Jul 14, 2009

Elizabeth Neas rated it

In my opinion Dr. Grandhi should keep his day job
(as a pediatric and adolescent psychiatrist
- as Chief of Service for House 5 at Bronx Children's Psychiatric Hospital-
and in private practice in Westchester County, NY)
and then use every spare moment on nights and weekends putting pen to paper!
A Circle of Souls, grabbed me on the first page,
and held on to the very end.
Before now, I had never read a murder with a paranormal twist,
but you can be assure...more

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Mar 08, 2010

Marvin rated it

Shelves: first-reads, autographed, mystery

A first-reads win. Three and a half stars

A Circle of Souls is best described as a supernatural thriller. It is a pretty good psychological suspense novel dealing with the murder of a child by a ritual killer. At the same time, a young girl is admitted to a children psychiatric center and may have the knowledge from her dreams to solve this crime.The strength of this novel lies in the interaction between child and her psychiatrist. The author, Preetham Grandhi, is a psychiatrist speci...more

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Aug 20, 2009

Vickie rated it

Shelves: booksthatmakemegowow, keeper-shelf

I received a message on Goodreads from the author, if I would like to read and review his book. I jumped on the chance as it is in the genre I take pleasure in reading, mystery-thriller. I was also pleased that this promised a hint of paranormal. This book delivered in aces.

This is an amazingly fast book to read. The story moves along at a good clip, divided between the doctor's story, the investigators', the killer, the children. Having Lady K in my life, I had a hard time reading ...more

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Sep 17, 2009

Natalie (Mindful Musings) rated it

Preetham Grandhi's debut novel A Circle of Souls begins with the mysterious disappearance of young Janet Troy in the small town of Newbury, Connecticut. When her body is found, brutally mutilated, FBI agent Leia Bines, an expert in cases involving children, is called in.

Meanwhile, psychiatrist Dr. Peter Gram searches for the reason behind the devastating nightmares of seven year-old Naya Hastings. Nightmares that seem to be connected to a murder she couldn't possibly know about. As N...more

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Dec 29, 2009

Morris rated it

A Circle of Souls falls into the fast-read thriller category. I finished the book in just two days, basically in about 4 reading sessions. The chapters are quite small and the author is very capable of encouraging the reader to keep turning the pages.

I found the characters to be interesting, especially the psychiatrist, Peter. The author's background in psychiatry provides a captivating look into the world of childhood mental disorders, while not distracting from the plot. Peter's care...more

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Jan 02, 2012

Clark Isaacs rated it

A Circle of Souls
Author: Preetham Grandhi
ISBN978-1-59955-235-4 Pages: 341, $21.99, Publication Date: June, 2009, Softcover, Fiction, Published by Sweetwater Books, an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc.

Author Preetham Grandhi, M. D., is an immigrant from Bangalore, India and has written a fascinating debut novel, A Circle of Souls. This book is compelling because of Grandhi’s career in child and adolescent psychiatry. He is devoted to children and is a Chief of Service for...moreA Circle of Souls
Author: Preetham Grandhi
ISBN978-1-59955-235-4 Pages: 341, $21.99, Publication Date: June, 2009, Softcover, Fiction, Published by Sweetwater Books, an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc.

Author Preetham Grandhi, M. D., is an immigrant from Bangalore, India and has written a fascinating debut novel, A Circle of Souls. This book is compelling because of Grandhi’s career in child and adolescent psychiatry. He is devoted to children and is a Chief of Service for House 5 at the Bronx Children’s Psychiatric Center in New York City. Grandhi also is a graduate of Yale and has a private psychiatric practice for children.

Grandhi weaves an unusual story line. His main characters, Dr. Peter Gram, FBI agent Leia Bines, and a 7 year-old Indian girl named Naya, converge in an effort to unravel the brutal murder of 10 year-old Janet, who has mysteriously disappeared on her way home from school.

