I'm going to have to ask you to trust me.

It's possible you've never heard of the book we're going to read next.

You may not know the author.

But starting this January, I am going to take you on a very wild ride.

This book is what's called a sensation novel,

the precursor to the modern thriller.

It's a mystery. In fact, it's often seen as the beginnings of the detective novel.

Charles Dickens himself vouches for it. He was friends with the author and was this book's first

publisher, releasing it serially in his magazine all the year round.

This is a book filled with mystery and intrigue, with twists and turns, with romance, and includes

one of the greatest villains you'll ever find in print. It's the story, as you will learn from its first lines,

of what a woman's patience can endure

and what a man's resolution can achieve.

The book is called The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins.

I'm Faith Moore.

Join me for season three of Storytime for grownups, which returns January 2nd with episodes

dropping every Monday and Thursday, wherever you get your podcasts.

Step into a world of danger, suspense, and romance as we read The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins,

a few chapters at a time with a few notes along the way, like an audiobook with built-in notes.

So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair, and settle in. It's story time.