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Written in 1859 by William "Wilkie" Collins, this is considered one of the first mystery novels & is an early example of detective fiction, which many others modeled their own detective stories after. Collins was a good friend of Charles Dickens & received even greater success than his contemporary, being the most loved & best paid Victorian author for a time. His great success continued until his death in 1870, when Dickens' reputation rose to take Collins' place.