Naya is a patient in the Newbury, Connecticut hospital. Dr. Gram becomes her physician. She had been admitted previously for a sleep-walking disorder and horrendous nightmares. Her parents feared for her life. In her dreams, she sees Janet, the dead girl, and has audible conversations with her. As result of their friendship, Naya draws vivid pictures of these dreams, depicting an elephant, a red building, a figure with black hair, and a dismembered body of a young blond girl. Naya’s chilling dreams and puzzling art work become the real clues which assist the authorities in pursuit of the perpetrator.

This book is not only about a gruesome murder of a child. It also reveals spiritual elements of Indian philosophy such as, the concept of a previous life and passing of one soul into another. This belief may seem strange to American culture and tradition, but whether you believe or not, this is a definite eye-opener to a different culture and Grandhi makes you think about it!
A Circle of Souls is a psychological thriller, mixed with suspense, the supernatural, strange cultural phenomenon, and the fascinating world of child behavior. Grandhi has the ability to open your mind and pull you into the characters’ lives so fast that you cannot put the book down. His experience, together with his unique background, plainly shows the pure, honest, and natural behavior of children. At the same time, he delves into the demented, deep, dark, depths of delusion and its subsequent atrocities.

This is an adventure in the “who-done-it” idiom that will keep you speculating. Highly recommended!

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Apr 26, 2011

Hanife rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, suspense-horror-crime, reading-turkish, i-was-own

Kitap değişik bir konuya sahipti. Bu tür - gerilim, cinayet - romanları okumaya alışık biri olmadığımdan kimi zaman beni etkileyen unsurlar oldu. Katilin ufak bir kızı yakalayıp kurban etmesi gibi. İnsan ister istemez gerçek hayatta böyle şeyler oluyor, küçük çocuklar kaçırılıp öldürülüyor diye düşünmeden edemiyor. Okurken anladım ki ben gereğinden fazla empati kurmuşum karakterle :) Ayrıca ufakta olsa bir reenkarnasyon konusu işlenmiş. Hikayemize gelirsek Newbury adında sessiz sakin küçük bir ü...more

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Feb 16, 2011

Cindy Bauer rated it

In this debut psychological thriller by new author, Preetham Grandhi, a seven-year-old named Naya Hasting, now in the care of Dr. Peter Gram, a psychiatrist appears to be communicating through her dreams with recently murdered, ten-year-old, Janet Troy.

But that’s not all! Thirty years prior, there was another murder committed in almost the same manner and now the town of Newbury, Connecticut has something to worry about. Are the two murders connected? Do they have a serial killer in th...moreIn this debut psychological thriller by new author, Preetham Grandhi, a seven-year-old named Naya Hasting, now in the care of Dr. Peter Gram, a psychiatrist appears to be communicating through her dreams with recently murdered, ten-year-old, Janet Troy.

But that’s not all! Thirty years prior, there was another murder committed in almost the same manner and now the town of Newbury, Connecticut has something to worry about. Are the two murders connected? Do they have a serial killer in their midst?

Once Dr. Gram realizes Naya must know more about the recent murder of little Janet, in whatever unorthodox manner, he decides to try to help the FBI find the killer through Naya, who sketches images from her dreams and chillingly, are the only clues the FBI has in their search for this faceless, “bad man”.

Dr. Gram and FBI agent Leia Bines, an expert in cases involving children, combine their efforts and specialties in this page-turning, gripping novel. Naya also talks to the dead girl while sleepwalking and during their conversations, Janet shares snip-its of information the FBI on the case don’t have, including information never brought forth to the public on the never-solved murder three decades ago, making the case even more puzzling and the story, more intriguing.

Preetham Grandhi backs up his plotting with his own medical knowledge in psychiatrics, making the story even more fascinating and believable. With each chapter broken down into time periods during days in a week, Grandhi’s ever-twisting plot, descriptive prose and attention-grabbing dialogue will keep the reader engrossed as the author draws the reader deeper into the crevices of the mind of a disturbed child.

Also, Grandhi has masterfully blended the suspense of a thriller with the Federal agent assigned to the case and the psychological knowledge of the doctor assigned to the child whose parents have entrusted him with her care.

In the end, Dr. Gram is forced to accept the many lives a soul has actually had previously and his own past lives eventually led to the person he is today, compared to the person he was in another time, another realm. This isn’t easy for him to deal with at first.

