Written in 1850 and considered the first English thriller, this is terrific nineteenth-century-bleak-English-manor-house entertainment that's intelligently written and a true page turner.
Walter Hartright, an upstanding young man of limited means, takes a job as quasi artist-in-residence and tutor to an eccentric nobleman. He teaches the half-sisters Marian and Laura and becomes devoted to both, Marian for her wit and strength of character, and Laura for her delicate beauty. On a journey back to London, he meets a third woman, the wraith-like Anne, who appears out of nowhere on a country road and bears a disturbing resemblance to Laura.
Mistaken identities, an Italian count, a conveniently-timed infectious fever, and inheritance tangles that any reader of Austen will appreciate round out a suspenseful, frequently comical, and just plain fun read.
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