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The 39 Clues #7

The Viper's Nest

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The most dangerous secret in Amy and Dan's past is unveiled in Book 7 of the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

The hunt for 39 hidden Clues that lead to an unimaginable power have taken a heavy toll on fourteen-year-old Amy Cahill and her younger brother, Dan. They've just seen a woman die. They're wanted by the Indonesian police. They're trapped on an island with a man who knows too much about the death of their parents. And a tropical storm is rolling in. Just when they think it can't get any worse, it does. Because the Cahills have one more rattling skeleton for Amy and Dan to discover . . . the terrible truth about their family branch.

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 2, 2010

270 people are currently reading
9378 people want to read

About the author

Peter Lerangis

153 books793 followers
Lerangis's work includes The Viper's Nest and The Sword Thief, two titles in the children's-book series The 39 Clues, the historical novel Smiler's Bones, the YA dark comedy-adventure novel wtf, the Drama Club series, the Spy X series, the Watchers series, the Abracadabra series, and the Antarctica two-book adventure, as well ghostwriting for series such as the Three Investigators, the Hardy Boys Casefiles, Sweet Valley Twins, and more than forty books in the series The Baby-sitters Club and its various spin-offs.[1] He has also written novels based on film screenplays, including The Sixth Sense, Sleepy Hollow, and Beauty and the Beast, and five video game novelizations in the Worlds of Power series created by Seth Godin.[2] As a ghostwriter he has been published under the name A. L. Singer.[3]
Lerangis is the son of a retired New York Telephone Company employee and a retired public-elementary-school secretary, who raised him in Freeport, New York on Long Island. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in biochemistry, while acting in musicals[4] and singing with and musically directing the a cappella group the Harvard Krokodiloes,[5][6] before moving to New York. He worked there as an actor[7] and freelance copy editor for eight years before becoming an author.[8]
In 2003, Lerangis was chosen by First Lady Laura Bush to accompany her to the first Russian Book Festival, hosted by Russian First Lady Lyudmila Putina in Moscow.[9][10]Authors R. L. Stine (Goosebumps) and Marc Brown (the Arthur the Aardvark series) also made the trip with Bush.[9]
Also in 2003, Lerangis was commissioned by the United Kingdom branch of Scholastic to write X-Isle, one of four books that would relaunch the Point Horror series there.[11] A sequel, Return to X-Isle, was published in 2004.
In 2007, Scholastic announced the launch of a new historical mystery series called The 39 Clues, intended to become a franchise.[12] Lerangis wrote the third book in the series, The Sword Thief, published in March 2009.[13][14][15] On March 3, 2009, Scholastic announced that Lerangis would write the seventh book in the series, The Viper's Nest.[14][16]
Lerangis lives in New York City with his wife, musician Tina deVaron, and their sons Nick and Joe.[17]

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5 stars
18,208 (39%)
4 stars
13,688 (29%)
3 stars
10,593 (22%)
2 stars
2,414 (5%)
1 star
1,178 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 749 reviews
Profile Image for Lila.
896 reviews198 followers
February 27, 2023
And the surprises keep coming.

At this point, who is even surprised that Amy and Dan's family is trying to kill them? I am certainly not.
However, while we have seen glimpses of Irina's humanity sprinkled throughout the series, but even I was surprised at her sacrifice.
Makes me kind of miss her brand of cold and snarky.
Profile Image for Allie.
513 reviews29 followers
April 17, 2018
I've been listening to all of these books with my kids, but I just don't know how I'd rate them. I think it's because I wouldn't listen to them on my own --- and I love middle grade reads.

My 11 year old son gave this 5 stars.
41 reviews
February 4, 2012
Entry 1-

Amy and Dan Cahill are the protagonists and they are all on their own in the hunt for the 39 Clues started by their grandmother, Grace Cahill. They must depend on their own instincts to beat their wealthy cousins to the final product, the serum including all of the 39 Clues, which makes whoever drinks it the most powerful person in the world. The antagonists are the other Cahill members taking part in the hunt for the 39 Clues.

Entry 2-

The setting is all over the world as the clue hunt leads them. The point of view is from all the members of the clue hunt which adds suspense. The theme is that the the people who cheat lose, even though in reality they might win.

Entry 3-

They find that the next clue was aloe, although Isabel and everyone else believes it is diamond after Dan pretends that it was diamond. Isabel almost kills them, but with the help of Professor Bardsley they escape using Graces' plane, and they fly to Grace's African home to heal Dan so that he doesn't die.
Profile Image for Isabel.
88 reviews22 followers
May 7, 2023
When I thought this series cannot continue to be this good.. well, I was right. The Viper‘s Nest (#7 of The 39 clues) kind of proved it. I have to say, for a children/kids book the vocabulary is a little too high. There were couple words I didn’t know or understood right away. Of course English is not my mother language but I didn’t have this problem with the other 6 books of this series. I just think, there are other and more simple words the author could have used for this story.

