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 neighbourhoods in a city whose law enforcement is already stretched thin, devoid of forensic resources and rife with corruption. 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 a fascinating story about the Catholic Church and its place in its devotees' lives and communities.
Praise for Smaller and Smaller Circles
Winner of the Philippine National Book Award
Winner of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award
Winner of the Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award
"Vivid, shocking, and utterly engrossing. F.H. Batacan's police procedural with its priest-PI lead opens a fascinating window on the Philippines."
-Barry Lancet, Barry Award-winning author of Japantown and Tokyo Kill
"A good, old-fashioned serial killer novel set in Quezon City . . . What's fascinating is the glimpse into a conservative and pious society, full of obstructive officials, both clerical and secular, who are more interested in preserving the status quo than in revealing uncomfortable truths. They, and the killer, are outsmarted by a dogged pair who are a welcome addition to the ranks of ecclesiastical sleuths: forensic anthropologist Father Gus Saenz and psychologist Father Jerome Lucero."
- The Guardian
"A perfect opportunity for whodunit fans around the world to discover Manila as a setting, but also one for Filipino readers to see the city in a different half-light . . . Smaller and Smaller Circles is now not only the first Filipino crime novel, but also the terrific, treacherous touchstone for all such novels to follow."
- Inquirer
"Reminds us that truth not only exists at the end of a story, but continuously through the present moment, woven as traces, hints and clues to be grasped at even as they pass."
-The Spectator (UK)
"Saenz is a likeable protagonist, a contemporary Fr Brown, as motivated by compassion as he is by justice . . . A fascinating snapshot of a country still struggling to come to terms with the poverty, corruption and brutality of the Ferdinand Marcos era."
- The Irish Times
"A masterful, if controversial, work of crime fiction."
-CNN Philippines
"A serial killer mystery, a study of state and church corruption, and an exploration of political indifference to poverty... There are few better ways to get interested in a region thaninternational mystery fiction."
-The Week
"[An] outstanding debut . . . Saenz and Lucero take on a politically charged investigation with conscience and compassion ."
-Carole E. Barrowman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"Moody, gripping, original, and utterly irresistible . . . A unique and necessary step in the evolution of Philippine fiction."
-Citation for the Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award
"Everything in Smaller and Smaller Circles feels claustrophobic, opaque, and dark. Saenz and Lucero, in response, attempt to shine light on corruption and crime. Batacan, similarly, has turned our attention to the shady underbelly of Metro Manila, where the sun only helps increase the stench of trash."
- Los Angeles Review of Books
"Chilling."
- Dayton Daily News
"Woven in the fast-paced crime story is an exploration of the role of the Catholic Church and the power it wields . . . Dark, gritty, and absorbing as any American noir and shouldn't be missed."
-The Strand Magazine
"A gripping crime thriller . . . Batacan harnesses the crime novel's obsession with death to shed necessary light on the vulnerability, and dignity, of these Filipinos' lives."
-Public Books
"Fast-paced and gripping . . . A sobering indictment of the system and an advocacy for a more effective, just, and incorruptible investigative system."
- GMA News
"Besides providing an ample supply of social commentary, Batacan is also able to deftly weave both narrative action and logical progression in one neat, easily readable novel that also illuminates distinct characteristics required in every work of art: the much-vaunted human condition and the sense of humanity."
- Business World
"A killer debut, both for Batacan and for Filipino suspense literature . . . A complex and thought provoking novel on every level, one that has left me itching for the sequel!"
- Bruce Tierney, BookPage
"Gut wrenchingly real . . . Batacan has used her powerful firs
Winner of the Philippine National Book Award
Winner of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award
Winner of the Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award
"Vivid, shocking, and utterly engrossing. F.H. Batacan's police procedural with its priest-PI lead opens a fascinating window on the Philippines."
-Barry Lancet, Barry Award-winning author of Japantown and Tokyo Kill
"A good, old-fashioned serial killer novel set in Quezon City . . . What's fascinating is the glimpse into a conservative and pious society, full of obstructive officials, both clerical and secular, who are more interested in preserving the status quo than in revealing uncomfortable truths. They, and the killer, are outsmarted by a dogged pair who are a welcome addition to the ranks of ecclesiastical sleuths: forensic anthropologist Father Gus Saenz and psychologist Father Jerome Lucero."
- The Guardian
"A perfect opportunity for whodunit fans around the world to discover Manila as a setting, but also one for Filipino readers to see the city in a different half-light . . . Smaller and Smaller Circles is now not only the first Filipino crime novel, but also the terrific, treacherous touchstone for all such novels to follow."
- Inquirer
"Reminds us that truth not only exists at the end of a story, but continuously through the present moment, woven as traces, hints and clues to be grasped at even as they pass."
-The Spectator (UK)
"Saenz is a likeable protagonist, a contemporary Fr Brown, as motivated by compassion as he is by justice . . . A fascinating snapshot of a country still struggling to come to terms with the poverty, corruption and brutality of the Ferdinand Marcos era."
- The Irish Times
"A masterful, if controversial, work of crime fiction."
-CNN Philippines
"A serial killer mystery, a study of state and church corruption, and an exploration of political indifference to poverty... There are few better ways to get interested in a region thaninternational mystery fiction."
-The Week
"[An] outstanding debut . . . Saenz and Lucero take on a politically charged investigation with conscience and compassion ."
-Carole E. Barrowman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"Moody, gripping, original, and utterly irresistible . . . A unique and necessary step in the evolution of Philippine fiction."
-Citation for the Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award
"Everything in Smaller and Smaller Circles feels claustrophobic, opaque, and dark. Saenz and Lucero, in response, attempt to shine light on corruption and crime. Batacan, similarly, has turned our attention to the shady underbelly of Metro Manila, where the sun only helps increase the stench of trash."
- Los Angeles Review of Books
"Chilling."
- Dayton Daily News
"Woven in the fast-paced crime story is an exploration of the role of the Catholic Church and the power it wields . . . Dark, gritty, and absorbing as any American noir and shouldn't be missed."
-The Strand Magazine
"A gripping crime thriller . . . Batacan harnesses the crime novel's obsession with death to shed necessary light on the vulnerability, and dignity, of these Filipinos' lives."
-Public Books
"Fast-paced and gripping . . . A sobering indictment of the system and an advocacy for a more effective, just, and incorruptible investigative system."
- GMA News
"Besides providing an ample supply of social commentary, Batacan is also able to deftly weave both narrative action and logical progression in one neat, easily readable novel that also illuminates distinct characteristics required in every work of art: the much-vaunted human condition and the sense of humanity."
- Business World
"A killer debut, both for Batacan and for Filipino suspense literature . . . A complex and thought provoking novel on every level, one that has left me itching for the sequel!"
- Bruce Tierney, BookPage
"Gut wrenchingly real . . . Batacan has used her powerful firs