The Moonstone (Transatlantic Classics) - Softcover

Collins, Wilkie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1908533838 ISBN 13: 9781908533838

Publisher: Transatlantic Press, 2012

Synopsis

A thrilling tale of mystery and crime from a master storyteller. A pacy tale from the original master of detective fiction Wilkie Collins. Transported from the temples of India to atmospheric Victorian England, the scene is set for a tale which twists between death, drugs, mystery and, most of all, misdirection. Rachel inherits the moonstone from her uncle on her 18th birthday, a cursed diamond of sacred importance stolen from India. When the stone goes missing, Sergeant Cuff is faced with a myriad of possible culprits, from mysterious Indian jugglers who may not be all they seem, to a very oddly acting maidservant. Told from the viewpoints of various vivid characters, Collins spins a tale of intrigue with many a wrong-turn as the moonstone leaves a path of destruction in its wake. FLAME TREE 451: From mystery to crime, supernatural to horror and fantasy to science fiction, Flame Tree 451 offers a healthy diet of werewolves and mechanical men, blood-lusty vampires, dastardly villains, mad scientists, secret worlds, lost civilizations and escapist fantasies. Discover a storehouse of tales gathered specifically for the reader of the fantastic. Each book features a brand new biography and glossary of Literary, Gothic and Victorian terms.

About this title

Review

"Perfect for long, cold, winter evenings" (The Times)

"A whodunit about a lost jewel with several different narrators 'the first English detective story' is so ingenious, so melodramatically rational, so druggy and glittery and cleverly elusive, that it triumphs over all its impersonators" (Observer)

"A great, bold, theatrical mystery story which never falters, written with huge confidence and style" (Joanna Trollope)

"Wilkie Collins, along with Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles Dickens is generally acknowledged to be the great-great-grandfather of the modern mystery, but it's hard to think of many modern mysteries as skillfully shaped and psychologically keen as this one. The story flirts with the conventions of Victorian melodrama, but the characters that people it are truly vivid" (Elizabeth Kostova)

"No wonder 21st-century novelists are influenced by the great Victorian serial writers with their rip-roaring plots. A twisting detective thriller" (Joanna Briscoe Independent)

From the Publisher

Contains an 8-page plate section with long-unavailable pictures and drawings relating to Wilkie Collins and The Moonstone. Thoroughly edited and extensively annotated. Includes a 10,000-word section on Wilkie Collins's life and works, with a longer chapter on The Moonstone, anecdotes, critical perspectives, adaptations and spin-offs. Lavishly produced on natural, high-quality paper, and affordably priced.

About this edition

• Publisher: Transatlantic Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1908533838
• ISBN 13: 9781908533838
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 608