The mystery novel that surprises Hilary MacLeod every time she reads it

Hilary MacLeod is the author of Cod Only Knows, a novel in her mystery series set in a small Canadian fishing village called The Shores. She's formerly worked as CBC host in New Brunswick and now lives in Prince Edward Island. Here's why she recommends reading the mystery novel The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.

"I came to it late in life and started to read it maybe 10 or 15 years ago. It certainly has all the elements that make a good mystery story. It's got creepy characters in the background orchestrating events. It has the focus on a jewel of great value — more value for what it symbolizes than the actual value of the stone. The thing that I like about it is, I couldn't tell you what the plot of it is now. I get surprised every time I read it. I get inklings as I'm reading, 'OK, now I remember.' It's thick. It's dense. It's from a time when books were the entertainment and I guess I like that time and that style of writing."

Hilary MacLeod's comments have been edited and condensed.