The Moonstone

By: Wilkie Collins

Narrated by: Peter Jeffrey

Length: 18 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Exclusively from Audible

Considered the first full-length detective story in the English language, T.S. Eliot described The Moonstone as 'the first and greatest English detective novel'.

The stone of the title is an enormous yellow diamond plundered from an Indian shrine after the Siege of Seringapatam. Given to Miss Verinder on her 18th birthday, it mysteriously disappears that very night. Suspicion falls on three Indian jugglers who have been seen in the neighbourhood. Sergeant Cuff is assigned to the case and though it looks simple nothing can be taken for granted.

The story is recounted by several narrators including the bemused butler, the love-sick housemaid, the enigmatic detective Sergeant Cuff and the drug-addicted scientist, who in turn, speculate on the mystery.

This enthralling tale of romance, theft, and murder inspired the detective genre. In a sense, Collins wrote the rulebook on detective stories as many features of The Moonstone have become conventions in the literature of others.

Charles Dickens was a close friend and mentor of Collins, and the two collaborated together on drama and fiction. The Moonstone, as well as some of his other work, was first published in Dickens' journals.

Narrator Biography

Beginning his career on stage, Peter Jeffrey became a recognisable face on British television while enjoying thirty years with the Royal Shakespeare Company as well as working with all the other great British theatre companies. He was soon in demand for television character parts, playing roles in shows such as The Saint (1964-1965), The Avengers (1966-1968) and Doctor Who (1967 and 1978) as well as being involved in many BBC Radio 4 audio dramas such as The Pickwick Papers. Though a versatile actor, he was often cast in roles of authority such as Inspector Carter in Dixon of Dock Green (1966) but occasionally guest starred in comedy roles such as "Napper" Wainwright in Porridge (1975). He continued to act during his final years, with roles in the BBC adaptation of The Prince and the Pauper (1996), The Scarlet Pimpernel (1999) and Where the Heart Is (1999).

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

so enjoyable

my third listening and I think I enjoy it more every time. A wonderfully structured story and magnificently narrated

Entrancing

Truly a Victorian mystery which, due to the astonishingly excellent narration and story plots, kept me fascinated through to the end. Highly recommended. I seek more books of this author and especially the narrator.

A pleasant change from Cozy Mysteries.

This was a delightful departure from my usual style of mystery story. I enjoyed the intricate plot, the twists and red herrings. The voice actor was superb. He made the words come alive. I have found a new favorite author and voice actor.

Julian Fowles, please make this your next project.

i loved the butler who was was so Downtown Abbey. Julian Fowles, please make this your next project. his last scenes concerning returning a location exactly as it was a year prior was classic full on enjoyable comedy. the 'buzzard that burst' and the 'fat boy statue who list a wing'. simply a riot. be prepared to enter the era for it is slow and formal.

i like this book

i enjoyed this book and the reader...i have read the hard copy before and wanted this to listen to while i knit...it did its job well! and his accent is so much better than mine!

One of my favorite Audiobooks

The narrator was wonderful and the story was interesting and highly enjoyable. The plot might be a bit slow and verbose for some people, but if you like a well turned phrase and detailed character depictions, you will like this aspect as much as I did. The narrator's reading and distinctive voices for the different characters was outstanding.

Definitely a Classic

I had read this book a long time ago, but I wanted to re-read it after reading the Woman in White recently. First, the narrator was great! I thought he did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life. There were times that I was giggling as Miss Clack or Betteredge were describing events. The story is a classic, so you should read it... especially if you are a fan of detective novels! However, the narrator definitely breathes life into the story. I was sucked in and couldn't wait to find out what happened next!

Great performance, but be ready for some sexism and racism

The book is a product of its time, but it’s not easy to listen to such blatant sexism and racism. If you can’t get past that you’ll enjoy this detective tale told in multiple narrative voices. Peter Jeffrey does a good job performing.

Love this story

I loved every single minute of this story and the narration was superb. I did not even slightly guess the ending

Amazing!

This narration was literal perfection. It allowed me to go back and forth between reading and listening seamlessly. I could listen to this narrator for hours. And what’s more, the story was superb!