The trail of the serpent

About the book

In the provincial town of Slopperton, school assistant Jabez North enjoys a reputation for exemplary goodness that the narrator immediately invites readers to question. Richard Marwood, by contrast, faces prosecution for his uncle's murder with circumstances seemingly arranged against him. Joseph Peters, a detective who cannot speak, believes in Richard's innocence and pursues the problem despite the dismissive judgments of fellow officers. Braddon carries the intrigue beyond the opening town through concealed identities, family connections, and elaborate acts of deception. The story's sensation machinery is accompanied by sharp commentary on the ease with which communities mistake reputation for character. Peters's resourcefulness provides an especially pointed answer to a society that repeatedly misreads both virtue and ability.

• Respectability and deception
• Wrongful accusation
• Ability and prejudice

Why read it

Peters's methods and the narrator's skepticism about public virtue give the mystery distinctive human and social stakes.

English text of the Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent stereotyped edition