Lady Audley's Secret

Mary Elizabeth Braddon

A very readable Victorian mystery. I guess it would qualify in today's market as a cozy (assuming I understand what that means). Not sure how this novel measures up to Wilkie Collin's The Woman in White, but I understand that Braddon was influenced by Collins, so now I need to get to Woman/White soon, as I'm rather curious. In any case, the first half of Lady Audley's secret is compelling in its set-up of the mystery that follows, and I read it very quickly as it kept calling me back to it. The rest of the book, while still interesting, is spent observing the Lady's nephew (through marriage) as he attempts to discover the circumstances of the disappearance of his good friend as well as reveal the Lady's secret which he believes he has properly hypothesized (and which the reader easily guesses, although it's not quite as simple as it appears). Braddon does plot rather deftly, however, and she savors these developments as the novel progresses. I did have some trouble getting through the last 100 pages of the book, as there was very little left for the reader to do but follow around the nephew's movements. And, while Braddon does offer a twist at the end, it is not entirely unexpected, and so is not as effective as it could have been. Still, there is much to like about this book; in contains all the elements of Victorian society and, as such, has several layers within which it serves its audience. Not a must read, but if you're interested in Victorian literature, this is a book which was a sensation during the author's lifetime and may well be worth a look into.