Exactly 150 years since its publication in 1868, this reissue of Collins' popular Detective Club edition of The Moonstone offers crime fiction fans the chance to read the book that is acclaimed as the very first detective novel in the English language. At a party celebrating her eighteenth birthday, Rachel Verinder wears the stunning yellow diamond she unexpectedly inherited from her uncle, unaware that it was plundered from a sacred Indian shrine fifty years earlier. When the jewel goes missing later that night, ...
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Exactly 150 years since its publication in 1868, this reissue of Collins' popular Detective Club edition of The Moonstone offers crime fiction fans the chance to read the book that is acclaimed as the very first detective novel in the English language. At a party celebrating her eighteenth birthday, Rachel Verinder wears the stunning yellow diamond she unexpectedly inherited from her uncle, unaware that it was plundered from a sacred Indian shrine fifty years earlier. When the jewel goes missing later that night, suspicions are raised and accusations fly in all directions. Sifting through divergent accounts of what happened, the indomitable Sergeant Cuff must find the Moonstone and the truth about its mysterious disappearance. Recognised as the very first detective novel in the English language, The Moonstone (1868) earned Wilkie Collins the reputation of the godfather of the classic English detective story, with Dorothy L. Sayers declaring, 'Nothing human is perfection, but The Moonstone comes about as near perfection as anything of the kind ever can.' For 150 years its intricate locked-room puzzle and multiple narrators have influenced generations of mystery authors. This Detective Club classic reproduces Collins' slightly abridged version of the novel, originally designed to make the long nineteenth-century text more accessible. It is introduced by the iconic crime writing duo G.D.H. and M. Cole, who analyse the popularity of Wilkie Collins' groundbreaking sensation novel.
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It appears one must step back in time for the greater mystery stories and writers and almost the further back, the better. Perhaps it is the quieter, gentler era when people employed time creatively, actually thinking and allowing ideas and themes to develop. This is a book that must be owned. It truly warrants regular re-readings to explore its many facets.
kirving
Nov 12, 2009
This classic novel is one of the original detective stories. The writing style is not always easy for the modern reader to follow. The story moves very slowly in parts. The type in the edition I had was very small and made reading a challenge. It is not a book I would read again.
LawMan
Mar 12, 2008
The First in a Long Line
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins was the first in a new genre of intelligent, thoughtful mysteries. The influence of this book can be seen in works by Doyle, Christie and many others. The story line is fairly simple. A cursed diamond finds it way to an Upper class English girl as a birthday present.. It is stolen and the balance of the book deals with the reconstruction of the crime and recovery of the stone. The author takes the reader on this journey by describing each segment of the case through the eyes of a different character. The book thus speaks with many voices, all unique, all interconnected and all displaying their unique set of biases and prejudices. Collins "super sleuth" will remind the reader of Sherlock Holmes and may well have served as an informal model for that legendary detective. The story, character development and overall writing are first class. And, although set in the mid 19th Century has much to attract and hold the modern reader. Collins weaves a wonderfully intricate story. However, if you need gratuitous violence, a body strewn landscape and a rough talking, crass narrator, stick to the Evening News, this is not the book for you.
