The final novel by Charles Dickens, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”, was unfinished at the time of his death in 1870. The novel revolves around John Jasper, choirmaster and opium addict, who is the guardian of his orphaned nephew Edwin Drood. Before the death of his parents, Edwin was promised to marry Rosa Bud, another orphan, but their affections have cooled upon reaching adulthood. Rosa has also attracted the affections of Jasper, her teacher, as well as Neville Landless, a fellow orphan and the twin brother of Rosa’s friend, Helena. While Rosa and Edwin have ended their engagement on pleasant terms and remain friendly, Neville is jealous and angry and it takes him and Edwin sometime to settle their differences over Rosa. At the same time, Jasper lives a shadowy and secret double life in opium dens and also harbors hidden desires for Rosa, his pupil. Suddenly and mysteriously Edwin disappears and Neville is quickly accused of murdering him, though Jasper is also a likely suspect. While uncompleted, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” is a fascinating tale whose ending, as Dickens may have intended, will remain forever shrouded in mystery and speculation. This edition includes a biographical afterword.
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