Jezebel's Daughter, printed in 1880, is a Victorian thriller from Wilkie
Collins. Based in the 1858 play 'The Red Vial', it is a story of fraud,
betrayal and mystery based around Mrs. Fontaine, a disturbing widow who
employs various poisons and remedies to control her family and friends.
A talented chemist and a shrewd businessman die on the same day. Mrs.
Fontaine, widow of the chemist, is leave with the poisons he was
researching, while Mrs. Wagner is leave with her husband's reforms and
plans for hiring women staff along with men in his firm. Mrs. Wagner
trusts in dealing madman gently and appeals for the funny little man
Jack Straw to be released from the madhouse. At that time, her nephew
David Glenny is appointed to the Frankfurt office, where he works with
Mr. Keller and Mr. Engelmann. Keller son, Fritz has enamoured with Minna
Fontaine, but the marriage is not being approved of by his father
because Mrs. Fontaine is in debt after her husband's death. The story is
narrated by Mrs. Wagner's nephew David Glenny, and enriched with
extracts from the letters and diaries of different characters. Supposed
to have been responsible for her husband's downfall, Madame Fontaine
becomes known as Jezebel, and her charming daughter is known as
Jezebel's daughter.
