Isle of the Snakes

Captain Jose Da Silva Mystery #2

by Robert L. Fish

A traveler is murdered in Rio for the sake of a stuffed snakeThe man in white has money to fly, but he boards a bus instead. It takes hours for the rickety old bus to snake down the Brazilian coast, and the man arrives in Rio de Janeiro well after midnight. He is on his way to make his fortune when he spots the killers following him and knows is life is through.A few hours after dawn, the man in white is brought to the city morgue—another anonymous corpse to be inspected by Captain José Da Silva, liaison between Interpol and the Brazilian police. Da Silva knows he is on to something when he opens the package the man left at his hotel just before the killers caught up to him. In it is a stuffed coral snake, a bizarre sight that does not faze the detective. Da Silva knows that on a late night in Rio, even dead snakes can kill.

Genres: Mystery

232 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Robert Lloyd Fish was an American writer of crime fiction. His first novel, The Fugitive, gained him the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Allan Poe Award for best first novel in 1962, and his short story "Moonlight Gardener" was awarded the Edgar for best short story in 1972. His 1963 novel Mute Witness, written under the pseudonym Robert L. Pike, was filmed in 1968 as Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A vivid 1963 thriller set in Brazil where Captain da Silva, the Brazilian Interpol liaison officer investigates a few killings in Rio that soon lead to the island of the title where the penultimate climax takes place after da Silva and Wilson, his counterpart at the US Embassy, venture to a coastal port near the island and then a battle for survival amongst the snakes before an unexpected final twist. A very engaging first chapter hook, building suspense and good descriptions of the country and its people mark an entertaining read

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second trip with Robert L. Fish's Captain Jose Da Silva in Brazil. This brings a second character into the mix as they chase down the murderers of a man carrying a mysterious stuffed snake. The prey on the island is not snakes, although this one is known for its large variety of serpents, but a large cache of drugs.

[John Marr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant little '60s mystery/thriller, with Fish's Brazilian Interpol man Capt. Da Silva in pursuit of a stuffed coral snake that is far more valuable than it seems.