The Serpent Club

I picked this up ... the cover looked nice, and the inside flap story made me curious. I could not put this one down, and it's based in L.A... the story just keeps ya going... I recommend this book for thriller/mystery lovers!

I'm not going into indepth description and assessment of this writer. I read alot. Especially James Patterson and Stephen King. I will only say this. For a first effort, Tom Coffey is absolutely "ON". Read this book. I have laid aside books by supposedly "better authors" than this guy, such as P.D. James, because I got so bored by the ineffectual descriptions of petty details that I couldn't continue. Enjoy Tom Coffey for his flow, the way he just lays it out there, the awful 'in your face' violence and the seduction of the question left in the last chapter you read. Not rocket science. But, Tom Coffey knows how to spin a tale. I didn't jump from chapter 3 to the end. That is good reading.

I've read this book twice and both times finished it within two days. It just carries you along: it's well-written and gripping and the ending is not one you can guess. It does give an extremely dark view of the world and I can understand why it disturbed some reviewers here. But any book that can spark such strong comments, both positive and negative, is one that thoughtful readers might want to investigate.

The Serpent Club was really compelling, in fact I read it in one long day of reading. It's definitely not pretty though (random home invasions, rapes and violence and of course murders are there at every turn) and the faint of heart shouldn't even bother to pick it up. Coffey's first novel is written in a simple first person format and the way he uses words is just perfect in my opinion. As I said earlier, the subject matter was just disturbing enough for me to think "do I want to keep reading?" obviously I did and to tell the truth the ending almost made it worthwile. I hope that Coffey soon follows up with another book, either continuing Ted Lowe's story, or starting another one.

Los Angeles news reporter Ted Lowe has covered many violent crimes over the years, but no incident affected him more deeply than the death of teenager Megan Wright. She was his first corpse and she was left beaten and naked except for a pair of white sox. Ted is surprised how serene Megan's mother is over her daughter's murder. He makes some inquiries and learns Mrs. Wright is involved with a rich and powerful entrepreneur. Additionally, Megan was dating the man's son Brad. An obsessed Ted finds evidence that links Brad to the crime, but the journalist does not know how sordid the truth really is. THE SERPENT'S CLUB is a very good tale that mixes a thriller, legal procedural, psychological suspense, and amateur sleuthing into an entertaining story line. Though Tom Coffey's book includes much violence, none of it seems excessive as these acts propel the dramatic story forward. Ted is a flawed individual struggling to redeem himself by obtaining justice for victims. Fans will want more appearances of this imperfect antihero.Harriet Klausner