The latest in a new series of classic detective stories from the vaults of HarperCollins is a reissue of one of literatureâs most audacious and thought-provoking novels of murder and intrigue, performed by Richard E. Grant. Includes John Inglishamâs foreword from the original Detective Story Club edition.
âThe Detective Story Clubâ, launched by Collins in 1929, was a clearing house for the best and most ingenious crime stories of the age, chosen by a select committee of experts. Now, almost 90 years later, these books are the classics of the Golden Age, republished at last with the same popular cover designs that appealed to their original readers.
Originally published in 1886 as âStrange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hydeâ, Robert Louis Stevensonâs book had been propelled to massive success following a favourable review in The Times, and by 1901 had sold a quarter of a million copies. This is how the Detective Club described the book:
âIn addition to being one of the most amazing crime stories ever written, âDr Jekyll and Mr. Hydeâ is probably the most remarkable of all the writings of Robert Louis Stevenson. It would be unfair to the reader to give away the secret of this thriller. Suffice it to say that every page grips and the unforgettable portrait of a mast criminal takes shape until the sensational climax is reached, a climax of dramatic intensity, without equal in the realm of detective fiction. If one wished to append a moral to this crime fantasy it might well be this: âThe self you choose to-day, and not the self you chose yesterday, is the fate of to-morrow.ââ