The Legacy of Cain Annotated

by Wilkie Collins

When a condemned woman asks the local Minister to take her daughter home, the childless man is touched and finds himself unable to refuse. Yet the prisoner is unrepentant of the murder of her husband. Will her vices be passed on to this seemingly sweet child?

Genres: Classics, Fiction, 19th Century, Mystery, British Literature, Victorian, Novels

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1888

About the author

Wilkie Collins was an English novelist and playwright, best known for The Woman in White (1860), an early sensation novel, and The Moonstone (1868), a pioneering work of detective fiction. Born to landscape painter William Collins and Harriet Geddes, he spent part of his childhood in Italy and France, learning both languages. Initially working as a tea merchant, he later studied law, though he never practiced. His literary career began with Antonina (1850), and a meeting with Charles Dickens in 1851 proved pivotal. The two became close friends and collaborators, with Collins contributing to Dickens' journals and co-writing dramatic works.
Collins' success peaked in the 1860s with novels that combined suspense with social critique, including No Name (1862), Armadale (1864), and The Moonstone, which established key elements of the modern detective story. His personal life was unconventional—he openly opposed marriage and lived with Caroline Graves and her daughter for much of his life, while also maintaining a separate relationship with Martha Rudd, with whom he had three children.
Plagued by gout, Collins became addicted to laudanum, which affected both his health and later works. Despite declining quality in his writing, he remained a respected figure, mentoring younger authors and advocating for writers' rights. He died in 1889 and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery. His legacy endures through his influential novels, which laid the groundwork for both sensation fiction and detective literature.

Reviews

[Tristram Shandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“For twenty years past, my friend, I have been studying the question of hereditary transmission of qualities; and I have found vices and diseases descending more frequently to children than virtue and health. […] Children are born deformed; children are born deaf, dumb, or blind; children are born with the seeds in them of deadly diseases. Who can account for the cruelties of creation?”

Do these bitter words of a somewhat jaded prison doctor echo the attitude of the aged writer Wilkie Collins himself, whose 1889 novel The Legacy of Cain was the last one he actually lived to finish? You’ll have to read the novel itself in order to find out, and let me tell you it will be worth your while because Collins’s last completed work is, mostly, an extremely suspenseful experience.

Like many of his later novels, The Legacy of Cain not merely wants to thrill its readers by telling a blood-curdling story, but also to address social questions – in this case, the controversy about whether a disposition towards crime runs in a person’s “blood”, i.e. genetic code, or whether it can be successfully counteracted by a sympathetic and virtuous upbringing. In other words, Collins opens the nature vs. nurture debate. The novel starts when the baby daughter of a woman who is awaiting execution for having murdered her profligate husband in a fit of jealousy is adopted by the Congregationalist Minister Mr. Gracedieu, much against the advice of the aforesaid doctor, who prophesies that the little girl will grow up to bring shame on the family, whereas the minister himself is convinced that Christian education and virtuous example will be stronger than any temperamental leaning towards crime and passion. When Mr. Gracedieu’s wife a few years later has a child of her own, she plans to get rid of her adopted daughter, unbeknown to her husband, but, in her turn, finds herself peremptorily adopted by the Grim Reaper before she can realize her intention. So, Mr. Gracedieu’s children grow up regarding each other and being regarded by anyone else as real sisters, since the clergyman has made sure to hush up the secret of his adopted daughter’s origins and even destroyed any evidence as to which of the two daughters is the eldest. Life, however, throws in a weak and wimpy young man, who first falls in love with one of the daughters and then with her sister and then again with the other daughter, thus revealing either sister in her true colours – and himself, too. As though matters were not already complicated enough, there is the appearance of the aptly-named Miss Chance, now Mrs. Tenbruggen, who had reasons to hate the executed murderess and wants to vent her hatred on her daughter. In order to do this, however, she has to find out which of the two is the adopted daughter.

