The Essex Serpent, Sarah Perry

After the death of her aloof husband, Cora Seaborne leaves London for Colchester with her odd son, Francis, and devoted companion, Martha. They arrive in a community captivated by tales of a sea creature said to have killed a local man shortly after the clock struck 12 on Jan. 1, 1891. The pleasures of this plotful novel include romance, hints of the supernatural and a slate of characters.