They halted close to the water's edge. This was their destination. This was the Serpent Pool. And here, six years ago, Bethany Friend's body had been found. The Lake District's cold case specialist, DCI Hannah Scarlett, is determined to uncover the truth behind an apparent suicide in the Serpent Pool some years ago. Why would Bethany, so afraid of water, drown herself? Hannah fears that her partner, bookseller Marc Amos, is keeping dark secrets. Does he hold the key to Bethany's past - and why was his best customer burnt to death in an Ullswater boathouse? Hannah still carries a torch for Daniel Kind, who is researching Thomas De Quincey and the history of murder. Once Daniel and Hannah suspect connections between Bethany's drowning and a current sequence of killings, death comes dangerously close to home.
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'Evocative descriptions, expert plotting, an engaging protagonist and strongly delineated characters...the denouement will have you choking on your Kendal mint cake' The Guardian
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
DCI Hannah Scarlett is investigating the 6 year old murder of Bethany Friend who was found dead in the Serpent Pool not far from where she now lives. Was it murder or could it conceivably have been suicide? Her partner, rare book dealer Marc Amos, seems to think she is wasting her time re-opening the case, but Hannah doesn't think she is. The rest of Hannah's colleagues, meanwhile, are investigating the death of a local rare book collector - George Saffell - burned to death along with his valuable book collection.
Marc and Hannah are not getting on too well even though they have recently bought an old house with the intention of renovating it. I thought the scenes near the beginning of the book where Hannah is checking everything she says in order not to start a row were cleverly done and very true to life. Hannah is wondering whether Marc knows more about Bethany than he is saying and just how well he knows a new member of his staff, Cassie Weston.
I was hooked from the very first page of this complex mystery. It is well written and the characters are three dimensional and all too human. I enjoyed trying to work out in advance the links between people. I liked the way Hannah debates with herself about whether to contact Daniel Kind - the son of her former boss - again, even though she knows it might not be a good idea to do so. The rare books background is interesting as are the discussions about Thomas De Quincey - about whom Daniel is supposed to be writing a book. The Lake District in winter broods over the whole story like a character in its own right and the sense of place is very strong.... Read more ›
Marc and Hannah are not getting on too well even though they have recently bought an old house with the intention of renovating it. I thought the scenes near the beginning of the book where Hannah is checking everything she says in order not to start a row were cleverly done and very true to life. Hannah is wondering whether Marc knows more about Bethany than he is saying and just how well he knows a new member of his staff, Cassie Weston.
I was hooked from the very first page of this complex mystery. It is well written and the characters are three dimensional and all too human. I enjoyed trying to work out in advance the links between people. I liked the way Hannah debates with herself about whether to contact Daniel Kind - the son of her former boss - again, even though she knows it might not be a good idea to do so. The rare books background is interesting as are the discussions about Thomas De Quincey - about whom Daniel is supposed to be writing a book. The Lake District in winter broods over the whole story like a character in its own right and the sense of place is very strong.... Read more ›
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unexplained deaths, complex relationships, past and present make this is a page turner.
30 Jan 2010
By Lizzie Hayes
Format:Hardcover
New Year's Eve, and DCI Hannah Scarlett is reluctantly readying herself for a party hosted by rich lawyer Stuart Wagg, but anything she muses is an improvement after spending Christmas - seven claustrophobic days cheek by jowl with Marc's (her partner's) family. As Stuart is one of Marc's best customers, and having recently moved to a new house that needs a lot of work, they need all the money they can get. Marc Amos is a second hand book-seller, specializing in rare books, and with his best customer recently being found burnt to death along with all his books, Marc cannot afford to lose another customer.
Back at work Hannah Scarlett, head of the Cold Cases Division of the Cumbria Constabulary is currently looking into the death of Bethany Friend, who six years ago died from drowning in The Serpent's Pool. But was it suicide or murder? As Hannah interviews the people who knew Bethany she begins to suspect that Marc knew Bethany but if he did he has never mentioned it when the subject has come up - is Marc hiding something? And could it have anything to do with Bethany's death. The easiest thing would be to ask him, but the relationship between Hannah and Marc is already strained, and so she puts it off trying to find the right time.
Hannah and Marc have clearly moved apart in their relationship, and although their differences must have always been there they are now becoming more apparent as time passes. The relationship problems are handled well, with skill and sensitivity, and contribute much to the feel of the story.... Read more ›
Back at work Hannah Scarlett, head of the Cold Cases Division of the Cumbria Constabulary is currently looking into the death of Bethany Friend, who six years ago died from drowning in The Serpent's Pool. But was it suicide or murder? As Hannah interviews the people who knew Bethany she begins to suspect that Marc knew Bethany but if he did he has never mentioned it when the subject has come up - is Marc hiding something? And could it have anything to do with Bethany's death. The easiest thing would be to ask him, but the relationship between Hannah and Marc is already strained, and so she puts it off trying to find the right time.
