Viper - Michael Morley [0]
Viper
Michael Morley is a former television presenter, producer and director, and is currently a Senior Executive Director for an international TV company. He has produced a number of award-winning documentaries, including Murder in Mind about Dennis Nilsen, which led to a high-profile High Court battle with the government over the right to broadcast it. For that same documentary Michael often visited the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit in Quantico, and followed FBI agents working in the field. He was also able to interview a number of notor ious serial killers.
Michael divides his time between homes in Derbyshire and the Netherlands. He is married and has three sons.
Viper is his second novel, following his acclaimed debut Spider. To read more about Michael Morley go to www.michael morleybooks.com.
Praise for Michael Morley’s first novel, Spider
‘A terrifying read that will keep you hooked’
Simon Kernick
‘A chillingly vivid thriller. Don’t read it alone in the middle of the night’ Steven Bochco
‘Spider chillingly captures the realities of a deteriorated mind’ Lynda La Plante
‘If you’re looking for a great read on the beach, let me steer you towards Spider, a wonderfully horrible serial killer novel’ Star
‘A thrilling, fast-paced read’ Shots Magazine
‘A perfect crime novel… I was unable to put it down’
Crime Squad
‘This has a terrific race-against-time finale. An exciting debut’
Bookseller
‘Has all the makings of a summer blockbuster and could well make Morley a household name’ Material Witness
Viper
MICHAEL MORLEY
PENGUIN BOOKS
PENGUIN BOOKS
Published by the Penguin Group
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First published 2009
Copyright © Michael Morley 2009
All rights reserved
Map of the Bay of Naples by Damien Demaj
The moral right of the author has been asserted
Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser
ISBN: 978-0-141-93786-1
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
To Billy – our magnificent surprise
Acknowledgements
Viper is influenced by the criminal activity of the Camorra in Naples. Most of the places mentioned genuinely exist and most events are drawn from real Camorra activities. Some, however – for reasons that will become obvious – did not happen and do not exist.
I was helped in my research by new-found friends in the carabinieri in Naples, who need to remain anonymous, and by members of the Neapolitan Camorra whom I prefer to keep anonymous. I must also express my gratitude to Guy Rutty, Professor of Forensic Pathology, East Midlands Forensic Pathology Unit, University of Leicester, UK, for his advice on matters