Serpents in the Cold

by Thomas O'Malley, Douglas Graham Purdy

A serial killer stalks the streets of 1950s Boston -- and two friends take it upon themselves to bring him down. Post-war Boston is down on its luck and looking for change. A year after the Great Brink's Robbery -- the largest robbery in the history of the United States -- Boston is known more for its seedy underbelly than for its rich, historical past. The winter of 1951 is the worst in recent memory, and the Bruins are suffering another losing season. Like Boston itself, lifelong residents Cal O'Brien and Dante Cooper are struggling to find their identities after World War II. Cal has built a mildly promising life for himself as an employee of a company providing private security, whether to an honorable businessman who needs a night watchman or to an Irish mafioso who needs to have someone's legs broken. Dante is everything Cal is not. A heroin addict trying and failing to stay clean, Dante feels the call to do good after he discovers that his sister-in-law was the latest victim of a serial killer targeting disadvantaged women. Woefully unqualified, but determined to help, Cal and Dante take it upon themselves to track the killer -- but their daunting quest takes on dangerous consequences when the trail leads them to the highest ranks of city government. There are a few well-placed men who don't want Cal and Dante to solve this case. An absorbing mixture of history and suspense, told with a meticulous eye for detail and character, Serpents in the Cold is a moving exploration about two men battling for second chances.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Thriller, Crime, Suspense

401 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 16, 2016

Reviews

[Andrew Lennon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok so this was the first book I've ever had from Netgalley.
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....

Anyway, here we go
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.









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.










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.

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!



















Definitely recommend this book. It was a really fun read and I will certainly be looking out for more from the author.





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.
Like I said, hopefully this will be sorted before the final release, but felt I should mention it.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

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?

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.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

l won this book in a Goodreads Firstreads giveaway.

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.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Jo Dervan · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.
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.
Fans of Robert Parker will enjoy this book.

[Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novel received courtesy of Goodreads.com giveaway

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.

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.

[Mina · Rating 3 out of 5]

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....

[Kme_17 · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Bryan Glosemeyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

I also made a musical mix inspired by this book you can check out here:
http://8tracks.com/dj_dim-mak/dj_dim-...

[Kent · Rating 2 out of 5]

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

[Alex Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very dark. None of the characters were particularly likeable and I didn't find myself unable to put the book down. Nevertheless the plot was interesting, if a little depressing and slow at times.

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book while I was in Boston actually. I went to Brattle Books in downtown Boston area and I found this discounted so I figured why not. Originally as I was reading this book, I didn't think I was going to like it. I felt the story was really slow paced for me and I found I took a break from reading this book to read something else then returned to this book to finally finish it.

It's 1950's Boston; WWII just ended and Cal O'Brien a war veteran is trying to return to a normal life with his wife, Lynne. While Cal is attempting to succeed at his private security company, his friend Dante is a heroin addict suffering from his withdrawls and failures at preventing his wife Margot's overdose. When Dante's sister-in-law Sheila is murdered by an apparent Boston butcher, Cal and Dante team up even though they are 100% unqualified at tracking this awful killer





There's a lot that I didn't expect to this book that turned this rating from a two star to a three star review. I liked the Godfather gangster battles in Boston. It was a nice side story to read about how Blackie Foley who's the brother of a congressman is fighting with the Irish for control of Boston's crime underworld. I imagined this book was going to be tracking a serial killer, but it becomes way more complicated than that. Blackie is a horrible person and when Cal finally kills him, it's a relief.

Also I definitely didn't expect the death of Lynne, Cal's wife. Being burned alive is such a violent way to go and especially in the hands of Blackie. You can see why I'm glad Cal killed him.

The butcher happened to be some random guy with red hair who had a trailer where he tortured people, but not a lot is said in the book about why he did the things he did. He wasn't really the focus of the book.

Congressman Foley ended up killing Sheila because he cared for her, but she returned to her lover. He claimed it was an "accident", but in my opinion he's a sleazy politician so I don't believe a word he says. Dante apparently kills him in the end.

