Hinging on the theft of an enormous diamond originally stolen from an Indian shrine, this riveting novel features the innovative Sergeant Cuff, the hilarious house steward Gabriel Betteridge, a lovesick housemaid, and a mysterious band of Indian jugglers.The Woman in WhiteOne of the greatest mystery thrillers ever written, Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White was a phenomenal bestseller in the 1860s, achieving even greater success than works by Dickens, Collins' friend and mentor. Full of surprise, intrigue, and suspense, this vastly entertaining novel continues to enthrall readers today.The story begins with an eerie midnight encounter between artist Walter Hartright and a ghostly woman dressed all in white who seems desperate to share a dark secret. The next day Hartright, engaged as a drawing master to the beautiful Laura Fairlie and her half sister, tells his pupils about the strange events of the previous evening. Determined to learn all they can about the mysterious woman in white, the three soon find themselves drawn into a chilling vortex of crime, poison, kidnapping, and international intrigue.Masterfully constructed, The Woman in White is dominated by two of the finest creations in all Victorian fiction: Marion Halcombe, dark, mannish, yet irresistibly fascinating, and Count Fosco, the sinister and flamboyant "Napoleon of Crime."

    It is a masterly historical novel, rich in language, character, and plot--a panoramic story of passion, tragedy, and resilience.

    Higginbotham's catastrophe --Wakefield --The great carbuncle --David Swan --The hollow of the three hills --Dr. Heidegger's experiment --Legends of the Province House --The ambitious guest --Peter Goldthwaite's treasure --The Shaker bridal --Endicott and the Red Cross --From Mosses from an old manse : The birthmark --Young Goodman Brown --Rappaccini's daughter --Mrs. Bullfrog --The Celestial railroad --The procession of life --Feathertop : a moralized legend --Egotism ; or, the bosom serpent --Drowne's wooden image --Roger Malvin's burial --The artist of the beautiful --From the snow image : The snow image : a childish miracle --The Great Stone Face --Ethan Brand --The Canterbury pilgrims --The devil in manuscript --My kinsman, Major Molineux

    Illustrated. Facsimile of letter number 5. Bibliography. Index. Introduction. "Afterwards Mrs. Louis Lindon" a biographical sketch of Brawne; "Afterwards Senora Llamos," a biographical sketch of Keats.If you have seen the movie, Bright Star, based on the lives of John Keats and Fanny Brawne, you might like to know what happened immediately after Keats takes his ill fated trip to Rome. These letters pick up the story at that time, and are authentic evidence of Fanny Brawne's voice and character.