Seize Death Of A Serpent (Serafina Florio, #1) Narrated By Susan Russo Anderson Conveyed As Physical Book

the mystery in Death of a Serpent is its raison d'etre, for me it was only one of many reasons I enjoyed the story set in a tumultuous period of history in Sicily.


The setting comes to life with descriptions that are so artfully written I seemed to see them rather than to read them.
From the ordinary citizen to the wellheeled, the author recreated life in theth century while involving all the reader's senses.
I felt the anxiety, saw the gorgeous gowns of the prostitutes, smelled the foul monk, and wished I could have tasted the variety of Italian cooking, pastries, and espresso mentioned.
The dialogue was in English, but it sounded Italian because of the author's skillful sentence construction,

I hesitate to discuss characters in this novel, because they seemed more like real people to me.
Even though there are several strong female roles in the novel, each person was distinct in appearance, mannerisms, and speech.
The banter between Rosa and Serafina, the quirks of each prostitute interviewed, the maddening lack of logic by Inspector Colonna, and the endearing qualities of each of Serafina's children brought them to life for me.


The plot unfolds slowly, and even though there was time to form my own theories, the ending was a complete surprise, believable, and satisfying.


If you like your mysteries easy to gulp in one sitting without much concentration on your part, you might not enjoy Death of a Serpent.
The difference is like grabbing a fastfood sandwich from the driveup window instead of getting comfortable in an elegant ristorante to savor several courses of Italian cuisine while surrounded by stunning art.


Brava! I look forward to reading more stories from this author,











Three bodies, . . A dark secret And one woman determined to uncover the truth, When the police do nothing to solve the murders of three women knifed to death inSicily, a struggling widow attempts to unmasks the killer, but not before uncovering shocking truths of her own.


Summary: At a highclass house near Palermo, three women have been knifed to death, their foreheads slashed with a strange mark, their bodies dumped on the madam's doorstep.
Rosa summons her friend, Serafina, and asks her to catch the killer, A thirtysomething midwife with seven children and diminishing funds, Serafina plunges into the investigation, gathering evidence, following leads.
In a defiant meeting with the don, she makes an important discovery, Convinced of the murderer's identity, she conceives a daring plan to unmask the killer, Does she succeed Can she hold her family together Good writing, Interesting plot but I did not like the character Rose, I cannot understand how Fina could have forgiven her so easily when she had betrayed her by not telling her that her daughter was living in her brothel and working as a prostitute.
I would not have forgiven her so quicklyeven if she had helped Serafina and her husband save their apothecary.
Plus I just do not like the way she makes her livingoff the backs of others! Was she ever a prostitute herself or did she just sell them Death of a Serpent which I won from Goodreads Giveaways is one of the best historical murdermysteries I have ever read.
The story is set in Italy during a period of chaos the poor are starving, bandits roam freely, and men flock to join General Garibaldi in his fight to unify the country.
As the plot opens the latest murder victim has been found on the doorstep of a highclass house of prostitution near Palermo.
When Inspector Colonna fails to help find the killer, Madam Rosa seeks the aid of her friend and local midwife, Serafina Florio.
She has only two clues to the murders, a knife slash to the heart of the victim and a mark like a serpent etched into their foreheads.

The characters in the story are as vibrant as they are realistic even Serafina's children and the prostitutes each have distinct personalities and talents, giving credence to the engrossing plot.
Serafina is a delightful character determined, brave and persistent, Recently widowed, a mother of seven she not only puts her amateur sleuthing skills to good use, but persists in winning her defiant pregnant daughter back into the family fold.
Her friend Madam Rosa is a strong, colorful personality with a heart of gold who finds it hard to divulge personal and business secrets.

Woven into this spellbinding murder mystery are elements of betrayal, secrecy,friendship, love, loss and even redemption.
The only criticism I have is that the appearance of Serafina's mother's ghost didn't lend anything to the story and seemed out of place and I was never clear on why she was considered to have wizardry skills.
But these are minor in storytelling at its very best, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves murder, suspense and drama and look forward to the next book in this series.
With finely written prose rich in historical imagery, sound and other sense details ofs Sicily, Death of a Serpent was reminiscent of The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon for this reader.


Recently widowed Serafina is a determined sleuth, adept at solving other peoples problems, which sometimes causes her to neglect her own family issues.
She is called on by her good friend Rosa, the successful owner of a high class brothel, to investigate the murders of several of her prostitutes.
Why are the women being killed Is it the local Don, a mysterious monk, or a former lover of Serafina And how soon will the killers hands turn to Serafina and her family, especially as her estranged daughter may be within the killers sights

The characters of Serafina, Rosathe brothel owner, Scarpothe brothels chief bodyguard and Inspector Colonnathe incompetent chief of police, are well realised and believable.