Oh! and McAllister was trying to get rid of a bunch of buildings even though the lower class lived in those buildings because they looked bad in Boston. It would have also made Congressman Foley look better for him running for congress.

This book surprised me not because of the actual reveal of the butcher, but of the side events that happened like the death of Lynne and the whole scheme between Blackie Foley, Congressman Foley and McAllister. I probably won't continue on in this series because I just wasn't in love with this book, but I felt it was fitting read because I visited Boston myself a couple months earlier. If you like Boston and neo noir 1950's themed literature, this book is for you.

[Clarice · Rating 2 out of 5]

SERPENTS IN THE COLD was an unfulfilling read for me.

The first thing I have to say is that the writing in this book is absolutely stunning. In fact, it took me quite a while to get through the first 100 pages because I was mesmerized by the language. I marveled at the way these gentlemen construct a sentence, a paragraph. This is writing the way it should be--gorgeous even in its darkness.

I don't mind slowing down to enjoy the language, but I do mind when the story slows me down, and that's what began to happen after the first 100 pages. The authors set a daunting task for themselves in making their protagonists a drug addict and an alcoholic ... I can deal with that when I feel that the story is going somewhere. But the pace goes from slow to plodding, and by the end I was skimming to finish. Without giving any spoilers, the Brink's robbery plays a role in this book, but it's down-played and back-grounded while the main plot -- serial killer stalks Boston in the early 1950s -- sinks into the mud and just sort of slops around.

I think the first 50 pages should be required reading for anyone who wants to write mysteries or thrillers. I just with these authors had cut about 150 pages from the book and given me some characters I could have rooted for.

[Cathy Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this! The characters were strong and interesting, the violence and personal issues were realistic, and the background information was extremely well presented.

A brilliant read :)

[Alison Large · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very dark storyline, lots of violence with flawed heroes whose behaviour is often difficult to separate from that of the bad guys. It leaves you wanting to know what will happen next.

[Frank Ogden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not like this book.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two men hunt a murderer.

The basic idea was reasonable, but the writing was clunky.

Reading time around five hours.

[Mary Greiner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cut 100 pages, and the novel would be more entertaining. Too much like a hard-boiled mystery for my taste.

[Sam Hager · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting characters and writing that makes you feel like you are in another time and place. The story had moments that didn’t hold my attention however it was a good read. Recommended.

[cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

predictable. machismo is the downfall of every mystery thriller man.

[Tolkien InMySleep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gritty, violent Noir

[Pat Timpanaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was OK -- not good, not bad, just OK. I enjoyed reading about Boston before the redevelopment that became Mass General and Government Center. Two of the characters were brothers -- one a politician, one a gangster -- who were so obviously based on the Bulgers as to be annoying. The gangster was even called Blackie. I will not be looking for additional books by this author.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, I did not read this in Kindle, but for some reason Goodreads doesn't have the hardcover format as an option. Onwards!

This is a noir mystery set in post-WWII Boston. I liked the setting, and the fact that it takes place in the winter permeates the novel. Some people say the setting is like another character in some books, but in this one the cold was the extra character. I felt the discomfort of constant cold just reading these descriptions.

My main problem with this book is the treatment of female characters. They are there to be dead or killed to motivate the male characters, or they are sad pathetic prostitutes, or they are uppity spinsters who think they're hot shit but you're wearing too much blush, lady. The authors don't show outright hostility to women, but they certainly don't write women as people. They write them as things for Cal and Dante, the main characters, to react to.

Noir is a great genre. I think this book went a touch too far over the line into "violence for violence's sake," though. This guy doesn't have a face! This pimp is gonna cut some frat boy's balls off for raping one of his prostitutes! Child molestation! The only real characterization I liked was Cal's; the scene of his time in the war, how his leg was injured, and how he became an alcoholic with PTSD is a great scene. That vivid writing is what I needed to see an actual friendship between Cal and Dante at all. As it is they just hang out and make bad decisions together.

