Scott Graham
My September 2025 foray into the Victober book challenge was interesting both historically and as an early example of a drawing room mystery. The ill-gotten yellow diamond called the moonstone is vindictively presented to the daughter of the plunderer’s cousin, and it quickly demonstrates the curse placed on it in antiquity to guard against its theft. The gem is stolen, the household is put asunder, lovers are separated and death follows in the wake. Action follows the pursuit of the thief and the diamond, from the feckless police to the emotional servants and family of the house, and various retainers, until the mystery is sol-ved. There is no Jane Marple or Hercule Poirot here. Many facts are hidden from the reader until their divulging is required in the narrative, and the florid prose uses 20 words when only 5 are needed for a contemporary audience, but the colorful characters and satisfying ending forgive most sins and leaves the reader with a sincere appreciation for the place of the novel in Victorian and mystery literature canon.
My September 2025 foray into the Victober book challenge was interesting both historically and as an early example of a drawing room mystery. The ill-gotten yellow diamond called the moonstone is vindictively presented to the daughter of the plunderer’s cousin, and it quickly demonstrates the curse placed on it in antiquity to guard against its theft. The gem is stolen, the household is put asunder, lovers are separated and death follows in the wake. Action follows the pursuit of the thief and the diamond, from the feckless police to the emotional servants and family of the house, and various retainers, until the mystery is sol-ved. There is no Jane Marple or Hercule Poirot here. Many facts are hidden from the reader until their divulging is required in the narrative, and the florid prose uses 20 words when only 5 are needed for a contemporary audience, but the colorful characters and satisfying ending forgive most sins and leaves the reader with a sincere appreciation for the place of the novel in Victorian and mystery literature canon.