As the story reaches its climax, the two strands, that involving the investigation into the murders and Serafinas struggle to reconcile with her daughter, are brought crashing together

At times I would have liked the “pearls in the oyster of each scene”to have been bigger and clearer, in other words, the beautiful atmosphere and setting of some scenesthe meat of the oysterfar outweighed the dramatic plot event that occurred discoveries, decisions, responses, changesthe pearls, making it difficult to keep track of them or maybe my memory is going.
But that apart, this is a well written book with a likeable character in Serafina,

If you like fine writing with well researched historical details, then this book will be a feast for your senses.


. Janet Burroway Writing Fiction
This is a great mystery, I hope there will be many more Serafina Florio mysteries to follow.
The personalities of the characters really shine through, I especially loved the details about sewing and cooking inth century Sicily I love both activities and the history imparted in these descriptions is fascinating.


As for the story line, there are a few details that are left to the reader's interpretation toward the end I really liked that, I think it's more true to life.
Susan gives you enough clues so that you can form your own wild theories about the resolution as you read along, but leaves just enough space at the end for your own opinions.


Can't wait for the next one!
This book was a period piece, a mysterysuspense, a character study and more.
Serafina, our main character, is a woman of layers, She's a bit unpredictable, but so real you can see her ever moving, wrestling, growing, A pillar in her community, it's understandable she would be called upon by her childhood friend when others cannot help.
Interesting to think that it's much like what she does as a midwife, I enjoyed my stay in Sicily and meeting all the unique players and characters in this story.
Excellent writing, well paced, it took

me away and back in time while being rich and timeless, like good cannoli.
. . Wonderful mystery. However, most unsettling part is the slew of characters in the novel, Well it is slightly confusion, but nothing to complain about, Serefina, the protagonist, midwife turned detective captures the imagination, Wish the novel could be stripped off some fillers, to make the narration taunt For fans of historical fiction and suspense, Death of a Serpent offers an intriguing romp throughSicily with Serafina Florio, a sharpwitted midwife and widow who has been recruited to investigate the deaths of several local prostitutes at the hands of a religious psychopath.
Anderson's exciting concept, however, is greatly diminished by sub par editing, underdeveloped details, and awkward syntax, Fortunately, I was able to ignore most of these issues after acclimating to the author's style, Character and backstories are only briefly described, if at all, causing readers to wonder if they have overlooked key information.
Furthermore, the capture of the killer lacks that defining moment when all of the preceding clues finally make sense.
In fact, I found myself reviewing previous excerpts to determine how Anderson linked the culprit with the provided evidence.
Though Death of a Serpent proved to be a quick and enjoyable read, Anderson's execution of the story left much to be desired.
Excellent. Very unique voice, loved the atmosphere, the characters, Great read! This didn't entirely suck, but I've read much better mystery books, The biggest problem I had with it was the author used a lot of Sicilian words and events without really explaining them too much.
Thank God for Google! When the final "reveal" happened, I didn't really remember the events that supported who the culprit was, even when all of it was revealed.
Also, the heroine's mother was pretty unnecessary and, honestly, I did not see this "nononsense" woman as one who would be given to such things.
Also, she had a child for every need, . . one who cooks, one who sews, one good at numbers, one a seamstress, one a piano prodigy.
. . etc. It was a bit much, Fraternal twins, too I guess to establish a familial relationship, which also seemed pretty contrived,

The most interesting character was the madam and even she seemed rather stereotypical in some ways.


Still, I stuck with it to the end, . . Sicily, Serafina Floria midwife, mother of seven and a widow mourning the recent death of her husband from the cholera outbreak and the death of her beloved mother.
Even though Serafina is in the midst of her own grief and turmoil she agrees to investigate the murders of three prostitutes working for her oldest and dearest friend Rosa, owner of the brothel.


This is a time in Italy where the Mafia was the law of the land and corruption was the norm.
We meet the colorful and complex characters as Serafina interviews all the girls residing in the brothel along with all the hired help.
The rich descriptions and narrative of the characters brings them to life as an image is formed in your minds eye.
The historical references to Italy in thes succeed in painting the backdrop for this story,

The plot is complex and woven in such a fashion that the suspense keeps building.
The clues to solving the mystery are subtle and intense, As Serafina comes closer to the truth she will find herself, her children and Rosa in danger.
The fear and trepidation is palpable as the story progresses and comes to its culmination,

I found the underlying story of Serafina and her relationships with her children, especially her oldest daughter, to be very endearing and thoughtful.
I felt that aside from the suspense and mystery of this story you find a strong, determined woman whose loyalty and love of family are the real heart of this book.


I recommend this book to all readers who love mystery/suspense and drama that will propel you forward into another world and hold you spellbound until the end.


.