The Mystery of Edwin Drood

'In the wakeful misery of the night, girded by sordid realities, or wandering through Paradises and Hells of visions . . . I loved you madly.' Edwin Drood is contracted to marry orphan Rosa when he comes of age, but when they find that duty has gradually replaced affection, they agree to break the engagement off. Shortly afterwards, in the middle of a storm on Christmas Eve, Edwin disappears, leaving nothing but some personal belongings and the suspicion that his jealous uncle John Jasper, madly in love with Rosa, is the killer. And beyond this presumed crime there are further intrigues: the dark opium underworld of sleepy cathedral town Cloisterham, and the sinister double life of choirmaster Jasper, whose drug-fuelled fantasy life belies his respectable appearance. Dickens died before completing Edwin Drood, leaving its tantalizing mystery unsolved and encouraging generations of readers to try to work out what happened next.

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was born in Portsmouth, England, and grew up in poverty, one of eight children. He became the preeminent writer of Victorian England, with most of his novels appearing in serial form before being published as books.

David Paroissien was educated in England and the United States and received his Ph.D. from UCLA. He taught for many years at the University of Massachusetts and is now emeritus professor of English. He is also the editor of the Dickens Quarterly.