Hannah and Marc have clearly moved apart in their relationship, and although their differences must have always been there they are now becoming more apparent as time passes. The relationship problems are handled well, with skill and sensitivity, and contribute much to the feel of the story.... Read more ›
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Martin Edwards' Lake District series has become a gem in thoughtful, contemporary crime novels. They check all the boxes for readers who enjoy a strong sense of place, with the past a location in its own right, and who seek interesting, clearly drawn characters as much as a gripping story.
The Serpent Pool sees the two main protagonists, cold case expert DCI Hannah Scarlett and historian Daniel Kind, more definite about their feelings for each other than in previous novels. The sexual tension between them has become the fulcrum for the series and it adds extra spice to the murder mystery.
The key murder in The Serpent Pool, which forms an attention-grabbing opener, proves not to be the last, while a six-year-old suspicious death which Hannah is working on has an overlapping cast of characters. These personalities are intriguing and offer fascinating glimpses into unusual lives. This is one aspect I especially enjoy about Martin Edwards' books; they're set very much in the now and they gently expose and question the unpleasant reality of modern day business and politics.
However, one of the novel's main protagonists is a historian and Edwards also delights in revealing the past. As with previous books, it is the past which Daniel Kind is researching which supplies the underlying theme. In The Serpent Pool, this is murder as a fine art, as expounded by Victorian essayist and opium addict Thomas de Quincey. Grotesque? Definitely. There are elements of Gothic horror at work in this fast-paced and rewarding book.
The Serpent Pool sees the two main protagonists, cold case expert DCI Hannah Scarlett and historian Daniel Kind, more definite about their feelings for each other than in previous novels. The sexual tension between them has become the fulcrum for the series and it adds extra spice to the murder mystery.
The key murder in The Serpent Pool, which forms an attention-grabbing opener, proves not to be the last, while a six-year-old suspicious death which Hannah is working on has an overlapping cast of characters. These personalities are intriguing and offer fascinating glimpses into unusual lives. This is one aspect I especially enjoy about Martin Edwards' books; they're set very much in the now and they gently expose and question the unpleasant reality of modern day business and politics.
However, one of the novel's main protagonists is a historian and Edwards also delights in revealing the past. As with previous books, it is the past which Daniel Kind is researching which supplies the underlying theme. In The Serpent Pool, this is murder as a fine art, as expounded by Victorian essayist and opium addict Thomas de Quincey. Grotesque? Definitely. There are elements of Gothic horror at work in this fast-paced and rewarding book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ripples on the Pool
This brooding murder mystery opens with a fearful death and the story builds to a horrifying, gut-churning climax. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Nora Bartley (Wirral)
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Serpent Pool
The Lake District Mysteries seem to get better with each one published. They are well written, easy to read and very atmospheric. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Hazel
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bought to add to the rest of his novels I own
Being aware of the ability of this author, I can only comment on the condition and delivery of the book which came up to expectations.
Published 2 months ago by bazray
5.0 out of 5 stars
Serpent Pool
This second hand book was in excellent condition. I thorughly enjoyed it as. I had read the first book in the series and was very pleased not to have had to wait too long for the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Margaut
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Serpent Pool
Although I usually read True Crime books I have enjoyed reading all five crime novels in Martin Edwards's Lake District series. Read more
Published 10 months ago by KP
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best one yet
I was really looking forward to reading the fourth in this series and I only wish I'd warned everyone that I was starting it because once started it's absolutely impossible to put... Read more
Published 16 months ago by EZW
5.0 out of 5 stars
More, please, from a Crime buff
I must write to congratulate the publishers of the Lake District Mysteries by Martin Edwards. Each of the four that I have read so far are stand-alone mysteries but read as a... Read more
Published 18 months ago by John Fordyce
2.0 out of 5 stars
The Serpent Pool
The story is fair although there is little tension or excitement. It was difficult to care about the characters who did not come across as real people. Overall disappointing.
Published 21 months ago by T. King
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant read!
Absolutely wonderful book, beautifully written and a complete page turner from the first page to the last. Read more
Published 21 months ago by JessicaJayne
5.0 out of 5 stars
Serpent Pool
Being an avid reader of adventure and mystery novels I was intrigued to explore a new author. I was not disappointed, the book was well written, the atmosphere generated was superb... Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2011 by MJE
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