[Corny · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you want a history and geography lesson about Boston and its seamy underworld in the year 1951, you have come to the right place. The story is replete with pictures, descriptions and accounts of the city, especially the now defunct Scollay Square and West End areas. However, if you want plot or character, look somewhere else. This novel is so intent on verisimilitude in the settings that it completely ignores the elements that make a crime novel believable or interesting. All the characters are either hardened criminals, crooked businessmen and politicians or pathetic losers, drowning their sorrows in alcohol and drugs. The only likable characters are either peripheral, afflicted with depression, or dead by novel's end.
Every chapter is a grim reminder that these characters are stuck in a morass from which they can never escape. Some are so self-destructive that this reader no longer cares what happens to them. I stuck it out to the end to see where the plot was going to go, but the authors telegraph their punches like a bad fighter.
The story builds on the famous Brinks robbery of 1950. Virtually all of the money was never recovered although all of the perpetrators were arrested or killed. This is the background for the novel which then weaves its own tale of corruption and unspeakable acts of brutality. Usually these kind of stories end with a note of redemption but that is barely present here. I'd give it a pass!

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review first appeared on the Historical Novel Society website.

For Boston natives Cal O’Brien and Dante Cooper, life has been a struggle to survive since World War II. Their old Irish-Polish-Italian neighborhood has fallen into seedy decay, ruled by drugs and prostitution bosses and reeling from the Great Brink’s Robbery of 1950. When the body of Dante’s sister-in-law, Sheila, turns up—the apparent victim of a serial killer called the Butcher—the two old friends take matters into their own hands, fighting their addictions and nightmares as well as the thugs who hold the key to Sheila’s murder.

This literary noir sets its events against the harsh Boston winter of 1951, underscoring the survival mode of its protagonists. True to the genre, Cal and Dante are deeply flawed heroes, redeemed by their loyalty to each other and to others in their circle of family and friends, but ready to step outside the law to render their own version of justice. This novel will make noir fans happy, but I’d also recommend it to readers who don’t usually include noir in their fiction line-up, for its intelligent writing and pacey, yet thoughtful plot. A good read.

[Giovonnia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noir is the best way to describe this book. The movie Touch of Evil comes to mind. This novel takes you back to the time when John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald was walking around the wards of Boston. Dark, gripping and a shadow of humanity runs through the book. There are names of power walking down the street. Names like Sullivan, Foely, McIntyre are the ones you greet at the pub. DeSalvo is not a name you want to meet at the pub but it lurks around every corner. An old school gang of boys now men are loving hard woman, drinking hard booze and looking for the missing Brink's money. The gang who pulled the heist wasn't very bright and it's in the walls of buildings somewhere in nowhere. This is a page turner!

[Aya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through Goodreads giveaway and let me tell you I was quite overjoyed! Once I started reading the first chapter, I was so hooked!! The book is about two vigilantes trying to find a serial killer, that is obviously on the loose.

We see very descriptive scenes, and I thought the author did a really good job on that!!!

I really recommend this book to anyone that love crime and thriller type of action..I guarantee to you that once you open up this book, you won't want to put it down until you are completely done with it.

[Don Gorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the dictionary, under the word rough, there is a picture of this book. Rough times, rough characters, rough city, just a really rough story. I never felt that Boston was ever this gritty, but the way it is protrayed in this book it is downright scary. On top of all that, this book is cold. The temperature and the weather cast a pallor over everything going on, all the time. It was hard to read, very violent and disturbing in its own special way. A truly wild ride. This one will stay with me for a while. Very rough.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book for the setting - Boston in the winter of 1951, where and when I was born. Great atmosphere and historical detail of that place and time. I found it slow going, though I would recommend it. Very descriptive, literary, bleak. The story is built around the Brinks robbery and the plans to destroy the old West End to make way for the "new Boston" with the gangs and corrupt politics of the day taking center stage. Can definitely imagine it as a film.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wicked wicked wicked wicked dahhhhhhk novel. So dark it took two guys to write it. This book makes noir a two syllable word: "nuh-wahhh." This book had blood, beatings, rotting flesh, burnt flesh, broken bones, feces, blow flies, maggots, junkies, urine, rats, prostitutes (under and overage), serial killers, politicians, gangsters, criminal parents, etc etc etc.

I loved it, but that's me. Wicked dahhk nuh-wahh.