The Serpent's Teeth by Stephen Kronwith
“Love and hate go hand in hand … and each has been the motive for many a murder.”
So contemplates Detective Jane Rieger-Franklin, a recurring character in Stephen Kronwith’s latest Agatha Christie-like fun ride of a novel, The Serpent’s Teeth. As well as a fast-paced, intricately plotted mystery, Serpent is a family saga — two families actually.
First there’s the dysfunctional and wealthy King family of Long Island, NY, whose matriarch Emma is murdered in the opening pages and her four children and housemaid head the suspects list.
Then there’s the detective’s own Franklin clan, a kind of “Modern Family” replica with some added spices: a same-sex marriage between Jane and the gorgeous and loaded Anna (whose former husband’s death was at the center of an earlier Kronwith yarn) and their pre-teenish genius daughters, working their way through an adolescence of identity, discovery, social norms and off-the-charts smarts.
Classic Agatha Christie-like Mystery
Kronwith, on display in his three previous novels that comprise the Lover Boy trilogy, has a tight, observant and humorous writing style which he overlays on an intricate plot and a cast of everyday to exotic characters including the rich and not-so-famous, the mob, and various professionals to fill in the blanks or delight us with insights that force eventual resolutions.
When Emma, sipping wine and reading a classic by the fire in her plush mansion, is shot by an assassin, Detective Rieger-Franklin is brought in to handle the case and interview the four Franklin children — a lawyer, an actor wannabe, a nurse and a computer nerd — as well as the housemaid and the family attorney who had been partner with Emma’s late husband. They all had motive — there is a fortune to divvy up. Yet, the family attorney, Hathaway, reveals a codicil indicating that if Emma does not die of natural causes, then the money will not be distributed until the cause — or “causee” — is discovered.
As Rieger-Franklin quickly learns, each family member basically has a hate-hate relationship with the other siblings — and that’s putting it mildly — to say nothing of their mother.
This contrasts dramatically to the dynamics and feelings of Jane and Anna, and their two very intelligent children, Felicity and Khaleesi, who try to navigate a safe young adult passageway while fending off challenges from classmates not quite accepting of their parents’ arrangement. And interjecting opinions now and then to Jane’s casework.
Delightful & Satisfying Experience
Sometimes in writing, three times is a charm, and four times is, well, one time too many to recreate style, situations and characters and keep them fresh. Quite often in writing, however, Lord knows some of our great authors have a knack for bringing primary characters back again and again and readers never tire of them.
Jumping into this fourth work of Kronwith after loving the first three, I might have been a little wary. But that concern was quickly put to bed as I once again zipped through the storylines laughing and nodding knowingly all the way. His overly dramatic final scene, in which the very well-read Rieger-Franklin shows off her full repertoire of knowledge, savvy and gamesmanship, is a priceless and most enjoyable literary moment.
Stephen Kronwith is not a household name. But his writing, his imagination and his commentary can hold a candle to many who are. He is a delightful writer, an easy read and a most satisfying experience to those readers looking for something neat and new. The Serpent’s Teeth is a wonderful read, easily justifying its place with Kronwith’s earlier fine stories.
About Stephen Kronwith:
Stephen Kronwith, MD, Ph.D., lives in Floral Park, NY. Born in Brooklyn, he’s had an unusual career, including working as a university professor of mathematics, a programmer for IBM, and for 31 years as a private/university-based pediatric ophthalmologist. He had wanted to write a novel for many years but couldn’t find the time until recently. He started writing his first novel, Lover Boy, six months before retiring. Though complicated and slowed by being among the healthcare professionals working during the hectic early months of the COVID crisis, he completed the manuscript about eight months later. Writing Lover Girl went a lot faster, as did Lover Child. If you wish to get in contact with the author, he can be reached at: LoverBoyBook@gmail.com.
