Complete manuscript · Forthcoming

The Vipers

Name: The Vipers
Author: Brandon Burnside

By Brandon Burnside · Nightgrave Publishing

Power. Loyalty. Bloodlines.

About the book

In 2006, eighteen-year-old Brad Bennington arrives at Tampa’s Blackthorn College with a scholarship, a gift for rowing, and a black 2004 Dodge Neon SRT-4 he built himself. For a young man from Plant City, the school promises a way into a world that has always kept its doors closed. His friendship with star quarterback Antonio Smith soon brings him to the attention of the Viper Association, an exclusive society with powerful connections and limitless money.

Under the patronage of financier and college trustee Michael Mansfield, Brad receives opportunities he could never have imagined. But Mansfield’s son Jackson sees him as an intruder, and the society’s generosity begins to feel like ownership. Behind the luxury cars and private gatherings lie brutal rituals and a hidden archive suggesting that Brad’s arrival at Blackthorn was arranged long before he applied.

As Detective Veronica Richmond investigates a suspicious death, Brad discovers a network whose influence reaches into law enforcement, politics, and finance. With Antonio caught between loyalty and survival, Brad must decide whom he can trust—and whether exposing the Vipers will free him or make everyone he loves a target.

Author & copyright holder: Brandon Burnside
Publisher: Nightgrave Publishing
Status: Complete manuscript · Forthcoming
Length: Approximately 85,000 words
Genre: Dark academia · Conspiracy thriller
Setting: Tampa, Florida · 2006

Release date and ordering information to be announced.