Over all the adventure was still there, but sometime the context and writing wasn’t good. I gave this book 3 stars because of the other 6 books I read of this series and because it continued the whole adventure/travel story of Amy and Dan.
Profile Image for Lady Flo.
204 reviews26 followers
July 5, 2015
All I can say about the book it was the easiest one about the events, about Amy and Dan's itinerary and finding clue until now. But realization was worse. How they could be a Madrigal, when they two hated them so much.
Profile Image for Christian Schultheiss.
577 reviews17 followers
September 30, 2024
This series has just kept keeping the thrills and intense suspense running again with this next addition, I mean I actually felt nervous and anxious for the kids and their safety for once. The was actual deaths, kind of serious torture methods and don’t even get me started on the cool and gorgeous scenery of South Africa as a setting. That mixed with this being a big arc with the Holt’s just made for a really thrilling and heart pounding read.
Profile Image for Auzin.
127 reviews
March 16, 2025
This one was okay, I got a little lost at times as the plot was jumping all over the place.
Profile Image for Mia Claire.
74 reviews4 followers
December 26, 2011
******MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD******

Oh my gosh. Here is yet another awesome 39 Clues book. I wonder how do the 39 Clues writers come up with those mind-boggling puzzles and codes topped with historical background and everything. And speaking of puzzles, codes, and history, in this particular book, readers are brought into another action-filled adventure to South Africa (Pretoria---because of the song March to Pretoria which was a clue from Irina Spasky---and I even checked out the youtube video of that song just because it’s included in the book---and Johannesburg). And about the puzzle, well, the moment I saw the “Church Hill” word in the postcard given by some taxi driver to the Cahill siblings, the first person that came to my mind was Winston Churchill and I immediately googled his name. When I learned that he is British, I abandoned the idea. But a few pages later, it turns out that he knew what the next clue is and I was actually right about his association with the clue “Church Hill”. And also, expect some juicy revelations about Amy and Dan’s real family branch. ^_^
Plus…expect a new love team. Forget the Ian-Amy pairing. Peter Lerangis introduces yet another love team here. And I won’t be surprised if he will abandon it just like what he did with the Ian-Amy tandem he first introduced in Book 3: The Sword Thief. Anyway, the Ian-Amy love team is impossible in the first place but I can’t help it… I like the love team… but oh well, a Kabra with a Cahill wouldn’t work out nicely.
And take note…you’ll also meet some Zulu warrior called Shaka.
And…before I forget, you might want to learn some Morse code before reading the book. It’ll come in handy, trust me. But if you’re a busy person, well, there’s an online Morse code decoder you can use. ;)
So there you go. Happy reading!
12 reviews
Read
March 25, 2015
The most dangerous secret in Amy and Dan's past is unveiled in Book 7 of the #1 New York Times bestselling series. The hunt for 39 hidden Clues that lead to an unimaginable power have taken a heavy toll on fourteen-year-old Amy Cahill and her younger brother, Dan. They've just seen a woman die. They're wanted by the Indonesian police. They're trapped on an island with a man who knows too much about the death of their parents. And a tropical storm is rolling in. Just when they think it can't get any worse, it does. Because the Cahills have one more rattling skeleton for Amy and Dan to discover . . . the terrible truth about their family branch.
Profile Image for Dany.
266 reviews86 followers
September 12, 2020
Dan and Amy with their au pair in Africa ! Amy goes through some character development which I LOVVEEED . She's so awesome

Pretty average and predictable as the rest of them.

1. Maze of Bones - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
2. One false note - 🌟🌟🌟
3. The Sword thief - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
4. Beyond the grave - 🌟🌟🌟
5. The Black Circle - 🌟🌟 🌟1/2
6. In Too Deep - 🌟🌟1/2
Profile Image for Lost Planet Airman.
1,283 reviews90 followers
February 20, 2017
Audio version with The Youngest on a car trip; filled the time vey nicely. A few pretty deep themes for a 4th-grader; if your kids are hooked on the 39 Clues series, be aware of what they are reading.

And really,
Profile Image for Anastasia Antonova.
262 reviews21 followers
October 15, 2015
Ну ничего себе, вот это поворот. Впрочем, я об этом догадывалась, но ведь фамилия-то почему такая?
Эта часть менее насыщенная событиями в отличии от остальных, но конец порадовал.

