Book Review: Serpent's Dance

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Serpent's Dance     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Larry Brooks
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Thriller
Signet, Feb 2003, $6.99, 451 pp.

Sisters Bernie and Peggy Kane remain very close in spite of distance and that Peggy married a loser. Thus, when Peggy’s father-in-law calls to inform Bernie that her younger sister committed suicide she cannot believe it, Bernie knows that her sibling seemed happy with an upcoming divorce and an affair with computer CEO Wesley and his airplane.

When the police decide it is suicide due to a broken love affair as the cause of death, Bernie asks childhood friend Eric Killen to help her learn why Peggy jumped from the hotel window. Eric obtains information on Peggy’s lover Wesley Edwards of Oar Research in Scottsdale, Arizona that enables Bernie to gains work as a contractor for the firm. She begins a sexual game of cat and mouse with Wesley. Initially thinking that she is the predator seeking vengeance, Bernie soon realizes she is the rodent caught in a deadly trap in which survival is all she can hope to achieve.

Few writers of passionate suspense thrillers can provide the complexities of plot that Larry Brooks achieves. SERPENT’S DEATH is an exciting tale of seductive vengeance that quickly turns into a deadlier affair. Bernie is a great heroine, but do not let her spot your weights for you while Wesley is an enigmatic charismatic opponent, not aware that he is the enemy. The support cast enables the audience to understand Bernie’s demons and propels the story line forward. Most intriguing is the Sacramento chapters that at first seem as if they provide only shock value and are out of place, but ultimately contribute the full scope to an invigorating dark tale.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner