Serpents in the Cold

O’Malley (This Magnificent Desolation) teams with debut novelist Purdy on this gritty mystery set in early 1950s Boston. Dante Cooper, a recent widower battling a heroin addiction, suffers another emotional blow when he learns that his sister-in-law, Sheila Anderson, has been murdered. Her naked body was left overnight on Tenean Beach in Dorchester, where she lived. Sheila appears to be the latest victim of a serial killer known as the Butcher. With the help of his friend Cal O’Brien, a former cop who has recurring nightmares from his tour of duty in WWII, the single-minded Dante scours Boston, from the seedy Boston Common to the shady South End, in search of clues. O’Malley and Purdy bring postwar Boston to life, making neighborhoods feel as distinct as separate countries. While the authors don’t offer much suspense, they have delivered a love-letter to a Boston that’s long gone. [em]Agent: Richard Abate, 3 Arts Entertainment. (Jan.) [/em]