As a debut novel, the author has done very well and I’m looking forward to future works. A definite must read!(less)

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Jan 26, 2010

Janet rated it

Yet another time I wish I could rate 1/2 stars because I would give this 3&1/2. And, until the last 5th of the book I was leaning toward 4 stars. The writing is only average. The characters are a mixed bag - oddly the 2 main characters (Dr. Peter Gram & FBI Agent Leia Bines) are the least developed & both are pretty boring in spite of the fact that we are often told how respected they are in their respective careers. The children are perhaps the best characters & we have considerable backgroun...more

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Dec 09, 2009

Lindsay rated it

A Circle of Souls is a psychological thriller about a small girl who is brutally murdered in a small town in CT. Agent Leia Bines is put on the case as the leading expert in cases regarding children, but unfortunately law enforcement has very little to go on. Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Gram, a psychologist working in the pediatric unit meets a new patient named Naya, a seven year old girl who suffers from nightmares. It quickly becomes apparent that Naya is having more than just nightmares, and Peter ...moreA Circle of Souls is a psychological thriller about a small girl who is brutally murdered in a small town in CT. Agent Leia Bines is put on the case as the leading expert in cases regarding children, but unfortunately law enforcement has very little to go on. Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Gram, a psychologist working in the pediatric unit meets a new patient named Naya, a seven year old girl who suffers from nightmares. It quickly becomes apparent that Naya is having more than just nightmares, and Peter decides that her problem is beyond medical. Naya appears to be communicating with the murdered girl when she is sleeping and then shares her "dreams" with Peter afterward. Peter shares this information with Agent Bines, who is skeptical about following leads from a seven year old being seen by a psychologist. However, after checking out the information provided by Naya, a series of events unfold that make it nearly impossible to put the book down.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was the characters, and how the author brought them to life. Peter, the male lead of the story, is introduced to the reader at a time when he's suffering from a cold. How often do you come across a book where the characters are suffering from a head cold? It seems trivial in context with the story, but it helps to bring a level of normality and lifelikeness to the story which is uncommon in writing. I realize many writers bring medical conditions into their writing, but normally they are serious diseases, while typically the insignificant conditions are overlooked. I also liked how lifelike the environments of the story were. It is obvious that Grandhi has knowledge of medicine and psychology, and this shows in the quality of descriptions of certain settings in the book, such as the hospital and psych unit.

Another feature that I loved about this book was the shift between points of view. The book's prologue drops you right into the shoes of the killer, giving you immediate insight into the mind of the monster. You then shift to the little girl, Janet, who is the unfortunate victim of the murderer. From there on out, you experience the story progression through a variety of characters, including Dr. Gram, Agent Bines, and Naya. Through the telling of each of their side of the story, the path to discovering the killer is uncovered. By frequently alternating narrators (chapters are typically very short- only a couple of pages long), the story gains momentum and never allows the reader to grow bored with any aspect of the story.

It was refreshing to come across a story where although romance was alluded to, it never took hold. In many stories these days, the lead characters end up together at the end of the book. In the case of this book, Agent Bines and Peter seemed to be hitting it off, and even seemed to share an attraction. Based on previous experience with books and movies, I was anticipating that they would end up together in the end. I was pleasantly surprised when Leia returned home, with nothing more than flirting ever occurring. I can't even tell you how great it was to read a book where I couldn't predict the outcome! Predictability is my pet peeve when reading, and can make a book incredibly boring. I promise you this- this book is anything but boring!

I couldn't put this book down once I started reading it! From the outset, you are intrigued by how all of the events taking place tie into the brutal murder of the little girl. As events unfold, one can't help but be impressed by how the author ties all of the seemingly unrelated characters into the situation. A variety of lore and supernatural elements create a mysterious vibe which support the story in a way that doesn't seem cheesy or completely out in left field. It was interesting to see how a man of medicine responded to the numerous spiritual implications that his case set forth, and I think that his open-mindedness was very forward thinking of Grandhi. Many people perceive scientists as incapable of accepting "supernatural phenomena," but it is rarely the case. Science is completely open to the idea of natural and supernatural forces in our world, and this book does a great job of representing that fact.

