Crown of Serpents (The Tununda Mysteries)

Who would think there was a connections between our American Indians and Masons? This book is a great casual read to enjoy during fall afternoons and evenings.

This book is derived from honest roots from the American Revolutionary War and the masonic connections between American Officer Boyd, British Officer Butler and American Indian Chief Brant. Half-Seneca Indian Jake Tununda tries to rescue a local who fell into an ancient Indian gravesite. A button with a white deer holding a snake inside it is found and kicks off a series of events to recover the Crown of Serpents.

I loved learning about current Indian dynamics, politics and relationships. Enter a ruthless and dying Alex Nero, an evil Casino owner who keeps a secret stash of old and new scalps hidden under this lair and you have the making of murder, arson and dishonesty.

Now this is not the best written book I have ever read but I like it anyway. Jake is great guy and is pure of heart. I became tired of the police woman and her "tough" act. Why can't someone write a book about a feminine police detective without a chip on her shoulder?

Okay my movie suggestions:
Jake Tununda: Lou Diamond Phillips

Characters were great. Dialogued flowed . Story was totally engaging and full of twist and surprises. Historical stuff was fascinating. The whole story holds together very very well. A natural for a movie!
It,s funny because as a Quebecois, my elementary school education always made me sympathetic to 'our' indians, the Hurons and the Algonquins and completely hostile to the savage Iroquois. This is the first time in my life where I actually got interested and admiring about anything Iroquois.

An action-packed thriller that delivers a rich mix of factual history, legend, and modern fiction, Crown of Serpents delivers on all counts. The book opens with a scene from an early American skirmish and spans hundreds of years, following the last days of a military officer to a present-day struggle to retrace his steps, decode the secrets, and claim the prize - the Crown of Serpents. As the mystery unravels, the author blends Native American lore with Masonic themes and modern-day political and social wrangling in upstate New York which hooks the reader in right until the last page is turned. Jake Tununda is the initially reluctant hero who leads the reader through a maze of plot twists to a wild finish. Bottom line - this book is a fun read and I would recommend it!

If you like the stories in the style of Dan Brown's recent historical-conspiracy thrillers, you'll like this book. Overall a very enjoyable read, well crafted story.

The biggest flaw, as another reviewer pointed out, is that there are several instances of grammatical errors, misprints, or words misplaced due to poor editing. However, these aren't glaring and don't really detract from understanding the novel--just an occasional annoyance.

Note to Freemasons: While the book is heavily marketed towards members of the Masonic fraternity and the organization does play a role in the book, do not expect a Masonic-centric plot a'la "The Lost Symbol". It is much more about Native American history and a secret society of the Native Americans, and the Craft plays something of a supporting role in preserving the legend that drives the plot. Personally I enjoyed how the author uses the Craft "around" the story, and uses it to fill in the blanks of the plot as well as give a few instances of Masonic allusions that only a Brother would truly understand (and sometimes get a bit of a chuckle out of it). It's great to have a novel use the Fraternity in a way other than the whole "Secret shadow government" vein that so many historical fiction novels throw it into.

there are blank pages in this book. I just started to read it and pages 119-120 are blank. Flipping through I think there are more blank pages.
****DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK ON-LINE******It is not complete and since I did not read it right away, I cannot return per Amazon.com rules.

Just finished reading this work. Karpovage has done a masterful job of weaving history into his work. His historical facts are spot on and he cleverly weaves Freemasonry into the story. I can't wait to read the next two books in the series.

I was not a fiction reader but upon encouragement from a friend, bought and then could not put it down! Well researched, characters are well developed to where you can see them. Points made about military, weapons etc are correct. My wife who is a fiction reader enjoyed it as well.

I have read the book "Crown of Serpents" by Michael Karpovage. All I can say is I wish Michael had more books to read. He keeps you interested all the way through the book. Some history is included and I did not want to put it down. A lot of work has gone into his writing and if you get a chance to read this, you will agree with me. Thanks Michael for a great book.

When I saw in the description about this book the words "Seneca Army Depot", I was hooked. Being from Western New York and visiting that area frequently I wanted to see what this was all about. Also being a member of the Masonic Fraternity and the way that Masonry was intersected throughout the book and into the plot made it enjoyable reading. Last summmer we came upon the Seneca Army Depot and I have read everything that I could get my hands on about this facility, including a conversation with a retired N.Y.S. Trooper who had been at the Trooper Training Area on that land. I have never seen the white deer that reside there and it was interested how that was presented in the book. Good reading, did not take me long to finish, it was hard to put it down. Ending was different, but aren't they all.

This book is a quick, easy read that keeps you entertained. It is filled with historical facts, folklore and real places. The plot is fast paced which keeps you turning pages. I recommend this book to other Historical Fiction and Action/Suspense fans like myself.

You will especially enjoy the book if you have ever lived or spent time in Western New York.