Product Description

Stolen from the forehead of a Hindu idol, the dazzling gem known as "The Moonstone" resurfaces at a birthday party in an English country home--with an enigmatic trio of watchful Brahmins hot on its trail. Laced with superstitions, suspicion, humor, and romance, this 1868 mystery draws readers into a compelling tale with twists and turns ranging from sleepwalking to experimentation with opium. The suspense and drama is heightened as the narrative passes from one colorful character to the next. Wilkie Collins' masterpiece is particularly distinguished by the appearance of Sergeant Cuff, a prototype of the English detective hero and the harbinger of a popular tradition of sleuthing.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39439 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 427 pages

Customer Reviews

the magnum opus of suspense and intrigue
T.S. Eliot was not exaggerating when he dubbed Collins' masterpiece "the first, the longest, and the best of modern English detective novels". The Moonstone, first published in 1868, is the magnum opus of suspense and intrigue that will surely please the avid mystery and/or classics buff.

The adventure begins when the priceless yellow diamond from India, known as the 'Moonstone', is brought to English as spoils of war and is bestowed upon the spirited Rachel Verrinder on her 18th birthday. Chaos soon commences. The valuable jewel is stolen that very night and the entire household falls under suspicion - including a hunchbacked maid, an assemblage of enigmatic Indian jugglers, and Miss Verrinder's cousin Mr. Franklin Blake. Suspicion of thievery does not even escape Miss Verrinder herself. The famed Sergeant Cuff is summoned to the house to try and make sense of the baffling mystery of the diamond's disappearance and the strange events that ensue.

The Moonstone is comprised of three novelettes and a handful of sub-sections, each narrated by three individuals (and a handful of other characters writing shorter supporting memoirs), with their own whimsical writing styles and detailed anecdotes about their adventures surrounding the jewel's disappearance and the aftermath. Their varying perspectives on incidents throw interesting light on the events unraveling around the reader. Introducing the novel is the household's elderly and garrulous manservant, Mr. Gabriel Betteredge, with his witty maxims and proverbial quotes from his personal bible, "Robinson Crusoe". The pious and almost-fanatical Miss Clack's cold recital of events, is followed soon after by Mr. Franklin Blake's narrative of events, and the mystery's final and most ingenious outcome. It will not disappoint.

I leave you with a bit of insight bestowed upon us by the lovable and amusing Mr. Betteredge:

"When my spirits are bad -- Robinson Crusoe. When I want advice -- Robinson Crusoe. In past times when my wife plagued me; in present times when I have had a drop too much -- Robinson Crusoe. I have worn out six stout Robinson Crusoes with hard work in my service. On my lady's last birthday she gave me a seventh. I took a drop too much on the strength of it; and Robinson Crusoe put me right again. Price four shillings and sixpence, bound in blue, with a picture into the bargain. Still, this don't look much like starting the story of the Diamond -- does it? I seem to be wandering off in search of Lord knows what, Lord knows where. We will take a new sheet of paper, if you please, and begin over again, with my best respects to you."

An Oldie but a Goldie!
This is the original murder mystery novel. It predates other mystery/crime giants such as Agatha Chrisite and Dorothy Sayers. I can understand that for someone used to today's style of writing, this book may seem a bit old fashioned, but it pays to remember that it was written in the late 1800s and is one of the reasons why this genre of novels is so popular today. I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it to all murder mystery fans.

The first detective novel
THE MOONSTONE opens with the theft of a fabulous jewel from an idol in India. From this exotic location the action then goes forward in time many years to the English countryside. The jewel, the Moonstone, has become a family heirloom soon to be presented to a young woman as a birthday present. That very evening the Moonstone disappeared leaving behind suspicion and tragedy. A professional detective is called in but before all is revealed there will be deaths and long hidden secrets brought to light.

The story was originally published in the mid 1800's which can cause a problem for a modern reader. The style of writing is much more verbose than contemporary readers are accustomed to, the vocabulary is often unfamiliar but perhaps most difficult for the modern reader are the conventions of mid Victorian society. The class distinctions and the restrictions placed on women, particularly young, unmarried women are completely foreign to the 21st century.

Despite these challenges THE MOONSTONE is an excellent story on its own merits. The characters are interesting and believeable. The plot is well thought out, full of twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing until the very end. For fans of detective fiction it is interesting to see the various elements of this story and recognize them from their more modern forms.

THE MOONSTONE has been called the first detective novel. It introduced many of the characteristics familiar to fans of this genre, the outsider, professional detective, the bumbling, incompetant local police, the clueless sidekick, the red herring clues that lead the reader astray and the premise that all clues must be available for the reader to solve the crime. In that regard THE MOONSTONE has its own unique place in history no matter what the quality of the story itself might be.