One thing that I want to point out is that although the murder is described as "brutal", the book is in no way graphic. Aside from a relatively vague description of the body, there is no grisly detail about the murder itself, or the body. There's also no offensive language in the book, for those readers who find it objectionable. The writing flows well, and overall I feel the book was very well written. I would happily read another work by Preetham Grandhi in the future!(less)

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Nov 08, 2009

Jennifer rated it

This was an excellent relatively, fast paced story. Naya the little girl in the story is a sweetheart, and one of the nicest girls you will meet. She is young and doesn't understand what is happening to her. All Naya knows is that she must help Janet, the girl who visits her in her dreams. Dr. Peter Gram is Naya's champion and unbeknown to them, their destinies are linked.

Janet's champion is FBI agent Leia Bines. Leia must find Janet's killer before someone else meets the same grues...moreThis was an excellent relatively, fast paced story. Naya the little girl in the story is a sweetheart, and one of the nicest girls you will meet. She is young and doesn't understand what is happening to her. All Naya knows is that she must help Janet, the girl who visits her in her dreams. Dr. Peter Gram is Naya's champion and unbeknown to them, their destinies are linked.

Janet's champion is FBI agent Leia Bines. Leia must find Janet's killer before someone else meets the same gruesome fate. And that fate is gruesome people.

Both situations are part of a larger whole (oh! I just figured out the circle part. Think circle of life.), and even though the reader knows they are connected, it is still a suspenseful read. Each chapter is pretty short and to the point, but it leaves you wanting more. It was hard to put the book down. Even though I did figure out pretty early who the culprit was, the story was still a thrilling read. There's little bit if action thrown in at the end as well.

Each character is likable, and I even empathized with the killer. Yes, the killer too. I am not condoning the actions, but mental abuse leaves scars that no one ever sees. It can guide one's future behavior for better or worse. I'm just saying that you would be messed up too if you lived through the killer's past. No wonder there are so many senseless things that happen to people today.

I also picked up on some ritualism in the book, with respect to how rituals can help us deal with our emotions. When bad things happen, we return to routines or rituals to get us through. How we cope with disappointment and betrayal is important, and we need to have healthy ways of dealing with these issues. There is always a brighter side to life, even on the cloudiest of days.

The author is a psychiatrist and I like how he incorporated his residency and training into the novel. I work in health care and am a geek so I love that sort of thing. The manner in which Peter works with Naya is refreshing because I think psychiatry sometimes gets a bad rap. He really cared for Naya and wanted to do everything in his power to help her.

I do wish more of Naya's Indian heritage was included in the story, but that's just me. I liked that piece of the story quite a bit.

All in all it was an excellent story and I would definitely read another one of Grandhi's books.
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Nov 06, 2009

LuAnn added it

I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It has the elements of several different styles of writing, including horror, mystery and psychological thriller. And it was also refreshing in that there was no sex or vulgar language.

However, there are vivid descriptions of murder that could potentially make some readers queasy.

I’ve always been a fan of this type of story. I cut my serious reader teeth on Stephen King and, at one time, that’s about the only author I’d fo...more

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Oct 29, 2009

Alayne Bushey rated it

For starters, this book was better than I thought it was going to be. It's Preetham Grandhi's debut novel, but it doesn't feel like this is the first thing he's ever written. As a suspense novels go, it was well written and executed like a pro. The plot (though predictable at times if you've read lots of these books like I have) was original and kept me interested throughout. The story follows a murder in a sleepy town in Connecticut. Child psychiatrist Dr. Peter Gram teams up with FBI agent Le...moreFor starters, this book was better than I thought it was going to be. It's Preetham Grandhi's debut novel, but it doesn't feel like this is the first thing he's ever written. As a suspense novels go, it was well written and executed like a pro. The plot (though predictable at times if you've read lots of these books like I have) was original and kept me interested throughout. The story follows a murder in a sleepy town in Connecticut. Child psychiatrist Dr. Peter Gram teams up with FBI agent Leia Bines to solve the mystery; the problem is that their only clues come from the nightmares of a little girl named Naya. Gram is handsome, intelligent, and lonely (I pictured Patrick Dempsey the whole time), Bines is beautiful and damaged. Together they make a great cop/doc crime-fighting pair. When I read these types of books I make a point of noting the dialogue between the characters and how they interact with each other. For the most part, Grandhi's dialogue was refreshingly realistic and not overly dramatic. It ran close to predictable once or twice, but I only noticed that because I was making a point to look for it. The third-person narrative was executed incredibly well, easily transitioning between the young girl Naya, and the older characters without jarring the flow. It takes a lot of talent to pull that off the way Grandhi has. The plot has a touch of the paranormal, which was unique for a suspense novel and I really enjoyed that aspect of it, especially since it wasn't campy.

