Wilkie CollinsThe Moonstone (Wordsworth Classics)

T.S. Eliot described this as 'the first, the best, and the longest of all detective novels' and it is hard to disagree with any of that. I read this book many years ago, but was able to enjoy it afresh because I had completely forgotten the solution to the mystery. And what a mystery it is! I lost count of the twists and turns, all of them - to me at least - coming as complete and wonderful surprises; each one logical and convincing in itself yet, as it turns out, only a fraction of the truth. And so you read on, intrigued, to see where the tale will take you next.The book is enormously long but that, too, is one of its delights, particularly if you are looking for a story to escape into for a long holiday. Another thing to admire is the way the tale is told by many different narrators - I lost count of exactly how many. Each of these characters is well developed and most of them - particularly the first, my favourite the old retainer Betteredge - are very amusing, leavening the mystery with plenty of quiet chuckles along the way. Each narrator has part of the truth but none- until the very end - has all of it; they reminded me of the old story of the blind philosophers trying to examine an elephant: one describes the ear, one the trunk, one a foot, and so on.The book has one of the first - possibly THE first - professional detective in literature, Sergeant Cuff; a delightful character who, despite his excellent methodology, only uncovers part of the truth. It is also a pleasure, when comparing with modern detective fiction, to note the almost complete absence of violence and sadism - just an initial reference to a historic battle , one suicide and one death, neither of whose details are dwelt on. It is all about character, mystery, intrigue and confusion.If T.S. Eliot was right in saying that this was the 'first' fully-developed detective novel, then Wilkie Collins deserves enormous credit for not only inventing a whole genre, but also for creating one of its great masterpieces - perhaps, as Eliot claims, 'the best'. Certainly it is as much of a pleasure to read today as it must have been a century and a half ago. If you haven't read it, give it a try. There is also a full-length audio book version for those long car journeys.http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Moonstone-Unabridged/dp/B003BQ9Y34/ref=tmm_aud_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1366456895&sr=8-1-spell/?tag=timvicasoff0e-20

My Partner needed a new book to get stuck into. I had bought him The Woman in White last year (also by Wilkie Collins) and he was wowed by it. I have read both books so knew he'd like this one too.I read them when I was about 14 after seeing one of them serialised on TV - both books as good as each other, in different ways, althought there is a wonderfully dastardly character in the Woman in White.Wilkie Collins style in these two books is unusual as different characters narrate throughout. He used to be a lawyer so it's a bit like reading witness statements, but much more literary of course. Well written, delightful, fascinating and you can't wait to find out what happens next. I believe Wilkie Collins is described as the first detective writer.Will update when I've read it again (we're sharing the book at the moment!)

Superb story that's got the lot, Mystery, a curse, humour, love and betrayal. I'm not usually a fan of Victorian literature, I can't seem to get into it, but I was hooked by this from page one. I liked the epistolary structure as it lets the story unfold in a variety of voices (Miss Clack's section is hilarious) that keeps the narrative fresh. I really was surprised by how good this book was.

Never read any Wilkie Collins before until finding this title online. Enjoyed it very much and have gone on to read one or two others by same author. Would recommend

Very pleased

And probably the best....even though the detective gets it completely wrong. Collins is completely brilliant!

A brilliant classic with definite intrigue (albeit a little long).

Excellent