Итог: 7 из 10
Profile Image for Devanshi Gupta.
Author 4 books38 followers
March 27, 2016
Why was Dan so pushed in the spotlight? I kinda wished everyone contributed equally in the novel.
10 reviews1 follower
June 5, 2017
This book was mainly that sometimes the reward is worth the risk. In this book and series the reward is nothing short of the chance of world domination, the reward making you the most powerful person in the world. In this book they are in South Africa, tracing down a connection between Winston Churchill and Shaka Zulu, all the while avoiding peril from their adventures and relatives. They go through many dangers and as usual dodge death many times. But they still stay in the hunt, showing time and time again that they think the rewards of the hunt are worth the risks for them.
Profile Image for Rianna *Hermione* B.
294 reviews30 followers
May 7, 2019
The main characters find out something about their side of the family. Once again, someone is in life-threatening danger.
I really liked to see the depths of the other factions of family's secret headquarters. I enjoy the adventure and the travel. We learned about Shaka Zulu.. and S. Africa. At the end, you're left with more questions... Like woah.
Spoiler commentary--
302 reviews
January 10, 2025
5.0 stars. I really like how the stakes are getting higher. That people are being injured. The fact that Dan almost died made the story intense I was holding my breath. Lol
I could see that Hope and Arther were madrigals. But is the guy in the black there uncle like an actual good friend or someone who was taking advantage and playing the I’m your superior card over them. This book I feel really shows the “you thought it was this but in fact it’s this. “
What other clues are in the house of the grandma. Overall from the beginning to the end this book was well delivered imo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Author 1 book4 followers
August 31, 2023
*grips your shoulders firmly but gently* Listen to me. The 39 Clues series. It's about kindness in the face of a ruthless world. It's about choosing to do the right thing when everyone else around you is doing wrong. It's about inflicting others with positive change by staying true to who you are. It's about not letting your past and your lineage define you. It's about being kind it's about being kind it's about being kind it's-
Profile Image for Gil Segev.
Author 2 books2 followers
January 26, 2024
What I'm enjoying most out of this series is that it exposes (presumably young) readers to international history. In this book, we learn about South African history, including its cultures, languages, and natural life. As the series progresses, motifs of family, trust and bravery reoccur. The plot continues to thicken as the characters dive deeper into the search for the clues, exploring the idea that people always have good and bad sides.
Profile Image for Danny Iyke Ify.
13 reviews1 follower
January 20, 2023
Algo que me gusta de la saga de las 39 pistas y a su vez envidio es la cantidad de países que viajan a lo largo de los libros además de la historia de cada lugar.

Conocía parte de la historia de Sudáfrica como es el apartheid pero no sabía nada acerca de los boer y siempre resulta interesante aprender cosas nuevas y eso es algo que hace muy bien estos libros
75 reviews
Read
May 27, 2020
Amy and Dan never really stayed in one place for too long since the start of the clue hunt, so there were a lot of places they were. At the beginning of the book, they were in Jakarta, and after that, they went to Africa and moved around there up till the part I'm on.
Profile Image for Matilda.
Author 5 books196 followers
April 28, 2021
Ebben a kötetben most volt egy érdekes felfedezés, ami kíváncsi vagyok, mihez vezet. Igazából az is érdekel, mi lesz a vége ennek az egésznek, azért is olvasom végig a teljes sorozatot. De kezd nagyon repetitív és elnyújtott lenni.
Profile Image for Day Fisher.
528 reviews
December 6, 2024
Still lots of adventure for Dan and Amy but frankly I've stopped caring and am getting bored. I'll likely continue with the series because I don't know how to DNF but the books are bleeding together. At least we find out which branch of the family they are from!
Profile Image for Ashley W.
898 reviews25 followers
January 24, 2021
I'm not sure why I didn't care for this one as much as the others. The only time I really cared was when they mentioned Irina and she's dead. It wasn't until the end that anything significant happened. It was unexpected to learn that their parents are but I figured they were something special. The passports made me wonder more about their deaths and what led up to them. I'm still not sure about Nellie. Her reasons for her emails made sense but sounded too easy.
131 reviews
July 26, 2023
I want to know if going to the Peoria airport was a part of the research for this book.
1 review
February 18, 2013
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Profile Image for Kasia (kasikowykurz).
2,414 reviews62 followers
October 5, 2023
Chyba pierwszy raz w historii cieszę się, że jakaś seria (nie będąca romansem) ma tyle spin-offów i minie jeszcze dużo czasu, zanim ją skończę. Może nie jest z każdym tomem coraz lepiej (za to mega stabilnie), za to na pewno ciekawiej i jednocześnie nie mogę się doczekać rozwiązania zagadki i nie chcę jeszcze kończyć. Plus strasznie przywiązałam się do tych bohaterów (:
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