A strong follow up to 'Bloodlines', although I only knew it was a sequel after being intrigued by references to an interesting back story, so off I scuttled to read that midway through this one! Zane is developing into a lovely complex character, with a desire to do the right thing, mixed with understandable desire to protect his family. The story builds to an inevitable ending, and leaves the door open to further glimpses into the lives of the main characters. Definitely worth reading

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Serpent Loop is the second installment of the Zane Clearwater series. Just like the previous book, we are still following the lives of Zane and his sister Lettie. With his new job being a security guard at a carnival, the last thing he would ever expect to happen is witnessing a murder. On top of that, his sister was also there and is somehow involved. Or that's the train of thought immediately being created within Zane's mind. Either way, he needs to figure out what's happening and a way out of it fast.

Honestly, so much happened in this. I think things probably would have gone down a bit easier or smoother if Lettie didn't somehow get away. Her leaving while the police are questioning was not a good sign. On top of that, Zane starts freaking out trying to figure out where she actually went. So, while trying to find her he doesn't expect to uncover so many things along the way.

With each twist and turn, I was completely hooked. The overall mystery and pace were pretty good in my opinion. I never felt bored or lost when it came to certain situations and just wanted to know what was going to happen next.

In the end, I'm very happy that I came across this series. Not sure if these two are going to walk into another unfortunate murder situation but I wouldn't be mad if they did.

I was definitely interested in reading this book, but my mind wasn’t really in it. From what what I did read, I found the story to be very interesting and loved the idea of its premise.

I didn't hate nor love this book, it was so-so. I really liked it in the beginning but then it started to lose my interest a little. There were a few parts where I felt that it seemed to just go on. Also there was a character that had a southern accent and instead of writing what the accent would sound like, the author wrote what the character meant to say and then after the characters line the author wrote what it would sound like in the characters accent. It was like a reverse translation.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

I love how gripping the opening scene. All the mystery and and the anticipation of what will happens next. I thinks this is just a so-so read for me. As someone into mystery/thriller this is a very cliche crime. I thinks Its more enjoyable for someone who is a beginner in mystery genre. This on will be it. I will recommend it for someone who wants a light mystery/crime genre.

I AM ALWAYS HERE FOR SOME DARK NET / MYSTERY STORIES!!!! scary but very entertaining. I keep mostly my head in romance books but it’s always a pleasure to get out and read some cop/thriller/polar fiction

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Interesting read, definitely recommend it.

The love this brother has for his younger sister is so incredibly heart-warming. This book has so much to offer. It has a wonderful sibling relationship, action, murder, FBI, and so many things in between. I absolutely adored this book!

Serpent Loop is really imaginative and interesting. It's a really great read and the content is well-written and action filled.

This read was SO fast paced. I almost struggled to keep up with how fast this plotline was because things were happening left, right and centre! It's action packed, clever and flows nicely, and despite how quick and short this read is, you as the reader still feel as though getting to know the characters wasn't too rushed and you had a good sense of them.

Short quick chapters make reading this a breeze where there are no boring info dumps, rather action, action, action. However where you'd expect at the end, a huge crime and bloody battle that spans for pages, you really just get a closing scene that lasts a page. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. I think I would've preferred a more elaborate ending.

Thanks to NG for the chance to read this copy

Serpent Loop is the third novel by American author, Lynne Lipinski, and is a sequel to Bloodlines. In an effort to support his fifteen-year-old half-sister, Lettie, Zane Clearwater is working two jobs: maintenance at the zoo in Tulsa, and security for the xx carnival at yy. It’s at the latter venue that he is too late to prevent the stabbing murder of Wally Zittman. It reminds him rather too much of his father’s death, but what worries him most is that Lettie seems to know the victim.

After a bit of internet searching, he sees a clip of the knife attack that shows the murderer, so goes to see the only cop he trusts, Detective Angus Poster, who recognises him as a known felon. When it becomes clear that said felon is looking for Lettie, Zane whisks her away to safety, wondering all the while just what she has gotten mixed up in, and feeling guilty for not raising her better.

When Lettie goes missing, Zane teams up with her boyfriend, Angel in a chase through the seedier areas of Los Angeles that entails encounters with characters benevolent and malevolent in equal measure, the exposure of the façade presented by a past friend, being tailed by a killer, and making a deal with the FBI that could be quite dangerous.

