AustLit

'A lost classic of Australian crime. This astonishing proto-modern thriller was first published in 1887. It opens with Adams' brilliant description of how Madeline Brown, a beautiful temptress and toast of Melbourne society, met her ghastly fate. David Stuart, a journalist and an admirer of the doomed siren, is consumed by the circumstances of her death. He turns sleuth, piecing together the last days of her life, and the result is a riveting psychological portrait of both victim and detective. Madeline Brown is also a wonderful profile of polite society in 19th century Australia.'

Source: Trove. (Sighted: 6/3/2014)