Book Review: The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
Image via Wikipedia I was introduced to the writer, Wilkie Collins many years ago through his novel The Woman in White , a romantic, suspenseful mystery novel written through the eyes of a number of storytellers. The Moonstone is written in a similar fashion, a record of events contributed by members of the family affected by the Moonstone's seeming curse, their elderly butler Gabriel Betteredge, the family solicitor and the retired policeman Sergeant Cuff. Considered to be the first detective novel, The Moonstone is in essence a number of witness accounts describing the days and events before, at the time of and after the theft of the fated diamond that lends its name to the novel. Collins had a wonderful eye for detail, weaving an intricate pattern of clues that eventually lead to the discovery of the culprit. He skilfully sets up the mystery of the theft, surrounding the crime with hints, red herrings and an increasing number of questions As a writer of murder mystery pl...