Rating: 
Summary: A must read for all suspense/thriller buffs!
Review: Parker captures the attention of the reader from page one and does not release you until the end of the book--which ends all too soon for the entralled reader. Naughton is a believable non-hero with a lot of problems and a lot of good in him, too. I cheered for his triumphs, cried over his defeats and read the whole book in less than 24 hours. You must have this book!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Distracting but not engrossing
Review: T. Jefferson Parker's "Where Serpents Lie" is a thriller that treads on dangerous ground. The story begins with Terry Naughton, head of Orange County's Crimes Against Youth unit, working undercover at the home of two parents who prostitute their young daughter to pedophiles. Later, Naughton finds himself on the trail of a man known as Horridus, a predator who has abducted two young girls only to release them unharmed and unmolested. Naughton's great fear is that Horridus's behavior will escalate to sexual abuse or murder--or both.Chasing a criminal such as Horridus would seem to be difficult enough, but Naughton has enough baggage to make the task almost impossible. An alcoholic who feels responsible for his son's death, Naughton suffers blackouts, has troubles with monogamy, and has enemies within his department. The "dangerous ground" I mentioned at the start is naturally the subject matter. It is one thing to write of a serial killer (which is not to say that Parker does that here), but it is quite another thing when the victims are children. Mystery authors often report that one thing readers will not tolerate is the killing of animals. Graphic violence against children, then, should be worse. It would be inappropriate to disclose what happens to the Horridus's subsequent victims, but I will report that Parker manages to keep the violence against children mostly off-page. "Where Serpents Lie" is a competently written thriller that offers little new. The Horridus, while appropriately creepy, seems to be a bit too much of a cartoon. At the same time, Naughton is far from sympathetic. As a result, the book reads like a well-crafted and well-researched thriller, albeit one without significant emotional pull. It distracts, but it does not engross.
Rating: 
Summary: worth the read
Review: This book was a little hard to start, as it hits you hard with it's twisted characters in the first scenario. However; after you accept the immoral content as a piece of fiction, you are introduced to the King Of Sick--"Snake-boy"! Oh well, You'll see what I mean. Parker adds a couple of nice twists along the way. It is truly worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Very Well Researched and Written
Review: This book was recommended to me by a police officer. We both work crimes against children cases and this book is absolutely right on target. The events that take place in this book are the exact same events that take place in our local communities each and every day. We just don't get to hear the details of those. I could not lay this book down! It was right up my alley!
Rating:
Summary: A Detective's Dark Side
Review: This is a big chunk of a book: 557 pages of thick type, a Stephen King-length piece of modern fiction reading. But "Where Serpents Lie," while following a well-worn path of sociopath criminal novels ("Red Dragon" comes immediately to mind), moves quickly and is very exciting. The reader is spared wordy digressions, long explanations of the obvious. One-dimensional supporting characters also are kept at a minimum. A notable virtue is the author's careful avoidance of excess gore: the book's not an exercise in can-you-top-this gruesomeness. It shows restraint. And yet that does not detract from its power. In fact, the truly awful crimes are hinted at, they are threatened, looming like a distant but approaching summer thunderstorm, with the beginnings of a corkscrew tornado cloud descending. The most disturbing undertone may lie in the protaginist's psyche. A detective leading the investigation of a potential child killer, he's recovering from the death of his own son, in a seeming accident, although the details of that aren't revealed until the shattering final chapters. Indeed, that mystery is the greatest, as the "Horridus" storyline is strictly paint-by-numbers. Thrown in, to great effect, is the possibility that the policeman might have some truly pervese instincts himself. You never are given so much information that you can judge, 'til the smoke clears at the end. Mr. Parker's language is as clear as a reporter's, and he does not insult the reader's intelligence, clearly the biggest fault of most popular crime fiction. I'll be picking up more of his books to see if he's the real thing. With a few more plot twists and refractions on the central storyline, "Where Serpents Lie" could have been a classic. As it is, great potential is the verdict.
Rating:
Summary: A Detective's Dark Side
Review: This is a big chunk of a book: 557 pages of thick type, a Stephen King-length piece of modern fiction reading. But "Where Serpents Lie," while following a well-worn path of sociopath criminal novels ("Red Dragon" comes immediately to mind), moves quickly and is very exciting. The reader is spared wordy digressions, long explanations of the obvious. One-dimensional supporting characters also are kept at a minimum. A notable virtue is the author's careful avoidance of excess gore: the book's not an exercise in can-you-top-this gruesomeness. It shows restraint. And yet that does not detract from its power. In fact, the truly awful crimes are hinted at, they are threatened, looming like a distant but approaching summer thunderstorm, with the beginnings of a corkscrew tornado cloud descending. The most disturbing undertone may lie in the protaginist's psyche. A detective leading the investigation of a potential child killer, he's recovering from the death of his own son, in a seeming accident, although the details of that aren't revealed until the shattering final chapters. Indeed, that mystery is the greatest, as the "Horridus" storyline is strictly paint-by-numbers. Thrown in, to great effect, is the possibility that the policeman might have some truly pervese instincts himself. You never are given so much information that you can judge, 'til the smoke clears at the end. Mr. Parker's language is as clear as a reporter's, and he does not insult the reader's intelligence, clearly the biggest fault of most popular crime fiction. I'll be picking up more of his books to see if he's the real thing. With a few more plot twists and refractions on the central storyline, "Where Serpents Lie" could have been a classic. As it is, great potential is the verdict.
Rating:
Summary: Where serpents lie
Review: This is the 2nd book I read from this author and it was pretty much wat I expected. A terrific read. This book is about a child molestor who call's himself The Horridus. The whole book is a cat and mouse game between The Horridus and CAY (crimes agains youth) unit. I like the way this book is written and how Jefferson Parker writes. The environment and the places are described well so you can really get into the book and relax now and then. 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Totally engrossing
Review: This one had me riveted from start to finish. The crime thriller genre doesn't get any better than this, and I'm rapidly appreciating T. Jefferson as one of the finest writers on the scene. Here he draws you in with the twisted novelty of the pedophile subculture, spiking the brew with the primal horror of venomous snakes. As the plot advances, he gradually builds up layers of credibile complexity in his main characters: the flawed and self-destructive guardian of innocence Terry Naughton, and his sociopathic nemesis Hypok, aka The Horridus. There are few books in my experience that live up to that old saw "can't put down"; this is one of them.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read
Review: This was my first experience with this author, and I would recommend this book to everyone. It took me a full 2 weeks to finish, because I found myself not so engrossed in the story through the middle of the book. The final chapters of the book though kept me wanting to find out more. There were plot twists that were unforseeable, to me anyway. I was stupified a couple of times. The characters in this story were believable, although not memorable. Donna Mason, the main character's "mistress" was too supportive, it made me wonder if there was something she was hiding. Come on, no one is that nice!
Over all I give this book a thumbs up and will put it on my to-read-again list.
Rating:
Summary: Where Serpents Lie
Review: This was the first book by T. Jefferson Parker that I have read and it was a stunner. An ingenious plot with twists and turns that kept you guessing and intrigued. Character development was excellent - I sympathized or detested almost everyone in the book. I was a little disappointed with the climax regarding the Horridus, but this is minor. One sub-plot involving Terry Naughton's son is wrapped in the final pages and my jaw dropped. This book is generally an easy read, but enthralling. Grab it and devour it!
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