| Mask of the Serpent |
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| The third novel in S. W. Vaughn's urban thriller series, the most graphic and compelling installment yet, pits evil against evil—and in the end, you'll root for both sides.
Brace yourself for a taut battle of wills between two powerful gang leaders, set against the backdrop of a massive ring of street fighting and prostitution in New York's underground. Drug lord Diego Mendez has money and authority. He rules the streets of Brooklyn, and in the tiny Hispanic community he calls home, he is a saint. But for all his influence, he is helpless when it comes to his own son—who is dying before his eyes. Complications arise when a rival Manhattan gang challenges Diego's supremacy. House Phoenix, led by newcomer Angel and his freak of a lieutenant, Jenner, has been responsible for the deaths of two fighters in Diego's House Prometheus—and Diego wants revenge. In retaliation, he hits them where it hurts by abducting Jenner with the intent to first torture and then kill him. However, Diego soon realizes he has underestimated Angel's lieutenant. Sadistic, cruel, and feared by all who come into contact with him, Jenner's refusal to yield to Diego's increasingly elaborate torments drives the drug lord to the edge. Diego must retain control at any cost; because even as he plays round after round of cat-and-mouse with an impervious Jenner, his son is dying…and there isn't a damned thing he can do about it. As both men approach the breaking point, one will triumph; one will fall. But in this game, no matter what happens—the bad guy wins. |
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| Advanced review for Mask of the Serpent Reviewed by Lesia Valentine, author of Rain Coming Mask of the Serpent is the third book in the House Phoenix series of urban thrillers by S.W. Vaughn. The series is about five organizations of street fighters in New York City, one for each borough, who pit themselves against each other in a ring where there is only one simple rule: don’t lose. The organizations are funded by crime - drugs, prostitution, and assassination, and yet many of the characters live by a Japanese code of honor. Despite all the evil things they do, most of them refuse to lie, and always keep their word, no matter the cost to themselves. Vaughn breaks up the dark voice of this story with wonderful sarcasm, as in this scene between Angel, who’s Italian-American, and Shiro, who’s Japanese, when they arrive at the Gendarmes Hotel where Jenner lives after he fails to show up for work: The door to suite 835 at the Gendarmes hotel was no different than the hundreds of other doors in the place. There was no indication the man who lived behind it was anything but ordinary. In front of it Angel stood with one hand poised to knock. He hesitated, then glanced at Shiro beside him and said, “Why are we doing this, again?” “Something is wrong.” With an obvious effort to refrain from shouting, Shiro clenched fists at his sides as he explained, “He would not simply fail to arrive for work. There would be a better chance of him rescuing a stray kitten.” “Well, if you put it that way.” Angel grimaced and rapped on the door, tensing as he waited for a response. Only silence ebbed from the closed space beyond. Sighing, he repeated the gesture and muttered, “Maybe hell froze over this morning. Did you check the weather forecast?” Vaughn paints such intimate portraits of [Mendez and Jenner], I felt palpable anxiety trying to decide which to root for. I won’t say how this book ends, but I will say that in spite of myself, I cried a bucket of tears throughout. I never thought I could feel so much for a couple of cold-hearted bastards like these two. |
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