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The Dead Secret

3.62 of 5 stars 3.62 · rating details · 446 ratings · 55 reviews

Having previously tried my hand at short serial stories (collected and reprinted in _After Dark, _ and _The Queen of Hearts), _ I ventured on my first attempt, in this book, to produce a sustained work of fiction, intended for periodical publication during many successive weeks. The experiment proved successful both in this country and in America. Two of the characters whi...more

Hardcover, 340 pages

Published February 1st 2004 by Wildside Press (first published 1856)

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Sep 05, 2009 Carol jinx~☆~ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: classic, victorian, mystery, wilkie-collins

I learned that I love Wilkie Collins. I think I may have liked The Woman in White just a little more but this was a page turner.
Two character stand out, Rosamond, and Uncle Joseph, they were easy to love and were quite popular with readers. Sarah Leeson was not so easy to love until the whole "secret" was revealed, only then, could you have a better understanding of Sarah and what she had been through to make her the strange, interesting character she was.

"The idea of tracing, in this character,...more

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Nov 18, 2010 Mrsgaskell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 9-star, british, classics, own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 25, 2012 Helen Kitson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 19c, fiction

Wilkie Collins is one of my favourite Victorian novelists, and I think it a pity that only his two major novels (The Woman in White and The Moonstone) are widely read today, as even his minor novels have much to offer.

The novel begins with a former actress, Mrs Treverton, summoning her maid Sarah Lesson to her side. Mrs Treverton, a married woman with a young daughter, Rosamond, is on her deathbed. She charges Sarah to reveal to her husband the secret they have kept between them. Timid Sarah, se...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Marija rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, mystery-suspense

The story of the Dead Secret would have made a great film in the 1940s. Imagine as an opening, a scary looking Joan Crawford lying on her death bead forcing a very nervy Jennifer Jones, her lady’s maid, to write a confession letter directed to Joan’s husband. The letter is never given to the husband, and thus Jennifer Jones is forever haunted by the ghost of Joan until that final debt is paid. This would make for a very melodramatic film, though one that would probably be very unsettling. ;)

The...more

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Oct 07, 2010 Kassy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book for my Wilkie Collins seminar (there will be seven or so more reviews by December). And it felt very long. I appreciated the experiment that Collins tried in building the novel on expectation instead of surprise, but I did figure the end out early. The figuring out of the end made it very hard to read the stretched out suspense of the text because I knew what was coming. I felt myself wishing over and over that he would just get on with it. However, I have to say that his two fe...more I read this book for my Wilkie Collins seminar (there will be seven or so more reviews by December). And it felt very long. I appreciated the experiment that Collins tried in building the novel on expectation instead of surprise, but I did figure the end out early. The figuring out of the end made it very hard to read the stretched out suspense of the text because I knew what was coming. I felt myself wishing over and over that he would just get on with it. However, I have to say that his two female characters (Sarah and Rosamond) are quite interesting in both the ways that they conform to Victorian Stereotypes and the ways that they break them. I also think that the relationship between Leonard and Rosamond (husband and wife) is a unique one that ought to be returned to. Perhaps that is where I will draw my paper idea for class.

In thinking about my concurrent class (playwrighting) I am tempted to explore the characters in terms of their action and their stakes. While reflecting on the character of Sarah (once I found out her true secret, which ironically was the one thing I didn't figure out until the end), I found her to be far more interesting, complex and compelling *after* I knew the secret. From the revelation, her action and her inner conflict became much more clear. Until then I saw her through Rosamond's eyes. Collins told me (literally) to feel drawn to her but until I understood her inner conflict it was hard to feel like there was a reason. In this case, Collin's experiment was right on. We needed to see more of that, I think, for it to have been a full success. But the last end of the book is full of Rosamond and Leonard, who lose appeal very quickly. They do have an event when they discover the letter, but I was never afraid of Leonard actually leaving Rosamond. This meant that the stakes of discovery were actually fairly low. Sarah's stakes on the other hand were somewhat higher, even though she seemed to have made them higher in her own mind.

The stakes may be (discovery!) where this novel is flawed. I was never truly worried that the terrors that Sarah was imagining were anything more than her over-agitated imagination. I didn't buy the stakes.

