The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

 I thought that I had read this book sometime in my past, but it became apparent to me after the first few pages that I had not read it before.  I have read a great many  of mystery novels in my life, but I was just overwhelmed by this book. It is so much better than so many mystery novels which came after it.

This book was published in1868. Many say it was the first mystery novel and that Sargent Cuff was the first detective. You may find many reviews and discussions online about this book which will probably do a much better job that I could. The story, of course, is about a very valuable diamond which was stolen from an Indian temple, and at the start of the book,  this diamond is to be a birthday gift for Rachel Varinder. The Moonstone is stolen on the same evening as she receives it. Sargent Cuff is called into investigate, but is dismissed from the case before he succeeds in finding the Moonstone. He was on the right trail, however.

The story is narrated by several people whose narratives follow each other as the story progresses. I especially enjoyed the modest writing of the first narrator Gabriel Betteredge who is a servant in the Verinder house. Gabriel seeks meaning and guidance from Robinson Crusoe in the same way that others read The Bible. Gabriel also is sometime seized by detective fever after he has met Sargent Cuff.  Gabriel's narration ends when Sargent Cuff leaves. He is followed by another great character,  the second narrator, Miss Clack. She is Rachel's aunt and a dedicated Christian. She goes around distributing tracts on behavior and salvation, and seeks to save all members of the family to the point where nobody can stand her anymore. The third narrator is Franklin Blake, who is in love with Rachel. I will not tell you about the other narrators because they may give you  a hint about the solution. It should be mentioned that Sargent Cuff is a great fan of growing roses.

 I do implore you to read this book, if you have not done so. It is indeed a classic.  The characters are great, and the different narrators allow you to get different points of view about what is going on. If you like this approach to writing a mystery novel, you may also enjoy The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton which won the Man Booker prize last year.