Known as one of the first mystery writers and regarded as the original creator of detective stories, Wilkie Collins used these genres to explore the changing world around him. He also questioned the traditional ideas about society, domestic life, and how people think.

2024 marks the 200th birthday of Collins. He wrote more than 30 books, offering a wide range of literary works to readers and is best known for "The Woman in White" and "The Moonstone." 

The 1860s were shaken by the birth of the genre sensation novel, which Collins created. Andrew Mangham, a Professor of Victorian Literature and Medical Humanities says that the reason behind the label is that the novels make one's heart beat faster and feel shivers. 

"The Moonstone," considered as the first detective novel, brings in familiar elements like a country house, a perplexing crime, and a smart detective named Sergeant Cuff. This tale introduces the kind of detectives we see in today's crime novels. With multiple narrators and an unexpected solution, "The Moonstone'' provides an engaging introduction to Collins's unique storytelling. T.S. Eliot described it as 'the first, the longest, and the best of modern English detective novels.'

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One of Collins' lesser-known creations is "Poor Miss Finch," a tale that delves into the intriguing story of a blind woman who falls in love with a completely blue man.

Collins also crafted compelling short stories, with "The Traveller's Story of a Terribly Strange Bed." Additionally, his contribution to the collection "The Haunted House," featuring ghost stories by Victorian luminaries like Elizabeth Gaskell and Charles Dickens, is his story "The Ghost in the Cupboard Room," an unusual narrative involving Spanish pirates and a burning candle leading closer to death.

While critics sometimes overlook Collins's later works due to their focus on social issues, modern readers may appreciate his efforts to address topics like women's inheritance rights. The book "Heart and Science" is centered around vivisection. While exploring his extensive catalog, readers might want to skip unless they find agreement with its sentiments.

For a dose of audacity and verve, consider "Armadale." Despite its serious undertones as a murder mystery, the audacious elements and Lydia Gwilt, a flame-haired villainess, add cheer to the narrative.

"No Name" deserves recognition alongside "The Woman in White" as a great sensation novel, a genre preceding modern detective and suspense fiction. This tale follows the trials of sisters Norah and Magdalen Vanstone, who lose their inheritance due to an unexpected revelation about their parents' marriage. The book unfolds a captivating story with colorful characters, including the intriguing Captain Wragge and the noble Captain Kirke.

Finally, Collins's encounter with Caroline Graves, a woman dressed in white fleeing from pursuers, set the stage for the enthralling plot of "The Woman in White," featuring madness, incarceration, mind control, fraud, organized crime, and murder. "The Woman in White" displays Collins's talent with a story that weaves through drama and introduces readers to the unforgettable character, Marian Halcombe.

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