The Serpent Club

by Tom Coffey

A reporter becomes obsessed with the murder of a thirteenyearold girl and begins to unravel a crime that could implicate the seemingly perfect teenage sone of a powerful California family. Reprint.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Tom Coffey grew up on Staten Island, where he attended Catholic schools. His first novel, THE SERPENT CLUB, was published in 1999 by Pocket Books. His second novel, MIAMI TWILIGHT, came out two years later. In 2008 Toby Press printed BLOOD ALLEY, which also earned a starred review from PW. In 2015 the independent Oak Tree Press published BRIGHT MORNING STAR.

In early 2023, Tom signed a three-book deal with Level Best Books. PUBLIC MORALS, the first novel in The Devine Trilogy, was published later that year, followed in 2024 by its sequel, SPECIAL VICTIM. Both books have received strong reviews.

Tom graduated from the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and attended film school at the University of Southern California. After a long career in journalism that included stints at The Miami Herald, the Los Angeles Herald Examiner and New York Newsday, Tom retired in 2023 from The New York Times. He lives in Lower Manhattan with his wife and daughter.

Reviews

[Gilbert G. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t waste your time or money! Terrible read. Sorry Mr. Coffey.

[StarMan]

RATING: 2.33 stars.

REVIEW: Murder mystery with a troubled TSTL* (and possibly borderline psychotic) reporter as protagonist. Unrealistic actions & reactions, but not entirely un-
entertaining.

* Too Stupid To Live

BONUS POINTS (?) FOR: Different-than-usual protagonist. A rare crime/mystery 'thriller' where the lawyers (who play minor roles here) seem to be more competent and on-the-level than anyone else.

DEMERITS: The culprit was pretty darn obvious. Suspension of disbelief here is impossible. Reporters do not get this kind of access. And people in general are not this stupid, nor do they rush to play amateur sleuth at great personal risk to themselves and others.

[Gil Dice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this book writes a check that the story cannot cash

The Serpent Club, while great in concept, fails to live up to the plot. The characters are one-dimensional with no proper access to their motivations. They eat. They sleep. They screw.

The villains also seem to lack in any sense of deeper aspect. They are bas... just 'cause.
The settings and mood all feel paper thin, and it is hard to get pulled into the current scenarios.

I am sorry. This was not very well executed.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story started out well. The author provide excellent descriptions of the character. The story seemed to switch directions as if not really sure what the conclusion should be. I'd read another by this author as this is his first novel.

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 1999. Coffey delivers a gut wrenching debut.

[Kristyl]

I liked it. The author was very descriptive. This book was full of suspense and mystery. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good suspense/mystery novel. It was somewhat predictable...that would be the downfall. The predictable part was figuring out who did it...it was pretty clear from the beginning. However, the series of events leading up to the actual murder was intense and very unpredictable. Overall, a it is a well-written book and definitely a page turner. It kept me reading it from start to finish....I couldn't put it down.

[Lilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty good murder mystery.. the killer was not who I expected