The Moonstone

A priceless yellow diamond, looted from an Indian temple and bequeathed under mysterious circumstances to young Rachel Verinder, vanishes from her room on the night of her birthday. As a string of witnesses, servants, suitors, and a celebrated detective each offer their own account of what happened, the truth proves far stranger and more personal than anyone suspects. Related in first person by a rotating cast of narrators, Collins's ingenious puzzle is widely considered the first great detective novel in the English language.