What I'm reading ...

I have started Dead Man’s Footsteps by Peter James. Nice to relax into another in this series. Here’s the blurb:

Amid the tragic unfolding mayhem of the morning of 9/11, failed Brighton businessman and ne'er-do-well Ronnie Wilson sees the chance of a lifeline: to shed his debts, disappear and reinvent himself in another country. Six years later the discovery of the skeletal remains of a woman's body in a storm drain in Brighton leads Detective Superintendent Roy Grace on an enquiry spanning the globe, and into a desperate race against time to save the life of a woman being hunted down like an animal in the streets and alleys of Brighton.

The Essex Serpent - by Sarah Perry

This book was recommended to me and is my latest book club choice. Here’s the blurb:

London, 1893. When Cora Seaborne's controlling husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness. Along with her son Francis - a curious, obsessive boy - she leaves town for Essex, in the hope that fresh air and open space will provide refuge.
On arrival, rumours reach them that the mythical Essex Serpent, once said to roam the marshes claiming lives, has returned to the coastal parish of Aldwinter. Cora, a keen amateur naturalist with no patience for superstition, is enthralled, convinced that what the local people think is a magical beast may be a yet-undiscovered species. As she sets out on its trail, she is introduced to William Ransome, Aldwinter's vicar, who is also deeply suspicious of the rumours, but thinks they are a distraction from true faith.
As he tries to calm his parishioners, Will and Cora strike up an intense relationship, and although they agree on absolutely nothing, they find themselves at once drawn together and torn apart, affecting each other in ways that surprise them both.
The Essex Serpent is a celebration of love, and the many different shapes it can take.

I found this book an enjoyable read, with a good pace and excellent writing style. The legend of the serpent is used as a vehicle to tell the story of a number of people’s lives and loves and the complex interactions between them. We also get a good picture of late Victorian life in a number of contexts.
I thought that the characters were well drawn and Cora, in particular, quite interesting. The story has good pace and the ending is not rushed. Although the story does have an ending of sorts, I would have liked to know exactly what happened to Stella. Did she die? If so, did Will and Cora progress their relationship?
Looking at the author’s previous book and her forthcoming novel, I will be inclined to read more.