Overall, this is an excellent suspense/mystery novel that made me want the train ride to go longer so I could keep reading. An excellent book to fall into when you need to escape and want a good mystery to keep you distracted. It reminded me of James Patterson, but in a good way (since I'm not really a fan of his Women's Murder Club novels) and I definitely recommend it if you're fans of suspense and mystery thrillers. I enjoyed it far more than the four novels I've read by Patterson. Well done. I am really looking forward to seeing what he does for the sequel! (less)

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Oct 28, 2009

Katie(babs) rated it

This is a murder mystery that has a slight touch of the supernatural that also deals with past lives. Preetham makes sure that the plot is not boggled down with too much mention of spiritualism, but more importantly the quest to find a killer who has targeted the most vulnerable of victim- children.

A Circle of Souls would be of interest to those readers who enjoy crime dramas. Keep in mind though the murder deals with Janet, a nine year old girl, who because she was curious, was kill...moreThis is a murder mystery that has a slight touch of the supernatural that also deals with past lives. Preetham makes sure that the plot is not boggled down with too much mention of spiritualism, but more importantly the quest to find a killer who has targeted the most vulnerable of victim- children.

A Circle of Souls would be of interest to those readers who enjoy crime dramas. Keep in mind though the murder deals with Janet, a nine year old girl, who because she was curious, was killed by an individual who thinks a higher being is making him kill, or sacrifice, in order to reach enlightenment. Called in on the case if FBI agent Leia Bines who works in a special unit dedicated to crimes against children. She may be the only hope in cracking this case and figure out why the small town of Newbury, Connecticut has been targeted by a possible serial killer.

Around the same time of the murder, Dr. Peter Gram, who works at Newbury General and Pediatric hospital has a very interesting patient. Seven-year old Naya Hastings has been brought to the emergency room after her parents found a sleepwalking Naya standing on the second-floor balcony where she was trying to climb over it. Lately Naya has been having strange dreams and Dr. Gram recommends Naya be committed for a few days where he can monitor her brain and figure out why she is having these dreams that may make her harm herself.

As Gram tries to diagnose Naya, she continues to have disturbing nightmares of a little girl named Janet who wants Naya to help her. Naya begins to draw pictures of her interactions with her dream friend Janet, and Gram comes to the conclusion that something bigger is at play. And when Gram hears about the murder of Janet, he begins to put the pieces together and soon is helping Leia with the case before the killer can strike again.

I was glued to the pages of A Circle of Souls and had no clue who the killer was. Some of the blurbs I have read about this book compare Preetham’s writing to Hitchcock and I can certainly see the comparisons. There are twists and turns that bring in a supernatural element, especially in regards to Gram that is surprising. Gram may seem to be more of a secondary character in this all, but he becomes a very important focal point, even more so than Naya.

Preetham does have a skill at writing child characters and I enjoyed Naya and the way she looked at things and her interactions with Gram and that of her the poor murdered Janet. The only graphic scenes are in the beginning when Janet’s body is found.

