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.

Pretty Good For the First Mystery Novel

I decided to listen after hearing this is considered the first mystery novel according to author Lucy Worsley. I had been listening to her book about Agatha Christie that was recently released and decided to give this a listen. It’s a very interesting perspective, being told from several different “participants” points of view. I’m surprised it took this long for the genre to be started.

Performance was very good. Easy to listen to and easy to tell characters apart. I loved the different accents. A good book for a long drive. Or four or five long drives. It’s a really long book.

An engrossing detective novel

I was attracted to THE MOONSTONE after reading (Hearing) Wilkie Collins" THE WOMAN IN WHITE. What is fascinating to me is how a book written over 140 years ago can be read eaily without footnotes to explain the significance of the events of the time. The characters and the action brought me into that time period with ease.

I plan to sownload every Wilkie Collins book that is available in Audible.com

Great book wonderfully read!!!

I read this book years ago & loved it, but it is very long, so I have not read it since. I am VERY glad that I invested the time to listen to it now. The book is even better than I remember it. The author was a great talent & the reader's skill makes it a truely amazing listening experience. I whole-heartedly recommend this book & this reader to anyone who wants a quality, intelligent listen.

Good mystery but narration

the mystery pulled me in but the narrators characters chosen by author ramble. annoying

Well told, but a little ignorant

Wilkie Collins never fails to deliver unexpected twists and turns that keep you hooked. This is also well narrated (especially in the beginning, as the narrator is especially gifted at interpreting the first voice). BUT there are a few parts that are a little uncomfortable for an audience 150 years later. Probably one of the least racist treatments of Indian culture FOR THAT TIME, there are some race related moments that are inappropriate today.

Good listening

Worth the time if you like the who done it and how.

Definitely hard to figure out. True mystery.

Written in the 1800s. A better story than many recent ones

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was beautifully written, the characters were vivid and compelling. It was like a time travel experience into the past with a delightful, if sometimes cringy, window into the culture of England during the 1800s.

A Classic worth reading & listening to.

The author, Wilkie Collins method of teling stories involves narrative from selected characters in tge story. so, the book is told in segments or sections. Moonstone was well ordered ank kept my interest. As usual We read along as we listened and that helps visualize the events. Having watched television adaptions (which do a pitiful job) we must suggest reading the book through first. The television series obliterates the surprises in the book. Comparing Moonstone with Woman in White our strong preference is Moonstone.

It kept me guessing and wanting more.

Even though there were a lot of slow parts, it kept me interested and never sure who the thief could be though I liked to suspect! It was clean and funny at times. I listened to it in three or four days. I very much enjoyed this book.

Mystery novel's ancestor

When reading The Moonstone, it might be useful to remember the time in which it was written, and think of Victorian decor - lots of florals, stuffed cushions, and knick-knacks. The concept of "less is more" simply doesn't exist. That will prepare you for Wilkie Collins' writing style which is also a product of its time. Economy of expression does not exist, but if you can forgive the verbosity and appreciate the characters and the plot, you may enjoy this ancestor of the mystery novels genre. Personally I had mixed feelings - sometimes enraptured by the excellent character development (Mr. Betteridge and Miss Clack being especially well drawn) and then frustrated by repetition and irrelevancies. If I had not listened to it on Audble, because of the excessive descriptiveness I would have either skimmed past the wordier sections or possibly given up altogether. But the excellent reading kept me engaged.

Judged by todays mystery/thriller standards, it is tame and overly complicated. Lives don't hang in the balance, clues are not left out in the open for the reader to be able to solve the crime along with the characters. If it had been written today with the same overstuffed style, I would rate it lower than a four, but I could clearly see the forerunner of Sherlock Holmes and of the English "cozy" mysteries in this story and appreciated it for what it was. Readers expecting action and thrills will not be so satisfied.