The Moonstone [Facsimile Edition], by Wilkie Collins (Paperback)

The Moonstone (first published in three volumes in 1868) is a highly-popular 19th-century British epistolary novel. It is an early example of the modern detective novel, and it served to establish many of the ground rules of the genre that are still followed to this day.

The story follows Rachel Verinder, a young English woman, who inherits a large Indian diamond on her eighteenth birthday. It is a legacy from her uncle, a corrupt British army officer who served in India. The diamond is of great religious significance and extremely valuable, and three Hindu priests have dedicated their lives to recovering it. The story incorporates elements of the legendary origins of the Hope Diamond (or perhaps the Orloff Diamond or the Koh-i-Noor diamond). Rachel's eighteenth birthday is celebrated with a large party at which the guests include her cousin Franklin Blake. She wears the Moonstone on her dress that evening for all to see, including some Indian jugglers who have called at the house. Later that night the diamond is stolen from Rachel's bedroom, and a period of turmoil, unhappiness, misunderstandings and ill luck ensues. Told by a series of narratives from some of the main characters, the complex plot traces the subsequent efforts to explain the theft, identify the thief, trace the stone and recover it.

William "Wilkie" Collins (1824-1889) was an English author and playwright. He was hugely popular in his time, and he published 27 novels, more than 50 short stories and at least 15 plays. His best-known works are The Woman in White The Moonstone, and Armadale.