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Copperhead: Student. Singer. Lover. Spy.
Student. Singer. Lover. Spy.
When his family is torn apart, a college freshman uses his charm and looks to infiltrate the world of the rich and powerful risking his life for a greater cause.
Abel Torres knew hardship growing up but with his high-octane singing voice the young man dreams of a bright future with a scholarship to San Francisco State.
A mentor at the university, knowing his desperation, makes an unusual introduction and soon the handsome 19-year-old is performing at a swank party, charming California’s political and social elites. The wealthy host offers to connect him with rich gay men who would pay handsomely for his attention. Battling his conscience and pride, he accepts the offer. Complicating his life, he begins dating a sassy waiter who just might be the love he is seeking.
The FBI approaches him after he begins seeing a gay Congressman, asking him to work undercover to help bring down a terrorist plot on U.S. soil.
As Abel faces ever greater dangers, can he juggle his various identities as a student, singer, lover, and spy? Or will he lose everyone he loves if they discover just how far he’s gone to save them?
“Fans of LGBTQ action will love this large, well-woven plot that includes passionate
love and sex, espionage, the FBI, terrorism, music, the media, and politics.”
—San Francisco Book Review
“Highly entertaining and uplifting…We all need heroes to personify our dreams and inspire our lives...In confronting the challenges and mores and judgments of American culture, and his many personal crises of conscience, he reaches for the ultimate American dream, emerging as a hero to us and best of all, to himself…” Amazon review
“This is a great read, hard to put down…Lots of action and adventure and of course, a bit of romance making for a very entertaining escape.” Stargazer, Amazon
When his family is torn apart, a college freshman uses his charm and looks to infiltrate the world of the rich and powerful risking his life for a greater cause.
Abel Torres knew hardship growing up but with his high-octane singing voice the young man dreams of a bright future with a scholarship to San Francisco State.
A mentor at the university, knowing his desperation, makes an unusual introduction and soon the handsome 19-year-old is performing at a swank party, charming California’s political and social elites. The wealthy host offers to connect him with rich gay men who would pay handsomely for his attention. Battling his conscience and pride, he accepts the offer. Complicating his life, he begins dating a sassy waiter who just might be the love he is seeking.
The FBI approaches him after he begins seeing a gay Congressman, asking him to work undercover to help bring down a terrorist plot on U.S. soil.
As Abel faces ever greater dangers, can he juggle his various identities as a student, singer, lover, and spy? Or will he lose everyone he loves if they discover just how far he’s gone to save them?
“Fans of LGBTQ action will love this large, well-woven plot that includes passionate
love and sex, espionage, the FBI, terrorism, music, the media, and politics.”
—San Francisco Book Review
“Highly entertaining and uplifting…We all need heroes to personify our dreams and inspire our lives...In confronting the challenges and mores and judgments of American culture, and his many personal crises of conscience, he reaches for the ultimate American dream, emerging as a hero to us and best of all, to himself…” Amazon review
“This is a great read, hard to put down…Lots of action and adventure and of course, a bit of romance making for a very entertaining escape.” Stargazer, Amazon
292 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 25, 2022
6 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Steven A. Coulter
7 books21 followersSteve has published his third novel, "Copperhead", after stepping back for a few years. Two additional novels will be published in the winter of 2023-24.
Student. Singer. Lover. Spy.
When his family is torn apart, a college freshman uses his charm and looks to infiltrate the world of the rich and powerful risking his life for a greater cause.
Abel Torres knew hardship growing up but with his high-octane singing voice the young man dreams of a bright future with a scholarship to San Francisco State.
A mentor at the university, knowing his desperation, makes an unusual introduction and soon the handsome 19-year-old is performing at a swank party, charming California’s political and social elites. The wealthy host offers to connect him with rich gay men who would pay handsomely for his attention. Battling his conscience and pride, he accepts the offer.
Complicating his life, he begins dating a sassy waiter who just might be the love he is seeking.
The FBI approaches him after he begins seeing a gay Congressman, asking him to work undercover to help bring down a terrorist plot on U.S. soil.
As Abel faces ever greater dangers, can he juggle his various identities as a student, singer, lover, and spy? Or will he lose everyone he loves if they discover just how far he’s gone to save them?
