Journal Entry 1 by caldron from Brisbane, Queensland Australia on Saturday, August 13, 2005

Synopsis from Amazon.co.uk

Stolen from the forehead of a Hindu idol, the enormous diamond known as the Moonstone resurfaces at a birthday party in an English country home-with an enigmatic trio of watchful Brahmins hot on its trail.
Wilkie Collins' 1868 mystery novel abounds in excitement, humour, and romance, and the author's deft characterisation and plotting rival those of his close friend, Charles Dickens.
The Moonstone is particularly distinguished by the appearance of Sergeant Cuff, possibly the first detective in English fiction and the harbinger of a popular tradition of sleuthing.

(the edition registered is the Everyman Paperback circa 1979)