A suspenseful novelette written from four points of view. Funny, scary, and well-written, it can be read in an evening. Wilkie had quite an imagination. ( )

Wilkie Collins has been one of my favourite nineteenth century authors for a long time. I have read (I think) all the novels but apart for a couple of random stories in collections of various authors, hadn't read his short stories. So when I spotted this in a charity shop during the summer I rather gleefully pounced on it, despite my on off relationship with short stories over the years. These stories are every bit as good as the novels. Wonderful gothic tales of dreams and specters, murderers, strange prophesies. Perfect reading for a cold evening by a warm fire. Many of the stories are written in the first person, some using the device of one person relating a strange tale to another - many gothic type tales of this period are written in such a way - and I really like it - there is something rather comforting about these old fashioned stories, where nothing is ever very gruesome or over the top, and where good usually wins hands down. ( )