The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Charles Dickens

And so, just in time for the 200th centenary of his birth, I finish the last of Dickens’ novels and can therefore put him aside until the time comes for a re-reading. What a fantastically entertaining author. From the whimsy of Pickwick to the shadows of Our Mutual Friend by way of the twin masterpieces of Great Expectations and Bleak House, I’ve enjoyed every second. Well, except for bits of Martin Chuzzlewit.

Drood is famously incomplete, but there’s enough there to leave the impression of an odd mix between Wilkie Collins (the mystery plot) and Anthony Trollope (the ecclesiastical setting).

There are some typically memorable supporting characters, but I am not aching inside over the fact that it was never finished.