After Dark - Collins, Wilkie

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Résumé :
A chilling whisper in late Victorian London, a world where mirrors hide more than reflections and every streetlamp glows with a secret. After Dark offers a masterclass in suspense that feels both immediate thrill and careful, literary craft. Wilkie Collins' late nineteenth century crime fiction unfolds with deft psychological shading and a weave of trust and deception that keeps readers turning pages. The novel sits at the crossroads of sensation novel energy and classic detective fiction, drawing on Edgar Allan Poe's influence while echoing Dickens era mystery writers in its social texture. With a plot steeped in secret past revelations and a sharp gaze on class and secrecy, it rewards both casual readers and serious study. This special Alpha Editions edition treats the work not as a simple reprint but as a cultural treasure, restored for today's audiences and for future scholars. Its enduring resonance lies in how it navigates late Victorian London, the pressures of reputation, and the fierce ingenuity of deduction, making it an academic study for literature and a compelling read for lovers of Victorian crime fiction alike. Out of print for decades and now republished by Alpha Editions, the book is presented as a collector's item that invites fresh parsing of motive, motive's consequence, and the social webs that bind characters. More than a reprint, it is a gateway to a richer understanding of nineteenth century britain and the pleasure of a well-plotted mystery....

Biographie:
William Wilkie Collins was an English novelist and playwright best known for The Woman in White (1859), a mystery and early sensation novel, and The Moonstone (1868), which established many of the ground rules of the modern detective novel and may be the first clear example of the police procedural genre. Born to London painter William Collins and his wife, Harriet Geddes, he moved to Italy with them when he was twelve years old, spending two years there and in France learning both Italian and French. Collins was born at 11 New Cavendish Street in London, the son of William Collins, a well-known Royal Academician landscape painter, and his wife, Harriet Geddes. Named after his father, he quickly became recognized by his second name, which honors his godfather, painter David Wilkie. The family relocated to Pond Street, Hampstead, around 1826. In 1828, Collins' brother Charles Allston Collins was born. Between 1829 and 1830, the Collins family relocated twice: first to Hampstead Square and subsequently to Porchester Terrace in Bayswater. Wilkie and Charles received an early education from their mother at home. The Collins family was very religious, and Collins' mother insisted on strict church attendance for her boys, which Wilkie detested....

Sommaire:
William Wilkie Collins was an English novelist and playwright best known for The Woman in White (1859), a mystery and early sensation novel, and The Moonstone (1868), which established many of the ground rules of the modern detective novel and may be the first clear example of the police procedural genre. Born to London painter William Collins and his wife, Harriet Geddes, he moved to Italy with them when he was twelve years old, spending two years there and in France learning both Italian and French. Collins was born at 11 New Cavendish Street in London, the son of William Collins, a well-known Royal Academician landscape painter, and his wife, Harriet Geddes. Named after his father, he quickly became recognized by his second name, which honors his godfather, painter David Wilkie. The family relocated to Pond Street, Hampstead, around 1826. In 1828, Collins' brother Charles Allston Collins was born. Between 1829 and 1830, the Collins family relocated twice: first to Hampstead Square and subsequently to Porchester Terrace in Bayswater. Wilkie and Charles received an early education from their mother at home. The Collins family was very religious, and Collins' mother insisted on strict church attendance for her boys, which Wilkie detested....