Otherwise, however, I did like the book. Collins is a master of imagery and his descriptions are quite lovely. He also uses Leonard's blindness to create a unique husband and wife relationship that seems to stand out compared to others of the time both in equality and in shared world. Rather than leading mostly separate lives, the Franklands are forced by Lenny's blindness to live a single life. They are together constantly and Rosamond is able to--required to--partake in a predominantly male world because Lenny will not have anyone else. However, at the same time, she submits to him wholly. So the two are then at once wholly dependent on each other. The scene in the myrtle room is an interesting one as well. Rosamond spends the chapter describing the room to Lenny and when she finally finds the letter, an aching moment of pain occurs. Lenny believes she has left him. Both characters encounter a moment of utter helplessness, alone. But their shared helplessness is what allows them to be strong together. They are really an astonishing pair, even if their stakes are low.

Finally, the side characters of this novel stand out and sparkle. Uncle Joseph, Andrew Treverton, Shrowl, Mr. Pheppin, Besty, Mr. Munder, and the Housekeeper are all distinctive and delightful characters.

If you can get through the Victorian melodrama and length, it's a novel well worth examining. However, the story can be a hit or miss as a page-turner.(less)

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Sep 05, 2009 Elaine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was a very fun read and very suspenseful to the very last chapter. The unique thing about this book is that it was published in weekly increments in magazines. It is very Victorian in the exploration of the morale standards and lessons, but very enjoyable due to the colorful characters and the vivid descriptions of Cornwall and the English countryside. Wilkie Collins creates the most fantastic characters. In this story, my favorite character is the weird uncle, Andrew Treverton, who li...more

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Mar 21, 2013 George rated it 4 of 5 stars

Early novel by Wilkie Collins that starts in 1829 and ends around 16 or so years later set in Cornwall. The story centers of a family secret that a dying wife is unable to tell her husband, so writes it out with the help of her maid and swears the maid to give the letter to the woman's husband when the woman dies. The maid is unable to do so and hides it it in an unused portion of the house. The secret haunts the maid and 15 years later, the woman's daughter discovers the secret.

The story revolv...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Bill Cavanagh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shakespeare might have called this 'Much ado about nothing'. The whole book was leading up to the revelation of the 'Secret' mentioned right at the beginning and in all honesty it did not need Sherlock Holmes to guess what that secret might be. However as with all of Wilkie Collins (which I have read so far) it still manages to be a page turner. One of the main strengths is the characterisation. Other reviewers have mentioned Uncle Joseph who is brilliantly drawn and to this I would add Andrew T...more

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Feb 10, 2010 Margaret rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: british-literature, sensation-novels, victorian-fiction, authors-cd

The Dead Secret isn't as good as the string of novels which immediately followed it (including The Woman in White and Armadale), but it's definitely worth reading, with a good measure of suspense and action, as well as complex characters, particularly Sarah Leeson, the woman who hides the "dead secret" of the title, and Rosamond Frankland, the woman who discovers it.

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Oct 10, 2011 Rob rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction2f

The Dead Secret is Collins' last work before he struck gold with The Woman in White, and it marks a considerable step forward from the novels which preceded it. On her deathbed, Mrs Treverton, the wife of the wealthy Captain Treverton, dictates a confession to her maid, Sarah Leeson, to pass to her husband and makes her swear that she will never destroy the letter or let it leave Porthgenna Tower. Leeson, however, hides the letter and flees, and Captain Treverton dies without ever discovering th...more The Dead Secret is Collins' last work before he struck gold with The Woman in White, and it marks a considerable step forward from the novels which preceded it. On her deathbed, Mrs Treverton, the wife of the wealthy Captain Treverton, dictates a confession to her maid, Sarah Leeson, to pass to her husband and makes her swear that she will never destroy the letter or let it leave Porthgenna Tower. Leeson, however, hides the letter and flees, and Captain Treverton dies without ever discovering the secret. However, his daughter Rosamund discovers there is a secret locked up in the mysterious Myrtle Room, and sets her mind to discover what it is.