And herein lies one of the brilliant effects achieved by the author, for Collins once more plays with limited first-person perspectives, giving us an account of the prison warden, followed by diary entries by each of the two sisters, Helena and Eunice, so that nearly half of the book is over before we can know for sure which of the two is the daughter of a murderess. Up to that moment, the reader keeps guessing, which is a clever way of dealing with the nature-nurture question in that our not being too sure about the sisters’ respective identities casts some doubt on the validity of the doctor’s initial warnings. Apart from that, of course, it heightens suspense. Even after the identities of the two sisters are clarified, however, the reader is kept excited by Mrs. Tenbruggen’s sly attempts at finding out which of the two girls is her former enemy’s daughter, and with each failure the sinister woman’s determination waxes. Last not least, we might also ask ourselves whether the girl in question will finally give in to her mother’s voice – somehow the old lady manages to haunt her daughter’s dreams – and improve her sister’s temper by severely reducing the speed of her blood circulation … to zero, to be precise.

The Legacy of Cain certainly has a lot to recommend itself, viz. interesting characters – even though the young man is difficult to bear with and I found myself in an extremely murderous disposition towards him –, a clever use as well as change of perspective, just the right narrative pace and a good balance between the story itself and the message it is supposed to convey. I know that some people tend to find fault with Collins’s later novels, but I did really enjoy to read this one and can therefore fully recommend it.

[Anabel Samani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Como siempre con Collins, he disfrutado mucho de esta historia que nos propone.

Determinismo o azar…

Collins plantea esta novela como una respuesta, su respuesta, a la cuestión de si estamos determinados por la herencia o es la educación la que moldea nuestro carácter. ¿Acaso estamos determinados y los defectos de nuestros padres serán nuestros, irremediablemente? Si es así, ¿no debería ocurrir los mismo con las virtudes? ¿O será acaso el ambiente en el que nos criemos, así como las experiencias que vivamos, lo que cree nuestro carácter? Si bien a día de hoy no hay una respuesta definitiva a la cuestión, sí parece aceptarse que, aunque hay una base genética, en la formación de la personalidad son muy importantes las vivencias y la educación de los individuos.

A la par que desarrolla este tema, Collins plantea otros, como el destino, muy presente en las obras del autor, o los peligros de la debilidad de carácter. También critica las normas intransigentes de algunas creencias religiosas y las nuevas terapias que se extendían por Europa, como los masajes.

Intriga…

La novela tiene toda la intriga que esperamos de una obra de Collins. Para crearla, el autor se sirve, como es habitual en él, de distintos puntos de vista, todos en primera persona a través de diarios personales o declaraciones de los personajes principales.

En la primera parte de la historia la intriga se centra en saber quién es la hija de la asesina, lo cual se desvela rápidamente y, además, a día de hoy resulta previsible. No obstante, desvelado esto la lectura sigue manteniendo el interés, ya que hay otras cuestiones en juego.

Sin embargo…

Toda esa intriga resulta floja durante parte del libro, y hay momentos en los que la novela parece sustentarse sobre todo en un triángulo amoroso y en saber con qué muchacha decidirá quedarse el galán (bueno, galán es mucho decir en este caso).

Tampoco hay un gran villano como en otras novelas del autor (estoy pensando en Lydia Gwilt en "Armadale" o el conde Fosco en "La dama de blanco").

Además, el personaje de Philip me resultó insufrible. Lo más interesante que nos ofrece el personaje es la cuestión planteada por el autor acerca de las consecuencias de la debilidad de carácter y ser fácilmente influenciable.

Resumiendo…

Un libro que disfrutarán los aficionados a Collins, pero que no recomendaría para acercarse al autor por primera vez.

[Olga Wojtas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been on another Wilkie binge recently, with The Guilty River and The Haunted Hotel, which were pretty much in his potboiler collection (although still good compared to many writers) but he's definitely on form with The Legacy of Cain, a 19th century tale of nature v. nurture. He keeps switching point of view, which he always does with great effect (cf The Moonstone and The Woman in White). You're just getting to a crucial denouement when you start galloping off in another direction.
Fabulous characters: I won't say anything about them so that you can make up your own mind.
My fave quote: She went about, from one place to another, curing people of all sorts of painful maladies, by a way she had of rubbing them with her hands. In Belgium she was called a "Masseuse." When I asked what this meant in English, I was told, "Medical Rubber."

[Doreen Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite surprised and very pleasantly pleased by this book!

