A sharp-witted detective investigates the mystery of a gem, plundered
from India and now vanished in England, and discovers shifting motives,
unreliable testimony and growing danger in this foundational classic of
mystery fiction.
The Moonstone justly occupies an exalted position as a groundbreaking
novel that opened the way for a great deal of genre fiction, mysteries
and thrillers, but it is far more than simply an influence upon later
works. This is an epistolary novel with a number of diverse and clearly
incised viewpoints, displaying the author's skill with both character
and the unveiling of the elements of a mystery plot. One of the
characters is the detective charged with finding the thief who stole the
Moonstone, a huge diamond with a bloody history, and he is a clear
precursor to A.C. Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Another character, much
remarked upon at the novel's original release, suffers from opium
addiction, depicted with frightening clarity by Collins, who dealt with
that issue firsthand. The plot is sensational but relayed realistically
and builds to one of the most unusual plot twists in mystery literature,
made all the more remarkable by virtue of appearing in the genre's
earliest days. Initially serialized in Charles Dickens magazine All The
Year Round, The Moonstone was published in 1868 and has never been out
of print since.
With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript,
this edition of The Moonstone is both modern and readable.
