written by Maria Felisa H Vatican f h Vatican a Filipino author and journalist smaller and smaller circles is considered one of the first Filipino crime novels originally published in 1996 it is vatican's Debut novel the story follows two Catholic priests fathers Gus signs and Jerome Lucero who use their expertise as forensic investigators to track down a serial killer who has been mutilating and murdering young boys in manila's impoverished payout is slum smaller and smaller circles won the Carlos polenka grand prize for the English novel in 1999 as well as the 2002 Manila critics Circle National book award and the Madrigal Gonzalez best first book award in 2003. not only is the novel one of the first Filipino serial killer crime stories smaller and smaller circles is also escaping social commentary on Injustice and inequality in the Philippines Vatican criticizes the bureaucracy poverty police corruption the Catholic church and the heartless media revised and expanded the novel in 2013. in her acknowledgments batacan explains that the first time she wrote the book she was angry about the state of her country the second time she wrote the book she declares she was even angrier at the fact that her country was worse off than it had been in 1996 and upset at the callousness complacency and Corruption that kept it there smaller and smaller circles is narrated primarily from a third person omniscient perspective but the killer interjects tense first-person comments the story opens as the payout is Parish priest father Emil follows a group of Islam kids up a mountain of garbage in the 50-acre landfill where young children scavenge through the piles of waste for goods and food the kids lead father Emil to the body of a young boy the child's face has been peeled from his skull his heart cut out and his genitals removed he is the sixth found murdered this way father Gus signs performs an autopsy on the boy signs is tall wiry and good looking with thick wavy hair that is graying at the temples his friend in Protege father Lucero calls it Rockstar hair in addition to his ministerial duties science teaches University classes and is a forensic anthropologist father Jerome is a clinical psychologist in contrast to the older signs he is Compact and solidly built with an intensity that makes him seem older than 37. the two discuss the murder science observes that the boy's face was flayed by a small sharp smooth blade they note that since theres was no blood at the site The Killing must have taken place elsewhere while the boy had not been sexually assaulted Jerome believes that the killer must have some sexual conflict in there somewhere because of the removal of the boy's genitals the priests discover that the boys were each killed on the first Saturday of the month over the last six months the acting director of the National Bureau of Investigation elderly director lastimosa cares about the deaths he calls on signs to join his investigation agreeing that there is a serial killer on the loose he states that there are no Witnesses and the local police have stopped investigating lastimosa comments life is cheap in that part of the city science joins the team led by the ambitious self-serving Attorney Ben arkinis signs and Jerome face many challenges in their hunt to find the killer there are few accurate crime statistics or records available law enforcement agencies are often incompetent or corrupt and reports are often made selectively or whitewashed an investigative reporter Joanna Bonifacio helped signs get information from government officials science is also intent on bringing another criminal to Justice he is aware that the church is ignoring the actions of a pedophile in their ranks science knows that father Ramirez is guilty of molesting children under his charge including one of science's former pupils but Ramirez has made powerful friends and the children will not testify against him the Cardinal moves for mirrors around to new positions but will not discipline him as signs and Jerome search for Clues to the Killer's identity they discover that a mobile dental clinic Services the payoutis community on Saturdays they request the dental records of the boys to help identify them the priest's surge is juxtaposed with memories from several of the boy's mothers who describe the lives of their children and the challenges they had raising them in such hard conditions the dentist Dr Alex Carlos provides the records to the investigation signs and Jerome realize that the knife marks on the victim's skulls could easily be made by Dental instruments and identify Carlos as a suspect Jerome talks to Carlos's parents who revealed that Alex was raped by his School PE teacher Mr gorsby they allowed it to go on so Alex could stay in school they insist nobody talked about such things back then signs and Jerome theorize that Carlos plans to destroy himself by placing himself in a position to get caught or killed the team goes to Carlos's apartment where they find organs stored in his freezer Carlos kills another boy but rushes and does not complete the mutilations signs and Jerome track Carlos to the dental clinic signs enters and attempts to talk Carlos out he tells Carlos that although he's become a little like Mr gorsby he can heal himself regain what the man took from him and atone for what he took from others Carlos follows signs out of the clinic an overeaker policeman shoots wounding Carlos who attacks signs slashing him with a blade more shots are fired killing Carlos who manages to say I didn't want it science recovers in the hospital lastimosa reveals that father Ramirez has been stealing from charity funds getting signs legal evidence to get him removed signs in Jerome visit Carlos's grave Jerome feels compassion for Carlos but acknowledges that not everyone can be saved I hope you enjoyed this video leave a like if you did and be sure to subscribe thank you