[Silvia Rota · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non il migliore, non c'è troppa ansia nell' attesa degli eventi, ma un bell'intreccio. la cattiva è davvero perfida, i buoni a volte troppo ingenui, ma come da tradizione tutto è bene quello che finisce bene

[Ruby Bibi · Rating 4 out of 5]

-Very interesting premise underlies this book. There’s a constant debate of what has more influence on a person’s character - nature or nurture. In this story by the author, that question is raised with unanticipated results.
-We first come upon a scene in a prison, where a woman is facing the gallows. She has been convicted of killing her husband by poison, although it seems that the husband had mentally tormented her, but it’s still a drastic step to take in retaliation. That woman had a young child, which is being cared for by another woman, who brings the child to the prison. There is no remorse in the poisoner, but she agrees to give confession to a minister if he agrees to care for her infant daughter. He himself is married but has been unable to have a child and, without consulting his wife, agrees to care for the child as his own in order to save her soul.
-As a future plot, the brother in law of this convicted woman, Mr. Dunboyne, has offered to take the child, but with the intention of putting her in a home where she could grow up to be a servant. He refused to have her in his own home, as he had a young son and didn’t want any interaction between his son and this young girl. The minister has refused the offer.
-The head of the prison, a friend of the minister and referred to in the book as the Governor, is unsure that this is a proper course of action. The child, a one year old sweet looking child, appears to be pure innocence, but the nature of a mother who has killed another person, may be a natural part of this young child, which will only be seen once the child is grown.
-The minister’s wife ends up being pregnant, and she shortly has a daughter of her own. She meets with the Governor to get his advice on how to get the minister to dispose of this adopted child, as she really wants nothing to do with her. It seems she’s not as kindly as the minister believes she is. The Governor has withheld this from the minister, as he didn’t want to reveal this shortcoming to the minister himself.
-Shortly after this, the minister, Mr. Gracedieu, suffered the loss of his wife when the children were still very young. He moved away from the original area that he lived and moved to a different section of England where he wasn’t known. In raising his daughters, he has not told either one or anyone else who was the elder, in case someone from his past came across his daughters and realized which was the adopted. The daughters themselves had no idea, and, in reading, for most of the story, we are also clueless as to which is which.
-The sisters, Helena and Eunice, are now grown, and they both seem like model children, but one of them is rebellious and secretly does things contrary to what their father teaches them. The plot thickens when Eunice meets up and falls in love with Phillip Dunboyne. He is the very son of the man whose brother was killed by poison, referred to in the beginning of the story Phillips father is the man who refused to take the little daughter of the condemned woman as he didn’t want to risk his son becoming attached to the daughter of a killer.
-The personalities of each of the sisters greatly diverge, as the story progresses, and the mystery of which child is the natural born and which the adopted comes to light.
-This is a very interesting and, as to be expected, a well done examination of both daughters, in order to see what the effect of a person’s upbringing has in the development of their disposition. The author has put together a series of additional characters which aid in bringing out the full suspense of the story which examines this age old question.

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is evilness hereditary or not?
This is the question at the base of this novel by Wilkie Collins, not one of his best or well known but good enough to enjoy reading it.
Mr Gracedieu is a preacher that accepts to adopt the daughter of a woman hanged in charge of murder. But what if the daughter took from the mother?
To prevent any possible discrimination, the preacher grows up is own daughter and the adopted one like sisters, without giving any possible clue of which of them is the "bad apple".
But someone is determined to discover the truth.
Very gripping, especially from the end of the first book.

[Mbuye · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Victorians were conflicted in many ways by the times in which they lived. It was the time of a second Renaissance: a great Empire, exploration, conquest, the joy of new and mechanised labour-saving inventions, the beginning of modern medical discoveries, the revolution that was taking place in the ways of looking at art and literature were all wonderful, but it was also that dreadful time when the book which shattered their lives forever was published: “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life” by That Man.

The period between 1800 and 1900 was the time when many theories of behaviour, now discredited, found favour among both laymen and men of science, and ideas about phrenology, physiognomy, or “born criminals” gained popular currency and were taken seriously enough to be considered for use by the newly formed Metropolitan Police. Fortunately. that never happened! All the scientific thought of the day clashed with the religious and moral principles of the high-souled Victorian middle class. One Thomas Brown, a Victorian philosopher (died in April 1820 aged 42), who is forgotten today, but was deeply respected and even popular in his own time, first suggested that psychology, rather than morality, be the basis of studies of the human mind. His book “Lectures on the Philosophy of the Human Mind” was published posthumously the same year, 1820. Brown’s ideas set the stage for the later monumental theories of Freud and Jung.

