I was especially keen to read “The Moonstone” since it's credited as having established many of the parameters and rules of the modern detective novel. Elements found in mysteries such as an English country house setting, red herrings, a clever investigator, a large number of suspects and a final plot twist might feel commonplace amongst many books in this genre now, but Collins' novel appears to have been one of the first to successfully combine these into a thrilling story. It concerns a legendary Indian diamond that's bequeathed to Rachel, an heiress who first wears the stone at her lavish birthday party. However, it goes missing during the night and it's disappearance concerns much more than simple thievery. There are many side plots and dramatic occurrences within the story which gradually unravels to produce a surprising conclusion.
It's no wonder this novel was a hit with the general public who read it in serial form when it first appeared in Charles Dickens' magazine. It was subsequently published as a book in 1868. Gabriel Betteredge, the household's head servant and the first narrator in this epistolary novel, is so charming and sweetly funny. He frequently reads a copy of “Robinson Crusoe” and compulsively refers to it for guidance as if it were the bible. Betteredge also strikes up a friendship with Sergeant Cuff, the renowned detective who takes charge of solving the case. However, their relationship becomes strained as Cuff's suspect list begins to include many members of the household including Rachel herself. I found the down-to-earth quality of both these men really endearing especially the way Cuff is actually more interested in retiring and growing roses than he is in seeing justice served.
It's also extremely entertaining reading the point of view of Rachel's poor cousin Drusilla Clack, the second narrator of this story, as she is extremely pious and evangelical about pressing her religion on those around her. But everyone firmly rebuffs her proselytizing and clearly considers her to be an annoyance. It's clever how engaging Betteredge and Clack are as narrators while also laying out lots of vital clues to intrigue the reader. The plot really heats up going forward as we continue by following Franklin Blake, one of Rachel's suitors. He seeks to untangle what really went on during the night of Rachel's party and clear his name from the suspect list as he appears to be guilty. While I was delighted by the many twists in the story they did grow to feel increasingly ridiculous and impossible. Perhaps implausibility is also a necessary element of most detective stories because they want to create a heightened sense of drama. Also, it's somewhat uncomfortable how a large part of this premise relies on colonial exoticism and an exaggerated sense of Indian mysticism with a group of disguised Hindu Brahmins lingering in the background as additional suspects.
Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the humour and excitement of this tale. It's genuinely thrilling as well as emotionally engaging so it was such a pleasure to read. I was excited to learn that Anthony Trollope created a parody of this novel with his book “The Eustace Diamonds”. So I look forward to reading that once I get to Trollope's “Palliser” series of novels. Trollope poked fun at Dickens in his novel “The Warden” with great comic effect so he clearly enjoyed sending up some of the most popular fiction of the day. Yet, the influence of Collins' novel is irrefutably far reaching in how it set the standard for murder mystery stories. Though this tale is initially solely about a theft, bodies are discovered along the way giving a heightened sense that the culprit is lurking around the corner and must be discovered before they strike again.
