The Essex Serpent - Sarah Perry
I only bought this book because of the cover, and it's one of the best things I've read. Seriously.
She's a writer who can write people, and life, and she puts the people in a place - and she can write place, too. This book deserves to be kept on the 'classics' shelf, alongside Tolstoy and Penelope Lively and Hardy. After reading some real dross lately it was like a glass of Perrier and some very good cheese with grapes, after a diet of nasty pizza and microwave carbonara.
The Essex Serpent is a monster lurking under the waters of the Blackwater estuary. As the monster breaks the water's surface change comes to the Blackwater people and they find themselves fearful and uneasy. The presence of a newly-widowed bluestocking stirs things up even more.
Just read it. I doubt you'll regret it.