The Moonstone

When Rachel Verinder's legacy of a priceless Indian diamond is stolen, all the evidence indicates that it is her beloved, Franklin Blake, who is guilty. Around this central axis of a crime and a thwarted love, Collins constructs an ingenious plot of teasing twists and surprises, and an elaborate multi-voiced narrative that never flags in human interest. A huge hit when first published and popular ever since, The Moonstone keeps the reader guessing until the end.

John Sutherland is Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College, London.