And that is precisely why Wilkie Collins’s novel is so topical and pertinent. When it was published in 1888, ‘The Legacy of Cain’ discussed a relatively new and highly controversial subject for them: the dichotomy between morality and religion (Nurture) on one side, and science and Nature on the other. Naturally, being Wilkie Collins, he dresses the whole thing up beautifully, with strong evil women and weak foolish men, murder, madness, secrecy, blackmail, betrayal, a handsome and rich young man and the girls who love him or his money. Collins adds the presence of the immensely popular psychics and quacks, who offered everything from table tapping to mesmerism, physiotherapy or massage and oriental practices as a catch-all cure for all ailments from lunacy to snakebites. There are twists up and turns down. To add to the sheer delight of reading this book, not only do we have different perspectives in different voices, but letters and journals available for our delectation. The characterisation is rather better than in most Wilkie novels, but still, the stock figures divided into Good and Bad are very much the underlay. There is no villain, if one discounts the prologue. What we see here are strong or timid men and women led by their passions into discreditable actions. In the case of the Minister, his very virtues lead him almost to madness.

Adoption was then regarded with disfavour, partly due to inheritance and property laws, and most adopted children were regarded as bastards, and “not received” in polite society. Today, more than a hundred years since the novel was published, the fact of the child’s adoption wouldn’t excite comment, much less secrecy. The fact of her mother's execution for murder, while it might be regarded as shocking even today, would not prejudice the beholder against the child. But the secrecy on both these points is a key element in the plot, although it is easy enough for the reader, with the advantage of several different voices speaking for their owners, as well as diaries and correspondence, to figure out the truth.

If adoption itself was uncommon, for legal, moral and social reasons, it is interesting that Collins observes that the adopted mother turns against the adopted child as soon as she has one of her own. This phenomenon was not frequent in Collins's time, although it has been observed in the twentieth century. It shows an unexpected percipience on the part of Wilkie Collins, who remained a bachelor all his life (but kept two mistresses at the same time in separate establishments, and had children by each!). Miss Jillgall is the sacrifice on the altar of Collins's sympathy for maimed creatures, while his deep interest in sleepwalking, a recurrent theme in several of his other novels, plays a key role here as well.

The novel also sets forth a debate on religion, in particular on the congregational chapels with their restrictions on the simple pleasures of a concert or a novel, and uses the Minister and his two daughters to take the matter to its logical conclusion. The Prison Governor is thus the Voice of Reason.

No one who enjoys a ripping yarn should fail to read this complex and at times bizarre novel from the pen of one of the greatest masters of Victorian Gothic.

[Sohail · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I started reading this book, I thought it was going to be good, especially considering it had been written from the viewpoints of different people, and in diary format. I was mistaken.

It is a poorly written novel that gets increasingly vulgar as you read on.

For the starters, its amateurish diary format defies common sense and shows no resemblance to a real diary. For example, paraphrasing is not existent; people write dialog exactly as it happened, word for word, as if they are not human beings but tape recorders. They copy entire passages of text written by other people, word perfect, into their own diary. Some diary entries defy diary format and resemble the chapters of a traditional novel, indicating the author's incompetence in writing in diary format, or his inability in grasping the concept of diary. Different characters' diaries show almost no difference in writing style, lexicon, etc.

Aside from poor writing, its characters are one dimensional (Helena is your typical pure evil character, etc.), the plot is stupid and the happily ever after ending is the last nail in its coffin.

From now on, I will stay away from Wilkie Collins's books.

