The Woman in White

The novel is dominated by two of the finest creations in all Victorian fiction — Marian Halcombe, dark, mannish, yet irresistibly fascinating, and Count Fosco, the sinister and flamboyant 'Napoleon of Crime'. A masterwork of intricate construction, The Woman in White set new standards for suspense and excitement, and achieved sales which topped even those of Dickens, Collins's friend and mentor.