Serpents in the Cold

Ok so this was the first book I've ever had from Netgalley.<br>I just want to start by saying, I'm not one of those people who, for a review, write an in depth description of the story. That's what the blurb is for....<br><br>Anyway, here we go<br>Crime/Thriller, isn't usually my bag, I'm usually more into horror, but this book gripped me straight away. Don't want to give any spoilers, but within the first chapter you will be hooked.<br><br><br><br><br><a href="http://imgur.com/Sz0ZQjb" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1419207573ra/13011778.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><br><br><br><br>If you read the blurb, you will see that these two vigilantes are off to find a killer. So me telling you that there are a few dead bodies is no shocker. The way these bodies are described is just brilliant. They almost haunt your vision while reading.<br><br><br><br><br><a href="http://imgur.com/cOpNxtM" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1419207573ra/13011779.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><br><br><br><br><br>As the story goes on, you get to know the two protagonists quite well, you're given their backgrounds and stories and you really start to feel for them.<br><br>Sooo as if the murders and bodies wasn't cool enough, then you're given bar fights and gun fights that are worthy of the godfather!<br><br><br><br><br><br><a href="http://imgur.com/bFM3J6r" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1419207573ra/13011780.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><a href="http://imgur.com/3syntoo" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1419207573ra/13011781.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><br><br><br><br><br>Definitely recommend this book. It was a really fun read and I will certainly be looking out for more from the author.<br><br><br><br><br><br>One other thing, which I want to mention as a sideline, please don't judge the story by this, as I said the story was brilliant. BUT the formatting on this book! I know, it's from Netgalley and not a final copy. But oh my god! It got really frustrating at times. Sentences, sometimes whole paragraphs with not a single space between the words! I felt like I was trying to decipher some crazy code or something.<br>Like I said, hopefully this will be sorted before the final release, but felt I should mention it.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><a href="http://imgur.com/2TKaIWZ" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1419207573ra/13011782.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a>

This novel is set in post-war Boston. It is February 1951 and one of the coldest winters on record, when some children out walking their dog discover the body of a woman on the beach. The woman turns out to be the sister in law of Dante Cooper; a heroin addict, whose wife Margot is also dead. Dante hears the news of the murder from his children friend, Cal O’Brien, a former Boston cop who still has nightmares six years after his time in the war and who now operates a security business. The former cop and the heroin addict in debt to mobsters seem unlikely heroes and, indeed, this is very much a noir novel – dark, unsettling and taking place largely within the underbelly of a depressed and frozen city. <br /><br />When Cal and Dante team up to discover who killed Margot’s sister, Sheila, their investigation will cause both men to question their lives so far – and will change them irrevocably. Was Sheila one of a series of victims; murdered by the killer known as the Butcher, or was there another reason for her death? From boarding houses to the city dump, through convents and haulage yards, the men find themselves embroiled in a murder which involves the Church, politics, mobsters and corruption. Dante questions how much he really knew about Sheila –was her life a string of deceits, or was she the victim of a psychopath? <br /><br />This is a novel full of tragedy and atmosphere. The novel is interspersed with photographs from the period, which helps evoke the period and the city of Boston – which is every bit as much a character in the book as Cal or Dante. I found this an interesting and well plotted novel and would certainly like to see Cal and Dante in another outing. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, for review.<br /><br />

l won this book in a Goodreads Firstreads giveaway.<br /><br />l loved it. Bleak, heroes were anti-heroes, violence was not gratuitous but added reality to the themes. l though all the way through that it would, in the hands of a talented director, make a must watch film.<br /><br />

While I love film noir, I have read very few "noir" novels, and the few I have have read were not so good. The Boston setting drew me to this one, since I lived there for a few years and got to know the city and area extremely well. I enjoyed this novel quite a bit, and it was great fun to see how the authors used the Boston locales, including many that have vanished since the early 50's. I didn't view the story as a "realistic" novel at all, as it is extremely bleak and terrifying to the point of near fantasy. If the reader didn't know Boston from personal experience, one might think the entire city and metro area were-or are-unrelentingly grim. Indeed, some parts ARE as depressing as described here, but much of the area is quite beautiful and pleasant in reality. But I didn't care too much otherwise that the authors took liberties with some descriptions and historical facts, like with the fictional characters behind the infamous razing of Scollay Square and the West End, (an event many still decry even today, as it so dramatically changed a large section of the city, and not necessarily all for the better.) Anyway, this was excellent storytelling.

This is a gritty novel about 2 Boston cousins. It takes place in the early 50s during the coldest winter in Boston's history and involves the infamous Brinks robbery. Cal O'Brien, a former Boston cop, operates a security business near Scollay Square. His childhood friend, Dante Cooper, is a junkie who is indebted to the local loan shark. <br />When Dante's sister-in-law becomes a victim of a serial murderer, the 2 friends try to find out who did it. The trail leads to mobsters, politicians, the Catholic clergy as well as developers and builders. <br />Fans of Robert Parker will enjoy this book.<br />

Novel received courtesy of Goodreads.com giveaway<br /><br />Set in post WWII south Boston, this is a dark, dark novel. Drug abuse, PTSD, crooked politicians, murder, poverty...the list goes on and on! However, if you're keen enough to push through all the darkness, the story is really good. <br /><br />Two childhood friends; one just back from the war, the other a heroin addict, try to right the wrongs that were visited upon a family member. That search for "absolution" takes them to and through violent and illegal situations. I enjoyed the novel but couldn't read it quickly because it was so dark.

Winning this book from the Goodreads giveaway was very exciting. .. when I read the premise, it captured my attention.....it is a very dark book set in Boston during the 1950s...two men both fighting their own demons team up to unravel the murder of ones sister-in-law and if there is a connection to the death of one of the mens wife.....a lot of factors play into this mystery. ..church,politics and the mob....I can see this book being optioned for a major studio movie....

I received this as a first read. This one was an interesting one. I am just getting into the noir type of mysteries. This one was set in the fifties in Boston. I liked this one. It is another dark one but interesting how the story unrivaled. I liked how the author uses many factor involved in the crime - such as politics and the mob. All in all a good read for those looking for a crime thriller book.

a junkie and an ex-cop chase a serial killer in a frozen, post-war Boston. if you like dark and gritty crime-noir, filled with cigarettes and whiskey, violence and conspiracy, you should give this a chance. <br /><br />I also made a musical mix inspired by this book you can check out here:<br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://8tracks.com/dj_dim-mak/dj_dim-mak-serpents-in-the-cold">http://8tracks.com/dj_dim-mak/dj_dim-...</a>

if you want to play a drinking game, take a drink every time these guys light a cigarette - this book could have been one-third shorter w/o the tedious description of everything that is dark in Boston - which is everything, apparently. no suspense, no redeeming qualities, just a mean dirty grimy story of bad guys getting even with worse guys - skip this one