Lipinski’s characters have depth and appeal, with Zane’s Cherokee heritage adding interest. Her plot is imaginative, with plenty of action leading up to a tension-filled climax. While there is sufficient recap of events in the first book to allow this book to stand alone, there are necessarily many spoilers for Bloodlines, so reading the books in order is recommended. The ending leaves plenty of scope for further books featuring this cast. Enjoyable crime fiction.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Majestic Content LA.

Majestic Content...
Thank You for having this as a Read Now via NetGalley!

Serpent Loop by Lynn Lipinski

Zane Clearwater witnessed a man being killed at a carnival.
Seeing this kind of evil was a reminder of the dark past he wanted to forget about.
Even for his teen sister Lettie.
Seeing the look on his sister's face he knows she is somehow involved.
Seeing how he is her sole guardian and all she has left he has to protect her no matter what is takes.
Even though it could compromise his future as a police officer.
Lettie is basically a genius with her computer skills and used those skills for some dirty work on the dark web.
Now that they are in jeopardy and some serious trouble bad things have come for them.
Lettie leaves for California and Zane plunges on a venture.
Has trouble caught up to him or can he finally put it all behind him?

This was absolutely intoxicating, from the first page too the last.
A fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat tale that quickly grabs your attention and keeps you captivated through til the end.
This book is filled with interesting characters that have a flaws and struggles that are very believable.
I found the descriptions very realistic, the dialogue believable and interesting and clearly carefully written and edited.
I would gladly read another novel by this author. Highly recommended!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you again Publisher, NetGalley and Lynn for this eARC!
I will post to my platforms closer to the pub date!

Book Blurb) Witnessing a murder at the carnival he works for was a painful reminder of Zane Clearwater’s dark past. He had hoped all that was behind him, but one look at the fear on his sister Lettie’s face and he’s right back in the thick of it. Even if means jeopardizing his dream of becoming a police officer, he’s desperate to protect her at all cost.

But Nettie has a secret .. one she's keeping from her brother. She's been working on the dark web in questionable schemes that have landed her in serious trouble.

There's plenty of action, a murder, a cross-country chase, with cops and FBI following every step of the way. Bedlam and confusion keeps all the characters on the move ..... with resulting twists and turns leading to a most interesting and satisfactory conclusion. The characters are finely drawn. Although 2nd in the series, this can easily be read as a stand alone.

Many thanks to the author / Independent Book Publishers Association / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and review voluntarily, opinions expresses here are unbiased and entirely my own.

The Review

The author did a fantastic job of grabbing the reader's attention with a gripping opening scene. While this book seems to be a continuation of the author’s first book, Bloodlines, this narrative does an amazing job of connecting the two books while still allowing new readers to jump into the story headfirst without having read the first book. The suspense and atmosphere are adrenaline-fueled as the reader is treated to twists and turns galore and the original crime spirals into something the protagonist could not have seen coming.

What was captivating the most was the balance the author found with this twisted narrative with the emotional and realistic journey the protagonist went on. Between trying to solve the mystery of what caused this violent altercation to turn into murder, to trying to bond and figure out the complicated issues his little sister has gotten into in her teenage years, and the struggle to find his life’s purpose all at the same time is something many readers are going to be able to identify with and makes for truly engaging reading overall.

The Verdict

A marvelous, entertaining, edge-of-your-seat thriller, author Lynn Lipinski’s “Serpent Loop” is the must-read crime thriller you have to be reading this fall. Beautifully written and highly creative, the author has delivered a narrative that feels real and magical all at once and brings a true depth of emotional development for these characters that readers won’t be able to help themselves from feeling a bond with them.

A lovely blend between character and plot focus, Lynn Lipinski has a natural gift for storytelling! I was riveted from page 1 and pulled in by the cutthroat universe. A fantastic read for both fans of thrillers and those looking to dip their toes in.

Really liked the writing style and the descriptions are immaculate! Would definetly recommend it :)
Looking forward to read more from this author!

I really enjoyed this book, it was suspenseful and full of mystery as well as at the same time having a certain level of hope and felt at times heartwarming, which was a different element than other thrillers and one that I think really worked. I found the characters endearing and had to know what haooened to them, I devoured it.

this was a great mystery novel, the setting for the mystery was well done and the characters were well done. I'd be interested to see where the author goes from here as I really enjoyed this book.