[Scribh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating literary exploration of the Victorian debate regarding the impact of hereditary vs. upbringing. I'll go on the record here as saying that I hate Philip - he reminds me of Paul Montague in "The Way We Live Now" (1875), caught between two women and paralyzed by conscience when he isn't motivated by uncontrollable desire. Nothing remotely interesting about him. As for the strange sisters Eunice (or "Euneece," haha) and Helena, their diaries were loads of fun to read - can anything be more terrifying than the supernatural "mock-mother"? I was delighted with Helena's plot resolution. As for the prison official, the old Governor, I found his judgmental character somewhat terrifying in its own right, especially when he internally criticizes Helena for having a bust that is, in his view, too developed for her young age! A fun sensational read, especially if you enjoy Collins's earlier masterpiece "The Woman in White" (1859).

[James Uscroft · Rating 2 out of 5]

What can I honestly say about this book beyond the fact that, when you strip away the gimmick that he used to put a new silk hat on the same old pig, (in this case, the absurd and infuriating 'Nature Vs. Nurture' debate,) it's merely 'ANOTHER' Wilkie Collins *Novel?...

Another trope ridden idea for a short story dragged out into a 'Novel' by filling it with mind-numbing trivia, built around the concealment of a 'Terrible Secret' which is so utterly inconsequential by modern standards that's impossible to become invested in. And speaking of the fact that Wilkie Collins's books are so formulaic that he might as well have decided on the plots by throwing darts at a board, it's yet another 'Will They, Won't They' romantic soap-opera; hinging on whether the leading man will realise in the end that he belongs with the good, sweet and innocent ingenue, or will they be torn apart by the wicked, deceitful and manipulative temptress.

...Go on, take a wild guess.

[Mike Gregory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely worth reading but by no means his best. He forces his characters through unlikely, sometimes ridiculous contortions of motivation and behaviour to serve the novel's plot and didactic purpose. There's also scant evidence of the sheer beauty of Collins' prose at his best (e.g. lyrical, brooding passages in The Woman in White, The Evil Genius, Armadale, etc.) I suspect that the chronic pain that beleaguered him through much of his life, coupled with out-of-control laudanum use, took its toll on this novel published towards the end of his life. Still, even a sub-par Collins novel is interesting and entertaining. The busy-body, likeable Governor and Miss Jillglass are worth the price of admission alone.

[Larry Piper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, I put off writing up a review, and now, some three months later on, I don't remember enough to comment coherently. Basically, we have "issues" with a couple of young women who might have "tainted" blood by dint of their having a mother who was criminally insane. Something like that.

The book should have a + appended to its rating, i.e. ***+, but, alas, Good Reads doesn't allow for such fine distinctions.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here we have a few more of Wilkie Collins's not-quite-up-to-it men, and some proper strong women. It's somewhat melodramatic in parts, that's Collins for you, and there are some absurdities in the plotting - these children are two years apart, how could they not know which was the elder? But I bought into the device and couldn't put the book down. That makes it 5 stars.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as sensational as Collins can get, but a satisfying read, with some memorable characters. "Jillgall" is a strange, but appropriate name, given that "jill" means "young woman" and she certainly galls one young woman in the book.

[Aya · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest I felt like reading literature but at the same time I got out of suspense and fantasy so I wasn’t really very much excited about it or thought I’d be into it.

But to put it bluntly, I have thoroughly enjoyed this book!

I always LOVE Wilkie Collins!

4/5 stars

[Alessandro Argenti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devo dire che fino a metà prometteva bene, lasciando intendere -almeno per il sottoscritto- ad una trama fatta di intrighi. Nella seconda parte invece prende una piega diversa, deludendo le mie aspettative.

[olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loads of red herrings, was in anticipation, frustration, and awe every page.

[Bookish.Issy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best of what wilkie collins can offer, but entertaining enough.

[Berna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stars rounded up to 4.

[Israel Drazin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Legacy of Cain
By Wilkie Collins
Amazon Digital Services, 257 pages
Cost: Free

Wilkie Collins (1824-1889), a friend and sometime co-author of Charles Dickens, wrote enjoyable books. He was the inventor of detective novels. He is best known for his books “The Woman in White” and “Moonstone.” His plots are unusual and suspenseful. Even some plots of his non-detective tales have the flavor of that genre. He has a keen understanding of psychology, which is reflected frequently in his tales. In this book two sisters grow up not knowing that they are not related biologically, and turn out differently.

