The Head of the Snake

Book excerpt: How do you know with any certainty that the person you marry is not going to torment you for the next twenty years? Dave Pedersen, an incurable romantic that writes poetry to his lady friends, gives up his long-held bachelorhood when he feels he has met the perfect lifetime mate, and he ties the knot with the cute little brunette, Carla. But Carla is not the sweet, demure girl that Dave believed her to be during their short courtship. The marriage plunges Dave into a painful proverbial marriage from hell with an adulterous, accusatory psycho, and he must decide how much of the controlling, lunatic Carla and her verbal and physical abuse he can tolerate to keep the family together. After a divorce, Dave must endure Carla’s maniacal, tormenting behavior and nonstop venom to keep communication lines open with his children. His marriage and divorce problems are juxtaposed against his once enchanting and memorable life as an unmarried man, which in itself results in torturous reflection as he deals with Carla. Enter Carla’s childhood neighbor, Billy of a criminal mind-set, an ex-convict with prison time, and the already unbearable situation becomes alarmingly provocative and dangerous. Carla and Billy unite to create a toxic duo to scheme revenge on Dave and his new wife, Maria. A cascade of troubling events unravels Carla’s world. Will Billy straighten out his life in the evil vortex of Carla’s manipulation? Will Carla’s incessant vengeful scheming lead to her comeuppance? Will Dave ever again enjoy peace of mind, realizing all too late that life has thrown him a wicked Sandy Koufax curveball?