I believe this is considered to be the first mystery published in the English language. I found its title in some other book I was reading and looked it up to read for myself.
I really enjoyed it. It is so much in the style of all of the mysteries I've ever read I kept going back to the front of the book to check the publication date. This is the first one? Really? I guess I kept expecting it to be LESS of something, but what I should have been thinking is how excellently it set the pattern for all the many, many mysteries that have followed it.
There are many narrators to this story...a butler, an evangelist, a cousin, a lawyer, a doctor. All have their different styles and perspectives. I think my favorite was the evangelist because I loved to dislike her. The book abounds with witty lines and clever little ideas.
It is the story of a giant Indian gem, stolen during battle and willed in a vengeful spirit to our heiress, Rachel. Predictably enough, the jewel is stolen. But who by? And why are the Indian "Hindoos" still lurking nearby?
It's a surprisingly long book and I found the initial narrator to be the most witty but the least engaging (I don't know why)--I picked up and put down the book multiple times during that first part. But once I got past him--and I did thoroughly enjoy him--I had trouble leaving the book alone. I loved the conclusion. I had one of those "I KNEW it!" moments, when really I didn't know it at all. It was a lovely period piece that felt modern in so many ways. I really enjoyed it.
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