If you like psychological thrillers, A Circle of Souls really excels in this aspect. (less)

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Oct 08, 2009

Becky rated it

This was a different sort of book for me. Being a psycological thriller, I didn't have an opinion or thought about what was going to happen. I haven't read much along that line. I found it really interesting. I liked that an FBI agent was willing to follow a lead that seemed a little strange. I'm not sure if it's realistic or not, but it doesn't matter. It worked well in this book. Leia, the agent for the FBI, even acknowleges that she's stepping into unfamiliar territory when she has to step aw...more

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Sep 08, 2009

Jaime rated it

Shelves: 2009, general_fiction

Grandhi gives us a very interesting combination here… We’ve got a little bit of Caribbean folklore mixed with some Indian mysticism (I hope that’s the right term) in a story that takes place in rural(ish) Connecticut. The concept here, that young Naya is having dreams where she’s speaking to a murdered girl, could have been really unbelievable, but Grandhi makes us believe. He also does a really great job showing us the relationship between Naya and the psychiatrist, Dr. Peter Gram. Unfortunate...more

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Sep 03, 2009

Debbie rated it

This book gave me goosebumps reading it. The story opens up with the gruesome murder of a young girl and we follow the investigation of her murder as well as a doctor’s, Peter, challenge in diagnosing another girl’s, Naya, apparent sleep disorder. We slowly come to see how the two are related and as the story progressed it was both chilling and touching to see the developing relationship between Peter and Naya as they come to terms with the cause of her night time wanderings.

All th...more

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Aug 31, 2009

Bridget rated it

A little girl has fallen victim to a sadistic maniac who takes her life. Leia Bines is the agent called in to help solve this brutal murder. She's hoping with all her might that this case will turn out different than the last one.

Dr. Gram has been called on to help a little girl, Naya, who may or may not be suicidal. Naya's parents are worried for her safety and want the best medical care possible for their child.

Naya and her drawing pad may be the only link to that can b...more

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Aug 26, 2009

Sheila rated it

Shelves: mystery, suspense, spiritual, current_issues

A Circle of Souls, by Preetham Grandhi, is an intriguing book. The story opens with the shocking murder of a small girl, then moves into the local hospital where a psychiatrist is trying to understand another girl’s sleepwalking attempt at suicide. But a wonderful lightness of touch keeps the reader hopeful in spite of it all, and quickly turning the pages. The psychiatrist is a warm, engaging character; the FBI investigator likewise. Both of them are driven and devoted to their jobs. And their ...more

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Aug 25, 2009

Clark Isaacs rated it

Author Preetham Grandhi, M. D., is an immigrant from Bangalore, India and has written a fascinating debut novel, A Circle of Souls. This book is compelling because of Grandhi’s career in child and adolescent psychiatry. He is devoted to children and is a Chief of Service for House 5 at the Bronx Children’s Psychiatric Center in New York City. Grandhi also is a graduate of Yale and has a private psychiatric practice for children.

Grandhi weaves an unusual story line. His main chara...moreAuthor Preetham Grandhi, M. D., is an immigrant from Bangalore, India and has written a fascinating debut novel, A Circle of Souls. This book is compelling because of Grandhi’s career in child and adolescent psychiatry. He is devoted to children and is a Chief of Service for House 5 at the Bronx Children’s Psychiatric Center in New York City. Grandhi also is a graduate of Yale and has a private psychiatric practice for children.

Grandhi weaves an unusual story line. His main characters, Dr. Peter Gram, FBI agent Leia Bines, and a 7 year-old Indian girl named Naya, converge in an effort to unravel the brutal murder of 10 year-old Janet, who has mysteriously disappeared on her way home from school.

Naya is a patient in the Newbury, Connecticut hospital. Dr. Gram becomes her physician. She had been admitted previously for a sleep-walking disorder and horrendous nightmares. Her parents feared for her life. In her dreams, she sees Janet, the dead girl, and has audible conversations with her. As result of their friendship, Naya draws vivid pictures of these dreams, depicting an elephant, a red building, a figure with black hair, and a dismembered body of a young blond girl. Naya’s chilling dreams and puzzling art work become the real clues which assist the authorities in pursuit of the perpetrator.

