num_pages: 502
description: 'The first and greatest of English detective novels.' — T.S.EliotA fabulous yellow diamond becomes the dangerous inheritance of Rachel Verinder. Outside her Yorkshire country house watch the Hindu priests who have waited for many years to reclaim their ancient talisman, looted from the holy city of Somnauth. When the Moonstone disappears the case looks simple, but in mid-Victorian England no one is what they seem, and nothing can be taken for granted. Witnesses, suspects, and detectives take up the story in turn. The bemused butler, the love-stricken housemaid, the enigmatic detective Sergeant Cuff, the drug-addicted scientist, each speculate on the mystery as Collins weaves their narratives into a masterpiece of construction and suspense. But The Moonstone is more than just a detective novel or a murder mystery and this new edition features a fascinating introduction by John Sutherland which discusses the themes of Imperialism, Sensationalism and Mesmerism and the way in which they operate in the novel and within its cultural context.
language: English
title: The Moonstone
titlecomplete: The Moonstone
characters: Gabriel Betteredge, Rachel Verinder, Rosanna Spearman, Franklin Blake, Drusilla Clack, Dr. Candy, Godfrey Ablewhite, Sergeant Cuff, Ezra Jennings, Penelope Betteredge, Mr. Murthwaite, Lady Julia Verinder, Matthew Bruff
genres: Fiction, Mystery, British Literature, Mystery Thriller, Literature, Classics, 19th Century, Historical Fiction, Crime, Victorian
ratings_count: 91327
places: England, Yorkshire, England, London, England, United Kingdom
awards: awardedAt: 1230796800000
name: Premio Euskadi de Literatura
category: Traduccion, awardedAt: 1357027200000
name: CWA Best Ever
category: Crime Novel
publisher: Oxford University Press