Member Reviews
Tammy W, Reviewer
This was a compelling read, that I found I did not want to put down! Great, multi-faceted characters. Very interesting plot. Vivid descriptions. Suspenseful and thrilling. I felt every emotion. Kept me intrigued from the first page to the last. Simply a GREAT read!
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
Claudete T, Reviewer
If you have read other stories by Warren Adler you'll find the same crude approach to human nature and in The Serpent's Bite, we contemplate how far greed will take one's life and lead it. Courtney has no morals, no love for anyone - except herself, and she is so full of greed that she will attempt at anything to reach her aim. Her father unbeknownst to him spoiled both siblings and leaving matters unspoken only led to derailed and unfulfilled lives. His willingness to reconnect with his children will lead to a trip full of difficult realization of shortcomings, regrets, deceit, lies, and fatal acts. Sad and disturbing this is a reality seem in many cultures because it's human nature, fortunately for only some individuals.
I downloaded a free copy of this book through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
Francisca M, Reviewer
The scenario includes a family going on a trip in the middle of nowhere to try and bond once again. A rich father, two 30 years olds in need of money, a drunken guide, and an unkind helper. What could go wrong?
Se setting and the title scream betrayal. The children, especially the female one looks for any possible chance to fulfill her dream to be an actress. The male needs money after a series of unsuccessful businesses. The father feels guilty about letting them on their own.
The plot thickens with the relationships of the brothers, with a shady past. The forest gets the worst of all of them. Yet even if it would seem interesting, the character lack strength to fully give the book the dept that it needs. A page-turner, but not enough to fully hook me.
Rachel D, Reviewer
This was a decent book. Kept my interest even though the story took some disturbing turns..it could have been written better, in my opinion. A lot of over description.
Annemarie W, Reviewer
It was okay. I'm not a big fan of incest and I don't mind killing family or killing for.money in stories....all good ideas but the Whine of the main character. I couldn't get over it. And considering she was kinda a failure in everything, seemed like she had it going on for a while. She maybe should struggled a little more.
Neville T, Reviewer
Good read though some of the book is hard to read due to subject (incest). Not many redeeming features if any in the characters, but a well written book
I received this book from the publishers via Netgalley for a review.
jean luc e, Librarian
Callousness is a mild word to even try to describe the rather devious attitudes so blatantly exposed by the cast in this incredible story.
A family straight out from hell with lots of simmering and undigested hates, grudges and deadly reckonings and their inability to deal with them....
A rollicking and more than truculent journey into an American family going totally bonkers....
The serpent's bite is a very fun and voyeuristic trip into American domestic dysfunctionality!
Adler was a marvellous wordsmith and one of my favorite rediscoveries for 2021.
To be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Stonehouse for this terrific ARC
Dirk G, Bookseller
I selected this book due to the overview, it reminded me of something that Richard Laymon would have written, fast pace, suspenseful, and violent. I hate giving a poor review to someone that has past, but I cannot give this work anything but. The characters were one dimensional, predictable, and boring. The dialogue was repetitive to the point I almost didn't finish the book. Each day on the trek through the mountains brought the same dribble of the early lives of the father, daughter, and son. It seemed the author didn't have enough patience or material to make a novel, so filled it instead with a backstory that was uninteresting and tiresome. The ending was rushed and anticlimactic.