The story begins when a female prisoner who was sentenced to be hung for the horrible way she killed her husband persuades a minister, Mr. Gracedieu, to adopt her infant daughter. The minister and his wife have no children and do not expect to be able to have any. A doctor warns him that human nature causes physical and personality traits of parents to be inherited by their children, and tries to persuade the minister not to take the child because he will face horrors when the child grows up because she will have her mother’s despicable traits. The minister disagrees and states that his Christian lessons and pious home habits will assure the child grows into a responsible woman. The plot therefore focuses on what causes evil: heredity or environment or, to put it simply, is there a legacy of Cain?

The plot is amplified when the minister’s wife unexpectantly gives birth to a daughter and, unknown to her husband, tells the head of the prison in a venomous manner that she does not want the hung woman’s child and will do all she can to dispose of the child even though her husband wants her. She tries to gain his help in the enterprise, but he refuses. She dies before she can carry out her plan. The minister does all he can to hide that his adopted daughter is the child of a sinister murderess. He refuses to reveal to his daughters that one of them is adopted, and for unusual reasons asserts that he does not want to say which of the two is older. This act raises the curiosity of people who hear about it. He names his adopted daughter Eunice, which, not mentioned or even hinted by Collins, is based on the Greek “eu,” meaning “good,” while the minister’s wife names her daughter Helena against his wishes, a name that is reminiscent of Helen of Troy. Is this meant to be ironic?

The plot swells by the entrance of several characters into the lives of the children, including the mistress of the murdered husband, Miss Chance, who strongly disliked his wife who killed him and her daughter, who is determined to harm the daughter. Another is the entrance into the minister’s home of the minister’s cousin, Miss Jillgall, who Helena thinks is mean-hearted and duplicitous, while Eunice considers her a nice person. The well-meaning minister brought her into his home because she had nowhere else to live. One of her friends is Miss Chance. Jillgall is overly curious and a busy-body. Still another character introduced into the tale is the rich husband of the murderess’s sister who was no longer alive, who offered to help place the child, but refused to bring the child into his home lest his son fall in love with this tainted girl and want to marry her. He is not told that the minister adopted her.

Years later, the two girls are eighteen. Helena, the minister’s natural daughter is far smarter, prettier, and with a warmer personality than Eunice. While Helena is away, Eunice and the son meet, neither knowing the history, and they fall in love. Eunice thinks that the only problem that she might have with this young man is that his father is exceedingly rich while her father is poor, but she is wrong.

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my least favorite Wilkie book partly because I hated Philip Dunboyne. There was nothing redeeming about him. The story could have been more interesting with a better plot twist but it was still enjoyably easy to read and still Wilkie Collins.

[Brenda Cregor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written towards the end of Wilkie's life [ yes, Wilkie].
In my opinion [ and you know I have one], it had a smoothness in prose not as visible in his earlier works.
Yes, it has that "bit of supernatural" that sometimes appalls modern readers, but it does not appall me. The Brits love their ghosts and spirit visitations, mainly because they truly occurred, in that more quiet and reflective era.
This book enters into the nature v. nurture debate and ends in a way that was unexpected---I think I was more dramatic in my prediction than Wilkie ended up delivering.
And yet, I was satisfied.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading the feedbooks epub version: http://www.feedbooks.com/book/4375

I enjoyed this greatly. It did tend to lag a bit in the middle but Collins was able to pick it back up for all of the back half. It had a few twists several sort of side elements that all fed into the story in important ways.

[Christie · Rating 2 out of 5]

For research, of course. I tend to defend Wilkie Collins -- and I always enjoy some of his best novels -- but this one was a struggle to get through (and, to be honest, absolute crap). Useful, though, for research purposes.

[Imation · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intrigante, entretenido y divertido, pero el final es un poco apresurado.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another lesser Wilkie Collins title, while not a patch on The Woman In White, it still has his lively style and turns on a nice device which will keep you guessing for a while.

[Cooper Renner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than Hide and Seek, not as good as Woman in White, Moonstone and Armadale. Hidden identity, the question of whether the parent's moral flaws are passed on the child, weak-willed men.

[Nicola Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wilkie Collins considers the importance of nature versus nurture. An interesting and enjoyable read.

[Patrizia Caruzzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro carino.Peccato per la traduzione irta di errori, dà l'impressione di essere stata fatta con grande fretta e senza alcuna revisione.