The Moonstone

English writer William Wilkie Collins 1824—1889 is considered the founder of the so-called «sensation novel», which later split into adventure and detective genres. Collins is a master of intrigue and captivating plot. The skillful combination in one work of the mysterious, detective, moralistic, and romantic is the key to the unprecedented reader success of his novels and stories. The ideas and plot devices of Wilkie Collins from the novel «The Moonstone» were used by Conan Doyle, Gilbert Chesterton, Agatha Christie, and much has become classic for the detective genre. The Hindu god Vishnu commanded that «The Moonstone be guarded by three priests day and night, until the end of the age» and predicted misfortune for anyone who dares to possess it. The thrilling continuation of the story is found in the very first and best, according to T.S. Eliot, detective novel in English literature.