The Serpent's Bite [Hardcover]

Warren Adler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 2012

''How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child'' --King Lear, William Shakespeare

This famed quote by William Shakespeare finds its modern meaning in this taut, fast-paced, remarkable novel by renowned author Warren Adler. The Serpent's Bite will take you on a frightening horse trek through the far reaches of the Yellowstone wilderness that turns a father s quest to deal with parental guilt and reunite with his two adult children into a nightmare of lust, betrayal, entrapment, and death. Beyond the revelations of dark family secrets, readers will discover how an obsession for celebrity and blind ambition can distort familial love and turn a beloved child into a grotesque monster. Courtney Temple is sure to be judged as one of those most evil women in fiction, alongside the likes of Lady Macbeth, Medea, and the Wicked Witch of the West. Adler's latest novel takes its place next to the iconic The War of the Roses, in which the author exposed the true nature of marital dysfunction.

Editorial Reviews

Review

''Warren Adler has a remarkable ability to plumb the depths of human obsession.'' ---New York Times best-selling author Nelson DeMille

''Warren Adler's insight into people and women, plus his strong storytelling ability, make his book a smashing and suspenseful read.'' ---New York Times best-selling author Barbara Taylor Bradford

''Warren Adler delivers a dark, delectable look at lust, greed, betrayal, and redemption.'' -Best-selling author Judith Kelman

''Adler's a dandy plot-weaver.'' -Los Angeles Times

''Warren Adler writes with skill and a sense of scene.'' ---New York Times Book Review

About the Author

Warren Adler is best known for The War of the Roses, his masterpiece fictionalization of a macabre divorce turned into the Golden Globe and BAFTA nominated dark comedy hit starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. In addition to the success of the stage adaptation of his iconic novel on the perils of divorce, Adler has optioned and sold film rights to more than a dozen of his novels and short stories to Hollywood and major television networks. Random Hearts (starring Harrison Ford and Kristen Scott Thomas), The Sunset Gang (starring Jerry Stiller, Uta Hagen, Harold Gould and Doris Roberts), Private Lies, Funny Boys, Madeline's Miracles, Trans-Siberian Express and his Fiona Fitzgerald mystery series are only a few titles that have forever left Adler's mark on contemporary American authorship from page to stage to screen. Learn more about Warren Adler at warrenadler.com

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Stonehouse Press (September 4, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159006044X
• ISBN-13: 978-1590060445
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.2 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,918,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Warren Adler is best known for The War of the Roses, his masterpiece fictionalization of a macabre divorce turned into the Golden Globe and BAFTA nominated dark comedy hit starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. In addition to the success of the stage adaptation of his iconic novel on the perils of divorce, Adler has optioned and sold film rights to more than a dozen of his novels and short stories to Hollywood and major television networks. Random Hearts (starring Harrison Ford and Kristen Scott Thomas), The Sunset Gang (starring Jerry Stiller, Uta Hagen, Harold Gould and Doris Roberts), Private Lies, Funny Boys, Madeline's Miracles, Trans-Siberian Express and his Fiona Fitzgerald mystery series are only a few titles that have forever left Adler's mark on contemporary American authorship from page to stage to screen. Learn more about Warren Adler at www.warrenadler.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Wicked Good! August 17, 2012

By fredamans

Format:Hardcover

First I have to say I enjoyed both The War of the Roses and The Tie That Binds, but the dark nature of the latter attracted me more. This book is dark and twisted like it, but in a different way.
I loved 99% of it.
It was the very last page I hated. Yup. Total WTF!!
So I will keep in my memory the 99% and make my own last page....
Suspense seekers that like little sick and demented twists, this is for you....

4.5/5

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A tense, atmospheric thriller... September 7, 2012

By K Cowdall

Format:Hardcover

This is a tense, atmospheric thriller which uncoils chapter by chapter and leaves us with a literal cliff-hanger at journey's end. As with the best of the author's work, The Serpent's Bite is at times intentionally uncomfortable reading, with acutely drawn characters it is difficult to sympathise with, so that we turn the pages awaiting an anticipated comeuppance. It does not disappoint, and in Courtney Temple, Warren Adler has created a female character as manipulative as Becky Sharp, as vindictive as Nurse Ratchet and, ultimately, as destructively wicked as Mrs Danvers.

Kevin Cowdall, author of Paper Gods and Iron Men
Paper Gods and Iron Men (with Flanagan's Mule)

5.0 out of 5 stars How low can one sink in a saddle? February 19, 2013

By Remy Benoit

Format:Hardcover

George Temple is a widower, with money; lots and lots of money. For many years he enabled his daughter and son financially. As the years passed and their respective ventures were continually unsuccessful, he cut off the money causing a bitter rift.
Now in his seventies, with a possible future with a younger woman, he seeks to make this oh so dysfunctional family a unit again, not only amongst the three of them, but with his new lady and her two grown children. Although a very good diamond merchant, he does not see that his offspring will never make the cut.

Serpent's Bite is vividly set in the wildest areas of Yellowstone. Clouded judgment, trying to 'go home again' to an expedition with his wife and children many years ago, George hires again a trail guide who has not weathered well. Despite his vast knowledge of the environs's flora and fauna, Harry's intense addiction to Wild Turkey erupts in dangerous negligence of his role of guide and volcanic eruptions of defensive and irrational temper.

Thus, we have wilderness; dependency on a drunken guide who abuses his Mexican helper, Tomas, an illegal; an aged and ill father harboring a fantasy of family reconciliation, expansion, and bliss. Add to the campfire a psychopathic daughter with an obsession about Daddy's money and a guilt ridden brother torn with conflicting interests. If all that is not a full campfire's griddle's worth of trouble waiting to burst into flames add a deep and dark family secret, and a hungry grizzly.
Saddle up, you are in for an adventure into dysfunctional relations that will take you to high country your worst dinner party nightmares could never conjure. Great character development, and fast galloping adventure!