content: Someone could make a pretty good movie of this. Tragic bereavement, determined revenge (that fails), shady characters, disguises and at the end romance and happiness. Of course, Collins was writing in the mid-1800s, and it was a serial publication, so be prepared to wade through a style that maximizes word count (at a penny each!). Nevertheless the plotting is wonderful and the struggle to outwit the villain - or even to be sure who the villain is, which takes a while - is worth the trip. If the ending is a little pat, it's well foreshadowed, if you can catch it. It's a good read.