Electric Green Mambas (A Scott Brody Thriller)
Bryan Cassiday
Self-Published (2021)
ISBN 9781737628217
Reviewed by Tammy Ruggles for Reader Views (01/2022)
“Electric Green Mambas” by award-winning writer Bryan Cassiday is a dark, chilling novel steeped in psychological drama and the occult. Evelyn Martin hires an L.A. private eye named Scott Brody to locate her genius brother, Tyler, who has gone missing. Tyler is on the L.A. Mensa board of directors (i.e.., the High-IQ society) and is an aerospace engineer. During his investigation, Brody discovers that the victims of an active serial killer all belong to the Mensa organization. (Enter a cult that worships a wooden serpent god called Li Grande Zombi.)
Brody assumes Tyler could be the killer’s next victim. It’s a race against time as Brody tries to locate Tyler before the killer does. The plot darkens as Brody comes to believe that the murderer has placed him under a terrifying hallucinogenic voodoo curse in order to stop him from finding Tyler. What is real and what is imaginary? This is what Brody has to determine before he falls victim to the hands of pure evil.
Cassiday flexes his writing muscles in this imaginative and clever psychological thriller. It has everything you want in a dark drama draped in horror: mysterious plot, bloodthirsty killer, victims to save, and a protagonist who is not only invested in finding the killer, but who may be a target, himself. If you are brave enough, immerse yourself in this world of deadly serpents and voodoo worship, and you won’t be disappointed. This author wastes no time getting into the “meat” of the plot, and leads you through this mental maze with skill and precise talent. The pace is energetic, the characters intriguing, the dialog dynamic—it feels more like a movie than a novel, and you’ll love every second of it!
I like that Cassiday strings you along, not serving it to you all at once. And I like that his characters are imperfect, multidimensional, and relatable. Parts of this novel are more visceral and intense than others, but all lead to a satisfying end. You don’t know what lies around the corner…ever. Brody is a well-drawn character, very human in his thought processes and reactions, including confusion and self-doubt.
Fans of the first “True Detective” installment, take notice. If you like feeling unnerved as you read, you will love “Electric Green Mambas!”
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