{"product_id":"the-mystery-of-edwin-drood-introduction-by-peter-washington-9781400043286","title":"The Mystery of Edwin Drood: Introduction by Peter Washington","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe final, unfinished novel of Charles Dickens that is in many ways his most intriguing--a gripping, haunting masterpiece that foreshadows the detective stories of Conan Doyle and the nightmarish novels of Kafka.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Mystery of Edwin Drood\u003c\/i\u003e is a highly atmospheric tale of murder. Central to the plot is John Jasper: in public he is a man of integrity and benevolence; in private he is an opium addict. And while seeming to smile on the engagement of his nephew, Edwin Drood, he is, in fact, consumed by jealousy, driven to terrify the boy's fiancée and to plot the murder of Edwin himself. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs in many of Dickens's greatest novels, the gulf between appearance and reality drives the action. Set in the seemingly innocuous cathedral town of Cloisterham, the story rapidly darkens with a sense of impending evil. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThough \u003ci\u003eThe Mystery of Edwin Drood\u003c\/i\u003e is one of its author's darkest books, it also bustles with a vast roster of memorable-and delightfully named-minor characters: Mrs. Billikins, the landlady; the foolish Mr. Sapsea; the domineering philanthropist, Mr. Honeythunder; and the mysterious Datchery. Several attempts have been made over the years to complete the novel and solve the mystery, but even in its unfinished state it is a masterpiece.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHARLES DICKENS is the author of such timeless classics as \u003ci\u003eOliver Twist, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Great Expectations.\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMATTHEW PEARL is the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Dante Club, The Poe Shadow, The Last Dickens, The Technologists, The Last Bookaneer, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Dante Chamber, \u003c\/i\u003e and the editor of the Modern Library editions of Dante's \u003ci\u003eInferno\u003c\/i\u003e (translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) and Edgar Allan Poe's \u003ci\u003eThe Murders in the Rue Morgue: The Dupin Tales\u003c\/i\u003e. His books have been translated into more than thirty languages, and his nonfiction writing has appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eSlate\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Everyman's Library","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50566456213778,"sku":"9781400043286","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_dc3dbca7-8251-4fed-96a0-28ba133a295a.jpg?v=1737239583","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-mystery-of-edwin-drood-introduction-by-peter-washington-9781400043286","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}