Three Great Novels

by Wilkie Collins

Wilkie Collins was the master of the early detective story. This volume brings together for the first time three classic novels from his most productive period.
The Woman in White (1860) is a tale of mystery and mistaken identity told by its various characters in turn. From the moment when a lovely young woman surprises Walter Hartwright in moonlit north London, Collins keeps the reader in suspense until the entire mesh of secrets is unwoven. In The Moonstone (1868) a fabulous yellow diamond disappears from the Verinders' country house in Yorkshire. Witnesses, suspects, and detectives all take up the story, and their narratives lead towards a melodramatic, unforeseeable conclusion. Valeria Woodville in The Law and the Lady (1875) must unravel the secrets of her husband's earlier life; she takes the law into her own hands and becomes one of the first woman detectives in fiction.

Genres: Classics

1168 pages, Paperback

Published August 18, 1994

About the author

Wilkie Collins was an English novelist and playwright, best known for The Woman in White (1860), an early sensation novel, and The Moonstone (1868), a pioneering work of detective fiction. Born to landscape painter William Collins and Harriet Geddes, he spent part of his childhood in Italy and France, learning both languages. Initially working as a tea merchant, he later studied law, though he never practiced. His literary career began with Antonina (1850), and a meeting with Charles Dickens in 1851 proved pivotal. The two became close friends and collaborators, with Collins contributing to Dickens' journals and co-writing dramatic works.
Collins' success peaked in the 1860s with novels that combined suspense with social critique, including No Name (1862), Armadale (1864), and The Moonstone, which established key elements of the modern detective story. His personal life was unconventional—he openly opposed marriage and lived with Caroline Graves and her daughter for much of his life, while also maintaining a separate relationship with Martha Rudd, with whom he had three children.
Plagued by gout, Collins became addicted to laudanum, which affected both his health and later works. Despite declining quality in his writing, he remained a respected figure, mentoring younger authors and advocating for writers' rights. He died in 1889 and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery. His legacy endures through his influential novels, which laid the groundwork for both sensation fiction and detective literature.

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very interesting book but it's not what I normally read and but I would recommend it

[Chels · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've only read the lady in white, and I loved it. It was originally a column story printed in the newspapers, so at some parts you can tell the authors trying to draw things out a bit, but overall the plots great.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very enjoyable classic British Mystery-Romance that is based in truth. It explores the old practice, motives and missuse of locking away individuals in the institutions for the insane as a means of silencing them. And it throws in a sweet romance.

[Michealle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love British mysteries. They are simply fun to read.

[Myr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good

[Arlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great and surprising.

[Maissaa Zahran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved The Woman in White. The best mystery novel I read.
The Moonstone was very intriguing.
The Law and the Lady: haven't read.

[Tina Bembry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've started re-reading The Moonstone for a book group.