Sarah Leeson is the most interesting character in the book. A shy and weak character, she is haunted by her past and the responsibility placed on her by Mrs Treverton.When she reappears as Mrs Jazeph, Rosamund's temporary nurse, Collins carefully manages her behaviour to make it both creepy and suspicious, but also sympathetic. As her past is slowly revealed, all Collins' skills are deployed to ensure that what may be ostensible faults of character to a Victorian audience never come between Sarah, Rosamund and his readership.Rosamund is a sparkier heroine than the bland Mary Grice in Hide and Seek. She is headstrong and has a temper, and although she and her husband Leonard Frankland (who is blind for some reason, as it has little impact on the plot) are of such unimpeachable uprightness and morality that they restore Andrew Treverton's belief in humanity, she is also believable as she comes to terms about the unexpected change in her circumstances as the Secret is revealed.

The novel works on several levels. Collins handles the Secret with great skill, ensuring that the reader is intrigued from the first chapter, and then gradually building the tension through the interplay of the main characters as Rosamund firstly finds out about the Secret, then Sarah tries to hide it once again. It is also very carefully balanced in terms of characterisation. Any oversweetness on the part of Rosamund and Leonard is balanced by the misanthropic Andrew Treverton and his manservant Showl.The intensity of Sarah Leeson is balanced by her engagingly eccentric Uncle Joseph.And finally, it is morally engaged, subtly showing the iniquity of Victorian laws on marriage, illegitimacy and inheritance, perpetual themes of Collins. Compared to Collins' other early works, this is really the springboard to his masterpieces such as The Woman in White, as by now all the key elements are in place - the sensation, the drama, the pathos - for Collins to make his mark on the Victorian novel.

See also my blog http://roderick-random.blogspot.com/2...

(less)

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Feb 15, 2011 Sandra rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love Wilkie Collins; he invariably tells a good story well. In this novel, Sarah, a lady's maid, hides a deathbed letter written by her mistress, Lady Treverton, which contains a secret that would alter the lives of several people. When, years later, Sarah fears the letter will be discovered, she goes to great lengths to regain possession of it to hide it anew. Complications ensue. "The Secret" comes as no great surprise to the reader, but the story is interesting, suspenseful and full of mist...more

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May 07, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-and-suspense

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May 03, 2011 Nyra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Titulo en Español: EL SECRETO DE SARAH
Titulo Original:The Dead Secret
Autor: Wilkie Collins
Traducción: Oscar Mmaristany Tolós
Editorial: Montesinos
ISBN: 84-95776-61-8
N° de Paginas: 437

EL LIBRO

Sinopsis:

El Secreto de Sarah es una investigación alrededor de un secreto celosamente guardado en una mansión, la Torre de Porthgenna, de la que la doncella Sarah Lesson huye el mismo día del fallecimiento de su señora. Quince años despues, la existencia del secreto llega a oídos de Rosamond, en ese momento...more

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Feb 10, 2011 Graham rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, 19th-century, classics, literature

Written fairly early on in Collins's career, THE DEAD SECRET is no WOMAN IN WHITE - but then few books are. Instead, this is a solid, highly readable mystery, very Victorian (full of class divides and repressed secrets) and with a surprising amount of humour.

The book was written at a transitional period in the author's lifetime, made when he was gradually coming out of the influence of his friend, Dickens. Though there are themes and values evident from his later work, many of the comedic suppor...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Casilda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: victorian-fiction, gothic-fiction

I had looked forward to reading this book, having enjoyed the other 5 WC books that Ive read but I was very disappointed with it and dare I admit, a bit bored. The Secret was obvious very early on and then it was just a question of reading the rest of the book to see what happens, although I could guess anyway. I found it over-melodramatic and not all that suspenseful. It was quite funny in parts and I liked the characters of the housekeeper, Mrs Pentreath and the steward, Mr Munder. Also the ch...more

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Mar 27, 2011 Lobstergirl rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Nancy Grace

Shelves: fiction

Veering between extremes of melodrama and sentimentality, stocked with unidimensional characters, The Dead Secret still takes about 140 pages to get off the ground. Reviewers of the day weren't crazy about it, either. This was a practice run for The Woman in White, so save yourself the effort and just read that one. Unless you're really, really into Victorian gothic cheese.