Here's one early review:
“Action-packed…brings top-level entertainment...Fans of LGBTQ action will love this large, well-woven plot that includes passionate love and sex, espionage, the FBI, terrorism, music, the media, and politics.
--Foluso Falaye, San Francisco Book Review
Student. Singer. Lover. Spy.
When his family is torn apart, a college freshman uses his charm and looks to infiltrate the world of the rich and powerful risking his life for a greater cause.
Abel Torres knew hardship growing up but with his high-octane singing voice the young man dreams of a bright future with a scholarship to San Francisco State.
A mentor at the university, knowing his desperation, makes an unusual introduction and soon the handsome 19-year-old is performing at a swank party, charming California’s political and social elites. The wealthy host offers to connect him with rich gay men who would pay handsomely for his attention. Battling his conscience and pride, he accepts the offer.
Complicating his life, he begins dating a sassy waiter who just might be the love he is seeking.
The FBI approaches him after he begins seeing a gay Congressman, asking him to work undercover to help bring down a terrorist plot on U.S. soil.
As Abel faces ever greater dangers, can he juggle his various identities as a student, singer, lover, and spy? Or will he lose everyone he loves if they discover just how far he’s gone to save them?
Here's one early review:
“Action-packed…brings top-level entertainment...Fans of LGBTQ action will love this large, well-woven plot that includes passionate love and sex, espionage, the FBI, terrorism, music, the media, and politics.
--Foluso Falaye, San Francisco Book Review
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 3, 2022
Exciting
This book kept me glued to my seat. It's an exciting story with well written, loveable characters. I can't wait to read part 2.
This book kept me glued to my seat. It's an exciting story with well written, loveable characters. I can't wait to read part 2.
November 8, 2022
Abel Torres has faced a tremendous amount of adversity in his lifetime. Known by his friends as "Copperhead", the novel takes a quick jump through his younger life and really picks up with his freshman year of college.
I ended up overall liking this book, but it did take a while to get there. The first 30%-ish of the book keeps shifting and feeling like a different style of book. Once it lands on the "spy/undercover" angle, and follows pretty much apace.
The book has sporadic shifts to Zachary's POV, which I think is amping up more for the sequel than really being relevant for this book.
The book tries to do too much without really landing on a single narrative or style and cuts back and forth a lot with a wide cast of characters and really short chapters.
Liked it, but probably won't be picking up the sequel.
I ended up overall liking this book, but it did take a while to get there. The first 30%-ish of the book keeps shifting and feeling like a different style of book. Once it lands on the "spy/undercover" angle, and follows pretty much apace.
The book has sporadic shifts to Zachary's POV, which I think is amping up more for the sequel than really being relevant for this book.
The book tries to do too much without really landing on a single narrative or style and cuts back and forth a lot with a wide cast of characters and really short chapters.
Liked it, but probably won't be picking up the sequel.
June 16, 2025
A fantastic story for this time in our country!
This story isn't just about two young men falling in love, it's about a wider situation that's happening in our country today. The author has brought to us, the readers, a political movement that's now, the subject of an excellent story filled with angst, suspicions, international meddling, homegrown terrorists, and intrigue. But you know what stands out above everything else? Love of family, love of family found, love of your country, and love for the partner you're with. This is a great story!
This story isn't just about two young men falling in love, it's about a wider situation that's happening in our country today. The author has brought to us, the readers, a political movement that's now, the subject of an excellent story filled with angst, suspicions, international meddling, homegrown terrorists, and intrigue. But you know what stands out above everything else? Love of family, love of family found, love of your country, and love for the partner you're with. This is a great story!
July 9, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and Jubilation for this eARC!
I initially picked this book up because I wanted to try something that I usually don’t gravitate to and wanted to see whether I’d be pleasantly surprised. Sadly, I wasn’t. The writing didn’t flow for me and I couldn’t finish it. This could be just me, though.
I initially picked this book up because I wanted to try something that I usually don’t gravitate to and wanted to see whether I’d be pleasantly surprised. Sadly, I wasn’t. The writing didn’t flow for me and I couldn’t finish it. This could be just me, though.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews