The Serpent Pool

By Martin Edwards

"An unusual and challenging puzzle mystery that will keep [you] guessing until the final pages. Wow!" —Library Journal STARRED review

Seven years ago, Bethany Friend was found drowned in mere inches of water in the lonely Serpent Pool in England's Lake District. Was it suicide or murder? Now, determined to win justice for Bethany's dying mother, DCI Hannah Scarlett of the Cold Case Squad re-opens the case.

But Hannah has problems of her own: a new sergeant with a reputation for causing trouble, a new house close to the Serpent Pool, and new cause to doubt her partner, second-hand bookseller Marc Amos. Worried by dwindling finances and the horrific death of one of his best customers, Marc finds himself drawn to the lovely and enigmatic Cassie Weston, who works in his shop.

Then Hannah meets Louise Kind, sister of historian Daniel Kind. Louise has been living with book collector and lawyer Stuart Wagg, and has just confessed to her brother that she struck Wagg with a knife. Searching for the supposed victim, Hannah and Daniel—who is writing a book about the brilliant but opium-addicted 19th-century English writer Thomas De Quincey—encounter dark secrets and strange obsessions that oddly echo De Quincey's drug-fueled writings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Release date: Sep 30, 2011
• ISBN: 9781615950539

Martin Edwards

Martin Edwards is an award-winning crime novelist whose Lake District Mysteries have been optioned by ITV. Elected to the Detection Club in 2008, he became the first Archivist of the Club, and is also Archivist of the Crime Writers’ Association. Renowned as the leading expert on the history of Golden Age detective fiction, he won the Crimefest Mastermind Quiz three times, and possesses one of Britain’s finest collections of Golden Age novels.

Reviews for The Serpent Pool

[whirligigwitch · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Great sense of place and atmosphere but I didn't feel the writing was particularly good. The ending tied the plot up neatly but it was thin throughout the book. If I hadn't read the previous three books in Edwards' Lake District mysteries already I wouldn't have persevered with this; as it is I enjoyed the development of the characters and the progress of their emotional developments and relationships more than anything else.

[smik_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the unsolved crimes that always worried DCI Hannah Scarlett's former boss Ben Kind was the drowning of Bethany Friend in the Serpent Pool, a shallow lake not very far from where Hannah and her partner second hand bookseller Marc Amos now live. Bethany's death went down on the books as suicide, but Ben Kind always thought she had been murdered.DCI Hannah Scarlett is head of Cumbria's Cold Case Review Team, but as so often happens, cold cases may have links to current ones, although these are not be obvious at first.The shocking death of one of Marc's best customers, burned to death in a converted boathouse filled with priceless books, reveals connections between Marc and Bethany Friend, and Hannah wonders why he has never told her that he knew Bethany. The seed of mistrust, ever present in long term relationships, grows when Marc turns to an attractive colleague for solace. Just to complicate matters, Daniel Kind, Hannah's historian friend (and son of Ben) returns from overseas and gets in touch with Hannah.THE SERPENT POOL is one of those stories is characterised by careful groundwork that then gathers breathtaking pace in the second half. I enjoyed the book very much. My rating: 4.8.It is #4 in Edwards' Lake District Mysteries series, and while for those who have read earlier titles it is another very satisfying instalment, those who have not read earlier ones need not worry about whether they have missed too much of the backstory. I think Martin Edwards treads that fine line marvellously well. Those new to this series will find themselves hunting for the earlier titles. Among good news relayed earlier this year was that the first, COFFIN TRAIL, is being re-issued.The titles to look for: Lake District Mystery1. The Coffin Trail (2004)2. The Cipher Garden (2005)3. The Arsenic Labyrinth (2007)4. The Serpent Pool (2010)

[toddhurley · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When I first received this advance copy I was excited to get into a series by an author that was new to me. As I read the blurb on the back cover I was initially worried about what I was about to read. Maybe it was just the way the blurb was written, but it was sounding very confusing to me right at the outset. There was a plethora of characters that all seemed to have their own plot lines. It was confusing right from the outset as to how, if at all, any of these stories related to each other.As our story begins, we are introduced to our protagonist, DCI Hannah Scarlett, who works on the Cold Case Squad in England’s Lake District.She has been tasked with finding out whether Emily Friend, a girl found drowned in mere inches of water in the isolated “Serpent Pool”. She needs to find out whether it was suicide or murder, and to finally give a sense of peace and justice to her dying mother.As the case is re-opened, the confusion started for me. Like any good police procedural, the investigating officer must come with their own set of problems. DCI Scarlett doesn’t disappoint. She’s faced with adjusting to a new sergeant, who carries a reputation for causing trouble and being difficult to work with; she’s just moved into a new house in the Lake District close to the Serpent Pool; and new cause to doubt her partner - Marc Amos, a second hand book seller.It wouldn’t be normal if Marc didn’t have his own problems. We know that his business is suffering from dwindling finances and the death of one of his best customers, George Saffell. Just to top it all off, he is finding himself drawn to the attractive and enigmatic Cassie Weston, one of his employees in the shop.As these circumstances are set up for us, the main action of the story begins. It is easy to tell, right from the outset that our author, Mr. Edwards, is a seasoned writer of significant talent. The writing is at once easy and gripping. At a New Years Eve party, DCI Scarlett meets Louise Kind, the sister of the now famous historian Daniel Kind. He is also a former flame of hers. They haven’t seen each other is a few years. In those years, Daniel has become somewhat of a celebrity with his books, and with his appearance on TV as a historical expert. He has become recognizable to people on the street, which has changed his life quite remarkably. His latest work is a book about the brilliant, but opium addicted 19th century writer Thomas De Quincey. Little did they know - the dark secrets and strange obsessions they would soon encounter, would oddly echo De Quincey’s own drug fueled writings.As Hannah starts to touch base with the Kind’s, she is drawn into a troubling new case involving the both of them. Louise had been living with the lawyer and book collector, Stuart Wagg, an arrogant and wanna-be socialite. He is mostly hated in the community, but most people take advantage of his extravagant parties, such as the New Years Eve party he has thrown. While he was throwing this big party, he was paying attention to other women far more than he was to her, the actions of a real jerk. She is seeing what he is really like and is deciding that her time with him is over.As DCI Scarlett begins the new year with her colleagues and new boss, they start to try to uncover more evidence about Emily Friend case. Then she gets a call from her old flame, Daniel. He is asking her to meet as soon as possible. She can only think that it will be about their past and she is unsure of how she feels. Mostly good, she decides. When she meets him, he tells her that his sister has shown up at his house in hysterics. She has had a fight with Stuart Wagg and it ended when she stabbed a pair of scissors at his arm. She flees his house and runs to Daniel, sure that she has hurt Stuart badly. Daniel agrees to go to his house and see that he is okay.When Daniel arrives at Waggs’ house, he can find Stuart nowhere. He continues to look for him outside the house, on his property, but still to no avail. That is when he decides to involve DCI Scarlett. As the search is now handed over to the police, we are starting to wonder about what case is the story really about. Is it about the murdered book seller at the beginning of the novel, the re-opened cold case of Emily Friend, or the now apparent disappearance of Stuart Wagg?This confusion is what I found most frustrating about this story. The quality of the writing is excellent, and the delivery and creation of the world of the Lake District is really quite engrossing. From reading about the author, Mr. Edwards, I see that this novel is the fourth in the series about DCI Hannah Scarlett and historian Daniel Kind. This would account for the apparent ease of the environment and surrounding characters. He has created a very true world for his stories to live in.Ultimately, we do find out how each of the cases I mentioned above relate to each other, but I found the journey to finding out was more frustrating than mysterious. This took away much of the suspense of the novel and in the end I just wanted to get to the end to find out how, if at all, any of these things mattered.Overall - an excellently written novel, but frustrating to read. The plotting of the book was almost purposely over-complicated, but that ran the risk of confusing and losing the reader. I feel that ultimately that is what would happen to most readers encountering this book. Having said that, I would still be interested in reading the other books in this series, as the main characters themselves were very interesting and the depth with which they are written, make them as real as you and me.-todd>>Special thanks to NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for providing the advance readers copy of this novel.>The Hurley Edition - May 2010The Serpent Pool by Martin EdwardsPublisher: Poisoned Pen PressCategory: Fiction - MysteryPublication Date: May 2010Author's Website

[jenzbaker · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

DCI Hannah Scarlett reopens a cold case. She lives near the pool where Bethany drowned in a few inches of water. Also another case: Daniel the literary historian. Action mirrors the past, secrets revealed. Menacing gloom atmosphere and great evocation of Lake District and denizens, interesting subject. Read-alike: Crossing Places

[cathyskye · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love how author Martin Edwards can weave together (1) a nuanced and compelling romantic triangle between Hannah, Daniel and Marc, (2) the glorious and sometimes creepy setting of England's Lake District, and (3) investigations into a fascinating cold case as well as one occurring in the present day. Every book in this series is consistently first-rate.Even a description of setting like this one as Hannah hikes to the Serpent Pool tells you about her character: "The sky was bruised. Livid patches of yellow, with deep purple streaks. Hannah stood on the back door step outside Undercrag, staring up to the heavens as Marc strode off. The colours reminded her of the cheeks of a victim of domestic violence." It only stands to reason that a seasoned police officer would see a sky like that and compare it to domestic violence, but even though it's indicative of so many facets of Hannah's character, it's the type of comparison few writers use. And as for characterizations, the Lake District should be listed in a cast list. It is an area rich in history and literature and atmosphere, and Edwards knows how to use it to create stories in which readers love to immerse themselves.Wonderful characters, perfect setting-- and from its very heart-stopping beginning all the way to its shocking end-- an investigation that fascinates with every twist and turn. Although I had my beady eye focused in the right spots, I couldn't even begin to piece the conclusion together properly.If you've never read one of Martin Edwards' Lake District mysteries, I urge you to do so. They're among the best to be found anywhere.