A delightftul Wilkie Collins mystery. It mingles the classical fairy tale motif of Bluebeard and the narrative schemes of detective fiction (hidden clues, reconstructed fragments) with Collins' usual adept characterization. There is a courageous, unsentimental heroine and a great gallery of eccentrics, of which the best is the disabled mad poet/genius Miserrimus Dexter. The resolution subverts the melodramatic crescendo of the the story and offers a realistic and melancholic conclusion to the mystery. ( )

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The Law and the Lady is often hailed as the first English mystery novel to feature a female detective. Collins employs his narrative skills to tell the story in Valeria Macallen's own words.

A few days after their wedding, Valeria learns that her husband married her under a false name. She is determined to find out why, although in all other areas their relationship is mutually happy. Valeria's researches lead her to a horrifying discovery: her husband had been tried for the murder of his first wife, and the Scotch Verdict had been "Not Proven." This verdict acquits the defendant, but leaves a definite stigma as to his innocence. Collins colorfully imagines what life would be like between a husband and wife with this shadow from the past over their marriage. The foreseen result is misery and loneliness, and Eustace Macallen feels so terrible about it that he leaves Valeria. Valeria believes in his innocence, but the mystery had never been solved, and no woman could undergo the little irritations of even a happy married life without stumbling onto doubts every now and then.

And so Valeria determines to find the truth, if she can. She researches the infamous Trial and interviews the people who were at Gleninch when the poisoning occurred. Bit by bit, we learn with Valeria about the many disparate personalities and frustrated hopes that were simmering under that roof the night of the murder. We also face the cruelest obstacles with Valeria: she is a woman, her beloved husband wants nothing more than for her to give up her resolution, and the Trial was over and done three or four years ago. Will Valeria see her mission through to the end, despite the likelihood of her ultimate failure?

Collins' character studies are quite fun, as usual. Miserrimus Dexter is a very interesting character, extraordinarily handsome in his face and upper body, but horribly deformed from birth with no legs. He has a decidedly artistic temperament and teeters between sanity and madness, a great egoist who yet sometimes delights in the most abject abasement. It is on this capricious and dangerous person that Valeria must depend for the clues to lead her to the truth of the first Mrs. Macallen's death. What is he hiding?

Right after reading the account of the official Trial, I made a guess as to who the murderer was. It seemed obvious, when all of Valeria's thoughts were tending in one direction, that Collins really meant it to be the other. Well, he pulled an upset on me yet again! But I console myself with the fact that I was partly right and was able to deduce a good deal more about certain characters than was immediately evident from their actions during the Trial.

For the most part, Collins' adoption of a female voice to narrate firsthand is very well-done. Victorian ideas slip in here and there, but taken with the prejudices of the times, Collins comes across as much less of a chauvinist than one might expect. It's interesting that the one thing that could galvanize a woman into the role of resolute detective would be the happiness of her husband. I don't find this offensive at all, though I can see how some would.

This isn't one of Collins' best, but it will certainly keep you reading. I'd recommend this to fans of the mystery genre because of the female detective. Fans of Collins' work, who love the drama, gloom, and stagey wonderfulness of his absorbing plots, will also enjoy this story. ( )

A joy to read. Wonderful classic writing. Every word had its important place. Loved the storyline and found the characters fascinating. ( )