This book is not only about a gruesome murder of a child. It also reveals spiritual elements of Indian philosophy such as, the concept of a previous life and passing of one soul into another. This belief may seem strange to American culture and tradition, but whether you believe or not, this is a definite eye-opener to a different culture and Grandhi makes you think about it!
A Circle of Souls is a psychological thriller, mixed with suspense, the supernatural, strange cultural phenomenon, and the fascinating world of child behavior. Grandhi has the ability to open your mind and pull you into the characters’ lives so fast that you cannot put the book down. His experience, together with his unique background, plainly shows the pure, honest, and natural behavior of children. At the same time, he delves into the demented, deep, dark, depths of delusion and its subsequent atrocities.

This is an adventure in the “who-done-it” idiom that will keep you speculating. Highly recommended!

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Aug 13, 2009

Jane Maritz rated it

A Circle of Souls, by Preetham Grandhi, is a paranormal thriller that is entertaining all the way. A little girl is murdered, and another little girl seems to have the answers to the murder in her nightmares. Child psychiatrist Dr. Peter Gram gets involved in putting the puzzle pieces together.

The thing that attracted me most to this book, outside of the cover, was the author’s background. Born and raised in the city of Bangalore, India, his determination led to a new life in the ...more

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Jul 25, 2009

Martha Cheves rated it

Naya was afraid. She didn't want to stay in this hospital. She thought it seemed different from the other, regular hospitals, even though she had never stayed in any sort of hospital before. This hospital didn't seem at all like the hospital her classmate had described after having her tonsils removed. Besides, Naya didn't even feel sick.'

The hospital Naya has been admitted to is the psychiatric section of the Newbury hospital. Naya was taken to the hospital's emergency room after wh...more

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Jul 24, 2009

Debbie rated it

Shelves: fiction, mystery, suspense

"A Circle of Souls" is a suspenseful mystery with a dose of paranormal and a pinch of romance. The main paranormal element is Naya's being able to speak with the murdered girl while she's sleeping.

The book was fast-paced and had realistic characters. The world-building was very good. The details relating to the psychiatrist were very good and immersed the reader into his world. However, I questioned a few of the police procedural parts (like how quickly the missing person s...more"A Circle of Souls" is a suspenseful mystery with a dose of paranormal and a pinch of romance. The main paranormal element is Naya's being able to speak with the murdered girl while she's sleeping.

The book was fast-paced and had realistic characters. The world-building was very good. The details relating to the psychiatrist were very good and immersed the reader into his world. However, I questioned a few of the police procedural parts (like how quickly the missing person status was put into affect, the use of an amber alert, and how many people tramped through the crime scene before forensics was brought in).

This was a very multi-cultural book: Peter is white, Naya is Indian, Leia is half-Mexican half-white, another character is British, and yet another is a black Jamaican.

There were also a variety of belief systems. The most talked about were the Hindu religion (specifically regarding reincarnation and destiny) and Jamaican folklore. The belief systems were more lived than talked about, and the only parts that were explained were those related to the case. By the end, a non-Hindu main character does come to believe he might have a reincarnated soul.

I almost would have liked more of an explanation of the Hindu elements of the book because I was confused by how Naya could talk to the soul of a dead girl if, as it's later implied, a soul is immediately reborn. But the answer didn't really matter since I was already suspending disbelief about the paranormal elements, anyway.

The writing was very good, though it could have been tightened in a few places. For example, several times the author repeated a detailed physical description of a character after having given that full description just a page or two before.

There was a very minimal amount of profanity of the "he swore" variety and a brief, non-graphic sex scene remembered from the childhood of one of the main characters. (The scene explains the motives behind most of his subsequent actions.) The gore was not graphic while still making the murder chilling.

Overall, I enjoyed this book very much.(less)

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Jul 20, 2009

Cheryl rated it

When nine year old, Janet doesn't come home from school, her parents get worried. Unfortunately the search for Janet ends in terrible sadness. Her body is found at Elephant Rock in pieces.

The local authorities call on FBI special agent Leia Bines to help solve the case. Leia discovers that all of Janet's body parts were not just scattered but instead left methodically to form a large stick figure, as if for sacrificial purposes.

Dr. Peter Gram, a psychiatrist at Newbury’...more

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Aug 12, 2009

jennifer ochs rated it

An extraordinary psychological mystery thriller that kept my attention to the very end! A Circle of Souls is based in a small town in Connecticut where a little girl Janet is brutally murdered as a sacrifice in a Jamaican ritual.

