The trail of the serpent by M. E. Braddon
"The Trail of the Serpent" by M. E. Braddon is a novel written in the mid-19th century. The story appears to center on crime, intrigue, and personal downfall, set in the fictional English town of Slopperton. Early key characters include Jabez North, a school usher with hidden depths, and Richard Marwood, a prodigal son implicated in a heinous crime. The book likely explores themes of deception, mistaken guilt, and the dark complexities
of human character. The opening of the novel sets a somber, rain-soaked scene in Slopperton, introducing Jabez North, a seemingly virtuous assistant at a boys' academy who harbors secrets and troubling behaviors. The narrative quickly shifts to the return of Richard Marwood, an outcast son, who reunites briefly with his mother and wealthy uncle, only to find himself entangled in a web of suspicion following his uncle's brutal murder. Parallel subplots introduce other troubled souls, such as a desperate woman and her child, and the movements of a mute detective named Peters. Within these opening chapters, the story lays the groundwork for a mystery, focusing on the wrongful accusation of Richard, the suspicion cast on various townsfolk, and the interplay between outward respectability and inner corruption. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Braddon, M. E. (Mary Elizabeth), 1835-1915 |
|---|---|
| Title | The trail of the serpent |
| Original Publication | London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., 1890. |
| Note | Reading ease score: 75.1 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. |
| Note | Also published with the title: Three times dead; or, The secret of the heath. |
| Note | Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trail_of_the_Serpent |
| Credits | Peter Becker, Laura Natal and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PR: Language and Literatures: English literature |
| Subject | Detective and mystery stories |
| Subject | Serial murders -- Fiction |
| Subject | Yorkshire (England) -- Fiction |
| Subject | Foundlings -- Fiction |
| Subject | Murderers -- Fiction |
| Subject | Paris (France) -- Fiction |
| Subject | Suspense fiction |
| Subject | Judicial error -- Fiction |
| Subject | Mute persons -- Fiction |
| Subject | Bankers -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 75840 |
| Release Date | Apr 12, 2025 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 1009 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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