Wilkie Collins

William Wilkie Collins (1824–1889) was an English novelist, short story writer and playwright, best known for pioneering the sensation novel in Victorian England. His major works include The Woman in White (1859) and The Moonstone (1868), the latter often cited as one of the first modern English detective novels. Collins collaborated closely with Charles Dickens early in his career and was celebrated for his complex plotting, attention to legal and social detail, and psychologically driven characters.