Accidents Happen and Other Stories by F.H. Batacan

” … ideal for readers who would like some thrilling tales but have limited time.”

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A Trailblazer in Filipino Crime Fiction

F.H. Batacan won the Philippine National Book Award in 2002 for her first novel Smaller and Smaller Circles, a detective thriller which was later adapted into a critically acclaimed film. She is widely considered to be the first writer of Filipino crime fiction and an acknowledged master of the genre. Accidents Happen and Other Stories is a book of 11 suspenseful stories that explore the themes of death, intrigue, and violence with several focusing on the oppression of women in the Philippines.

This wide-ranging collection of tales includes murder mysteries, uncanny disappearances, dystopian science fiction, criminal acts and a tale that tantalizes with a tinge of horror. She writes about superrich, privileged classes as well as the voiceless disenfranchised and disadvantaged in a country where the poverty rate remains at nearly 16% with many gripped in a daily struggle for adequate work to provide food and housing for themselves and their families. Life is challenging and steeped in menace in the vividly imagined worlds created by F. H. Batacan.

Tales of Mystery, Menace, and Moral Complexity

The title story Accidents Happen grabs the reader from the first sentence. Francis, a sensitive, inquisitive 12-year-old boy is cosseted and overly protected 24 hours daily who is kept inside his family’s heavily patrolled gated compound, frustrated by isolation and a lack of friends. He longs for a more normal life as a regular kid but is the son of a controversial mega wealthy politician with suspected ties to gangster activities and a drug-addled former beauty contest winner mother. Francis is raised by nannies, tended by maids, housekeepers, and cook along with a loyal driver who chauffeurs him to his private school and back. Francis occasionally questions the friendly family driver Juanito about his village and the peaceful life he had experienced there. Late one night, there is a freak accident on the motorway that drives a semi-truck off the road. Francis vanishes.

In No. 1 Pencil, a compassionate police officer and his partner are sent to investigate the possible homicide of a middle-aged woman who died after tumbling down a flight of stairs. Her adult son has accused his teenage stepsister Isa of shoving his mother to her death. Evidence of severe abuse is uncovered as well as the fact the girl is a gifted composer and musician despite her deafness. It’s an arresting tale that is guaranteed to linger.

Door 59 seems to concern itself with a horrendous case of spousal abuse but there is so much more to be revealed. The One Cry echoes F.H. Batacan’s work as a journalist working in criminal investigation with a reporter who may have stumbled upon a brutal serial killer who has cleanly escaped justice – so far. Keeping Time is a powerful warning against predatory practices of pharmaceutical companies. The World Health Organization is concerned but it is already too late. An enzyme described as a quick way to fluoridate the worldwide water supply to promote health and cure a myriad of diseases cannot be contained. The consequences are dire.

Short, Sharp, and Impossible to Shake

The remainder of these provocative, uncommon, thought-provoking short stories are equally fascinating and include one that brings back Father Augusto Saenz, the Jesuit priest and forensic anthropologist introduced in her novel Smaller and Smaller Circles. The stories are of varying lengths, ideal for readers who would like some thrilling tales but have limited time. Take note of author F. H. Batacan who may be on her way to becoming a giant in global crime fiction.

About F.H. Batacan:

F.H. Batacan was born in Manila and graduated from the University of the Philippines with a BA in communications and an MA in art history. After ten years of working in the Philippine intelligence community, she turned to broadcast journalism. Smaller and Smaller Circles, her first novel, won the prestigious Philippine National Book Award and is widely regarded as the first Philippine crime novel.

Accidents Happen and Other Stories by F.H. Batacan