The law and the lady

Cagney and Lacey may be the most iconic female detective duo, but who was the fictional female sleuth who started it all? Nancy Drew? Maybe Miss Marple? Nope – one of the first literary female detectives was Valeria Brinton, this novel's heroin. "The Law and the Lady" is the trailblazing book that begins the whole detective genre. In this suspenseful Victorian story, something is amiss with Valeria's new husband, Eustace. Valeria becomes suspicious during their honeymoon in Ramsgate on the Kentish coast. Back in London, Valeria digs deeper and discovers Eustace's dark past. On the trail of truth, Valeria secretly investigates the legal proceedings surrounding Eustace to find her own evidence. After travelling to Edinburgh in Scotland, she unearths the answer that will rock the future of her marriage. Next time you're getting into your favourite detective movie – deerstalker in hand – remember where it all started. London-born Wilke Collins (1824-1889) became known in Victorian England for his novels and plays, sometimes writing together with Charles Dickens. His most famous works, "The Woman in White" (1859) and "The Moonstone" (1868), are some of the first modern detective novels.