Jezebel's Daughter by Wilkie Collins

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Jezebel's Daughter by Wilkie Collins

(1 User reviews) 345

By Elizabeth Mancini Posted on Apr 1, 2026

In Category - Mystic Stories

Authors: Collins, Wilkie, 1824-1889 Published By : Collins, Wilkie, 1824-1889

Book Language: English

Hey, have you read 'Jezebel's Daughter' by Wilkie Collins? It's this wild ride of a Victorian novel that's less about a biblical villain and more about a power struggle in a German chemical business. Seriously! The 'Jezebel' here is Madame Fontaine, a widow who arrives with a mysterious medicine chest and a plan to secure her daughter's future by any means necessary. The book is packed with secret formulas, suspicious deaths, and a battle of wits between her and the firm's loyal, skeptical clerk. It's a slow burn that turns into a genuine page-turner about obsession, maternal love gone wrong, and just how far someone will go for security. If you like mysteries where the real poison is human ambition, you'll dig this.

File: Jezebel's Daughter by Wilkie Collins

Wilkie Collins, the master behind The Woman in White and The Moonstone, serves up another slice of Victorian suspense with Jezebel's Daughter. Don't let the title fool you—this isn't a biblical epic, but a tense drama set in a respectable Frankfurt business.

The Story

The story kicks off with the death of a partner in the respectable chemical firm of Keller & Engelman. His widow, the formidable Madame Fontaine, arrives with her gentle daughter, Minna. Madame Fontaine is determined to secure Minna's marriage to the surviving partner's heir, and she has a secret weapon: a locked medicine chest containing her late husband's powerful, and possibly dangerous, formulas. When people connected to the business start dying under strange circumstances, all eyes turn to her. The heart of the novel is the cat-and-mouse game between Madame Fontaine and David Glenney, the sharp-eyed London clerk sent to watch over the firm's interests. It's a battle of nerves, with the fate of the business and Minna's future hanging in the balance.

Why You Should Read It

What grabbed me was Madame Fontaine herself. She's not a simple villain. Collins makes you understand her desperate, twisted love for her daughter. You're repelled by her actions but somehow feel the panic driving her. The book is also a fascinating look at the birth of modern commerce and forensic science—poisons, antidotes, and financial trusts are all major plot points! The tension builds beautifully. The first half sets the pieces on the board, and the second half is a gripping, can't-put-it-down race to see if Glenney can outsmart her before it's too late.

Final Verdict

This is a great pick for readers who love classic mysteries with complex, morally grey characters. If you enjoy the slow-building atmosphere of Victorian novels but want a plot that delivers real thrills, you'll find it here. It's also perfect for anyone interested in stories about fierce, flawed women who defy their era's expectations, for better or worse. Just be ready for a story that asks: is it love or is it poison?