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Jul 30, 2011 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Collins is a great, and sadly relatively unknown nowadays. Although The Dead Secret is not as great as his masterpieces, it's still an excellent mystery about a family secret that gets buried for many years only to threaten it's appearance years later. Uncle Joseph is the sweetest, most innocent adult character you'll ever meet.

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Apr 06, 2013 Ana rated it 3 of 5 stars

This Victorian sensation novel was serialized and you feel it-- much more so than with Collins' masterpieces Woman in White and The Moonstone. This was a good solid read for Collins fans but not his best. A good first attempt at a 'thriller.' This book needed the many POV voices that his other books have to vary the style and make it less monotonous..especially since 'the secret' is not ultimately so surprising or shocking.

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Jul 16, 2009 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked this book, but I felt like Collins was trying a bit too hard to be like Dickens. There were several characters that Collins spent pages and pages describing who were not really part of the story or necessary at all. The secret was easy to guess and Sarah's anguish is a bit much at times, but the end made me cry and was mostly satisfying. Not Collins' best, but a good read nonetheless.

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Feb 20, 2011 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Collins is the best mystery writer ever! Much like his other books I read it as fast as possible because I couldn't wait to get to the end. It was not as good as Moonstone or The Woman in White, but still worth every minute.

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Dec 25, 2010 Petra rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Gothic, fun characters, Victorian, suspenseful.....it's everything that makes a Victorian novel great.
I enjoyed every page of this novel. The characters were interesting and diverse. I really liked Uncle Joseph and Andrew Treverton's character role.
One of Collins' best, I think.

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Nov 12, 2011 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: goodwill-finds

A rather interesting tale, though prone to be rather wordy in some places. I was really able to detect Dickens' influence on Mr. Collins writing style in this work.

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Oct 11, 2010 Louise Chambers rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classic, suspense, gothic

There's a good reason Wilkie Collins has such a good reputation as a writer of suspense. I loved this. Now I want to read The Lady in White, the old black and white film of which I saw years ago on TV, when I was a teenager.

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Dec 28, 2009 Suzanne added it

A dying actress with a loyal if weak-minded maid, an embittered brother-in-law, a daughter married to a blind watchmaker, and a *terrible* secret. I'm making some tea, pulling up the covers and not coming out until I finish the last page.

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Apr 03, 2013 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not my favourite Wilkie Collins - it's an early novel and you can tell that in parts he's struggling to find his style - but there are some genuinely gripping moments and some of the best one-liners in any Victorian fiction to district you from the melodrama!

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Jul 20, 2012 Roberto rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Though it doesn´t take a scientist to understand what the secret is, it is nonetheless a good and entertaining book with many hints of a gothic novel: a crumbling manor with its own resident ghost, a hidden secret for years, some stormy nights in Cornwall makes this a pleasant read

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Jul 07, 2011 Darcy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Worth reading just for enjoying the personality of Sarah Leeson's uncle--his innocence, honesty and enthusiasm.

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Apr 01, 2011 Scilla rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was written in the mid 1800's. A young maid at her mistress' death bed is asked to write out a confession.

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Mar 29, 2013 Rick rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1800s, literature

Not as good as The Woman in White or the Moonstone, but a compelling story and very easy to read.

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Feb 22, 2011 Amyem added it · review of another edition

Shelves: own

Although a bit awash in Victorian proprieties and sensibilites, still a good page turner. The Secret wasn't hard to suss out since it has been stolen by almost every hack writer of romance fiction since but thoroughly enjoyable.

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About Wilkie Collins

A close friend of Charles Dickens' from their meeting in March 1851 until Dickens' death in June 1870, William "Wilkie" Collins was one of the best known, best loved, and, for a time, best paid of Victorian fiction writers. But after his death, his reputation declined as Dickens' bloomed. Now, Collins is being given more critical and popular attention than he has received for fifty years. Most of...more

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“My business in life is to eat, drink, sleep, and die. Everything else is superfluity and I will have none of it. ” — 13 people liked it

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