Book Log 2009 #36: The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

Given my enjoyment of mystery and detective novels, it made some sense to finally get around to reading the book that is widely considered the first detective novel in English literature (or at least the first to use number of elements that became common in the genre).

The basic plot: a diamond (the Moonstone of the title) is bequeathed to a young woman on her 18th birthday, but goes missing the night after her birthday party. Suspects include various guests, a servant with a checkered past, and a troop of Indian jugglers who are suspected of being members of a religious group dedicated to returning the jewel to its sacred statue.

The book is written in epistolary form, as accounts from various people after the case is solved, which works well in that it provides welcome changes in tone and style. It's a little ponderous in comparison to modern detective fiction, and some of the now-common elements will come off as cliched, but I enjoyed the book quite a bit, more than I expected really.