Collins, Wilkie (1824-1889) - English novelist. Collins was one of the first
writers of detective and mystery novels. He was a close and influential
friend of Charles Dickens with whom he occasionally collaborated.
The Moonstone (1868) - Collins' most enduring work has been called the first
and the best English detective novel. The moonstone, a great diamond that
originally adorned the forehead of a Buddhist idol and is now the property
of an English officer's niece, disappears. Sergeant Cuff solves the mystery.