An Indian girl named Naya comes under the care of Dr. Gram, a child-psychiatrist, for treatment of her vivid and some-times life-threatening nightmares. She communicates her visions to Dr. Gram by way of her dream sketches, which inexplicably resemble the mur...more

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Jul 12, 2009

Natalie rated it

Awesome read!
Right at the beginning, i was hooked when the "slaaf" caught his prey for his master in hopes of pleasing him and to redeem him and i was so SCARED but i couldn't put it down!! I had to find out what this psycho was going to do next ! You know when your watching a movie and you know where the killer is and your yelling at the police "he's over there, can't you see that??!!" That's how i felt throughout the story, i was sitting on the edge of my seat, tensed...more

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Aug 23, 2009

Lori rated it

A Circle of Souls is Preetham Grandi's debut work, a book that is chock full of mystery, thrills, and the paranormal, as well as psychology. Souls takes place in the bedroom community of Newbury, Connecticut - - a town generally untouched by the brutal nature of people, that is thrown into a panic with the disappearance and cruel murder of young Janet Kent. The local police department, panicked at Janet's apparent abduction, calls in FBI agent Leia Bines, who is fighting her own demons for havin...moreA Circle of Souls is Preetham Grandi's debut work, a book that is chock full of mystery, thrills, and the paranormal, as well as psychology. Souls takes place in the bedroom community of Newbury, Connecticut - - a town generally untouched by the brutal nature of people, that is thrown into a panic with the disappearance and cruel murder of young Janet Kent. The local police department, panicked at Janet's apparent abduction, calls in FBI agent Leia Bines, who is fighting her own demons for having failed to save a young boy from a killer. Meanwhile, little Naya Hastings has been fighting her own type of demons - - vivid nightmares that are threatening her safety. She is brought to child psychiatrist Peter Gram, who has devoted his life to helping and saving children, to the despair of his personal life.

Soon Peter realizes that Naya appears to be dreaming of the deceased Janet Kent, and the monster that took her away. Although Peter's medical training and rational mind fight such a diagnosis, his life becomes entwined with Naya's and the monster's in a way he never thought possible.

A Circle of Souls held my interest from the very first page until the last, so engrossing was the story and so fascinating were the characters. While the death of Janet is brutal, the book is not grisly, nor does it have any language that some readers might find objectionable. There is quite a bit of psychiatry but I found it interesting rather than tedious. And it certainly is appropriate given the plot of the book and Naya's situation.

For the romance lover, there is a slight amount of romantic tension between Peter and FBI agent Leia Bines. Both characters come off sympathetically and likable and so I found myself hoping that these two would manage to overcome obstacles and differences and make a connection.

Ultimately, though, Circle of Souls is a mystery and a thriller. And a well done one at that. I enjoyed every moment reading this book and was saddened to have it end, although the ending was very satisfying.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery or thriller, but more importantly to anyone who enjoys a well put together story with vibrant characters.

Here is hoping that A Circle of Souls is the first of many books to come from Preetham Grandi.

www.psychoticstate.blogspot.com
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Jun 26, 2009

Teri rated it

A Circle Of Souls by Preetham Grandhi

This riveting debut novel by Mr. Grandhi is a fascinating psychological thriller that takes place in Newbury, Connecticut. The town is shocked by the murder of ten year old Janet Troy, who disappeared after school. When Dr. Peter Gram, young Psychiatrist Fellow, is intrigued with 7 year old Naya Hastings' dreams of murder and her drawings of Janet, he helps FBI special children's Agent, Leia Bines in solving the case. Peter is also mystified...more

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Mar 03, 2010

Bookworm rated it

In A Circle of Souls 10 year old Janet Troy disappears one day after getting off the school bus. As a short cut walking home, she takes the path along Willow Lake and is never heard from again.

Dr. Peter Gram works at the hospital and specializes in pediatric medicine. Late one night a 7 year old is brought into the ER and they page Dr. Gram to evaluate her. Naya Hastings has been having vivid nightmares and has been sleepwalking dangerously. Her parents are in fear of her hurting he...more

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