Wilkie Collins's ghost story was set in 1860 and published in book form with 'My Lady's Money'.  It was dedicated to his friends Mr and Mrs Sebastian Schlesinger.  Apart from supernatural elements, the story contains detective procedures and an insurance fraud relying on substituted identity that anticipates the later Blind Love (1890).  The story is unusually horrific for Collins.

This is perhaps Collins' last lucid effort before ill health and drained powers. A tale of ghostly terror, relentless pace, tight narrative, and a doomed Countess characterize and distinguish this powerful Collins novelette. 

Similar Bookshelves