The Mystery of Edwin Drood

The biggest mystery of The Mystery of Edwin Drood is how it ends. It began as a serial, as nearly all of Dickens’ novels did, but only six instalments were published before the author’s death in 1870. What we know about Edwin Drood is this: he is betrothed to a young woman named Rosa Bud; they are fond of each other, but uncertain about their future together. Jasper John–Edwin’s older uncle and a frequenter of London’s opium dens–is infatuated with Rosa, as is Neville Landless, and the two begin to compete for her affection behind the scenes. Then, on Christmas Eve, Drood disappears, leaving behind only a pin and a pocket watch. What became of Edwin Drood that fateful night is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in literature and it continues to intrigue readers, writers, and literary historians more than 100 years after Dickens’ death.