The Legacy of Cain

"The Legacy of Cain" by Wilkie Collins is a novel written during the late 19th century. The book opens with a narrative set within the grim confines of an English prison, examining the moral complexities surrounding a convicted murderess known simply as The Prisoner. As the opening chapters unfold, the story grapples with themes of justice, repentance, and the nature of evil, while shedding light on the lives of several key characters, including a compassionate chaplain, a conflicted governor, and the condemned woman herself. The beginning of the novel introduces us to the prison governor, who reflects on the events leading up to the execution of a woman who has killed her husband—a man whose flaws and failings are also revealed. The narrative delves into the psychological turmoil experienced by The Prisoner, her interactions with the chaplain and a visiting minister, as well as her maternal instincts as she confronts the reality of her impending death and the fate of her young daughter. The tension builds as the characters navigate their responsibilities and emotions against the backdrop of impending doom, setting the stage for a stirring exploration of guilt, redemption, and the legacy of one's actions. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

William Wilkie Collins was an English novelist and playwright known especially for The Woman in White (1859), a mystery novel and early sensation novel, and for The Moonstone (1868), which established many of the ground rules of the modern detective novel and is also perhaps the earliest clear example of the police procedural genre.