Wilkie Collins 
The Moonstone 

Generally considered as the first detective novel in the English language, ’The Moonstone’ is the story of a young woman named Rachel Verinder who inherits a large Indian diamond, the Moonstone, on her eighteenth birthday. At her eighteenth birthday party, Rachel wears the Moonstone for all to see, later that night the diamond is stolen and quickly an investigation ensues to discover the identity of the thief and recover the jewel. A genre defining novel, ’The Moonstone’ is a classic, one of Wilkie Collins best loved works.