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I forced myself to read this Victorian book since it is "the first English detective novel." Honestly, it was such a surprise when it turned out to be one of the Best Books I've ever read. I could not stop raving about it. The story is told by the different characters, and each character has a distinct personality. Collins's ability to capture different perspectives from all of the different characters is impressive. And there is so much humor! The prime narrator is a butler who sees the novel Robinson Crusoe as the, to paraphrase from the movie "You've Got Mail", I Ching of all wisdom. Read this book. You won't be disappointed. I promise!

There were so many aspects I thoroughly enjoyed in this book. The mystery has some great twists and turns as well as the various unique characters! The book is written from several character perspectives, which is fun for the most part. One character in particular though, was not so fun to listen too. She just went on and on and from an exhausting and close-mindedness religious mindset .....
The first character reminded me so much of "Mr. Carson" on Downton Abbey that I really enjoyed reading anything from him.
Since this was written in the latter half of the 1800's, I anticipated a tougher read given how much are language has changed since then, but I was quite relieved and delighted that it was very easy to read.

Before there was Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot, there was a tale of drugs, suicide, a stolen Indian diamond and a reported curse.

Specifically, there was "The Moonstone," a long and twisting Victorian tale that is considered the first mystery novel in the English language. Wilkie Collins's writing can be a bit dense at times (well, it IS a Victorian story) but it also has a cast of quirky characters in a very colorful story, and an unusually forward-thinking approach to class. How many other novels of this type have the BUTLER as the narrator?

After ten years in continental Europe, Franklin Blake returns to England to bring his cousin Rachel Verinder her eighteenth birthday present: a massive diamond called the Moonstone. It was left to her by her vile uncle, possibly as a malicious act -- three Hindu priests are lurking nearby, hoping to reclaim the sacred gem stolen from them long ago. Everyone except Rachel really wants the diamond split up, so it will no longer be a danger.

At the same time, Rachel is being wooed by two men -- the somewhat irresponsible young Franklin, and the prosperous but less attractive Godfrey Ablewhite. And a timid, deformed young maid named Rosanna has fallen desperately in love with Franklin (though he's completely oblivious to this).

Then after a dinner party, the Moonstone vanishes, leaving a smudge on a newly-painted door as the only clue. It seems that only someone in the house could have stolen it. But it doesn't turn up in any police sweeps, the priests have alibis, and Rachel flatly refuses to let Sergeant Cuff investigate further. She also refuses to speak to Franklin again. And after several months, Franklin learns of some new clues that could reveal who stole the Moonstone. With the now-retired Cuff and a disgraced doctor's assistant helping him, he sets out to unravel the mystery once and for all.

"The Moonstone" contains a lot of the tropes that later detective novels would use -- reenactment of the crime, red herrings, the culprit being the least likely suspect, and an English country house where you wouldn't expect a theft to take place. It even has TWO detectives -- a quirky police sergeant with plenty of brains, and a gentleman who is bright but kind of inexperienced.

Collins' prose can be a bit bloated at times, but he keeps it moving fast with lots of romantic drama and a hefty dose of humor (the insufferably pious Miss Clack: "Oh, be morally tidy. Let your faith be as your stockings, and your stockings as your faith"). He also switches between different perspectives throughout the book -- part is from the butler Mr. Betteridge, part is from Miss Clack, part is from Franklin Blake himself, and there are little snatches of text from various other people.

And it's quirky. Very quirky. At times it feels like the Victorian equivalent of a Wes Anderson movie, between Betteridge's fanboy preoccupation with Robinson Crusoe (which he uses for EVERYTHING) or Cuff's love of roses (which you wouldn't immediately associate with an elite police detective).

But there is a serious side to Collins' writing as well. Yes, "The Moonstone" has some uncomfortably sexist or racist moments, but he was never afraid to take a jab at the foibles of his own society -- hypocritical piety, stainable reputations or then-legal drug addiction. He also takes an unusually compassionate approach to the servant class in the character of Rosanna Spearman -- though she is plain, deformed and has a checkered history, Collins never mocks her or her hopeless love of Franklin.

He also provides us with a wide range of characters -- from wild young men to stately ladies, from a genial butler to the mysterious priests who are the likeliest suspects... but didn't actually do it. Rachel's melodrama can be a bit irritating at times (why didn't she confront Franklin?), but Franklin grows into a more responsible, thoughtful young man over the story, and he's balanced out nicely by the age and experience of the quirky Cuff and Betteridge.

"The Moonstone" is still a delightful read -- a powerful and sometimes tragic mystery, tempered with quirky humor and a likable cast of characters. While a bit overlong at times, it's still an outstanding little whodunnit.

This is an early and classic English detective story introducing Sergeant Cuff, perhaps the ancestor of Sherlock Holmes. Wilke Collins is a master of suspense, ending the chapters with something that compels the reader to keep turning pages. He makes the social structure of the time part of the story, intertwining characters and misconceptions based on class and false assumptions. Every time we think we know what is going on, something changes. At the end, he nearly outsmarts himself with a somewhat contrived ending. This is a book for writers who want to see how a master of the craft does it.

This book was published in 1868 and was set in 1848. I first read it many years ago - high school or college -- as a requirement. At that time I thought is was wordy tedious and boring. No doubt it is still if one's taste is limited to Dan Brown thrillers.

However, that was decades ago and life experiences change perception. I just read it again and found it engrossing. The format is an "epistolary novel" which was a common form from the 18th to mid 19th century that solved some technical writers problems since resolved by other means.The story is told in letters and reports written by different characters. The technique explores not just the actions of the other characters but at the same time the the character of the "writer". Any reader with reasonable mental agility should be able cope with this after a very few pages.

Given the periods it portrays and was written the British social structure and conventions might disturb readers who feel anything other than 21st century values constitute a moral abyss. These reader are the most likely to benefit from diving into this book.

I found the book a delight. You can too if you abandon the aforementioned concerns and just enjoy the tale for what it is. Mystery fans may be amazed that at how many 20th century conventions are foreshadowed: a Holmesian consulting detective, a country estate as scene of the crime, an amateur detective, an eccentric old maid, etc. The butler even cracks wise. I did not successfully anticipate "who done it" which is an other virtue. Once you get over age and its values and fashions are start worrying about who, what, where and why the book becomes a page turner. It concludes with a satisfying outcome.