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3.5***

Walter Hartright, a teacher of drawing, has been engaged by Mr Fairlie of Limmeridge House to instruct his two nieces. As he begins the journey to the estate he encounters a mysterious woman dressed all in white. He helps her get on her way and later discovers she is escaped from an insane asylum. When he arrives at the estate he first meets Miss Marian Halcombe, the older half-sister of Miss Laura Fairlie. Marian is a forthright, intelligent woman, but not at all attractive. Laura is a shy, modest young lady of some beauty. But what impresses Hartright from the outset is that she bears a striking resemblance to the woman in white! Of course, he falls madly in love with Laura, but she is already engaged to marry Sir Percival Glyde. And so the intrigue begins �

This sensation of a novel was the first modern detective/mystery, and I’ve had it on my tbr list for a long time. I’m glad I finally read it, but it really is quite dated. The melodramatic scenarios and over-the-top dialogue had me chuckling in places where � I’m sure � the original readers felt horror or suspense. There are plenty of clues, but also a number of red herrings. The fact that it was originally serialized also contributes to the style � multiple narrators give evidence as they know it, letting the reader (and the characters) slowly piece together the puzzle. It holds up quite well, despite being a very Victorian book, and it’s easy to see why it remains a popular classic.