Summary
The Woman in White (1859–1860) is one of the earliest and most influential mystery novels in English literature, blending gothic horror, psychological suspense, and social critique.
The story begins when drawing teacher Walter Hartright encounters a mysterious, terrified woman dressed all in white on a lonely road at night.
Soon after, he takes a position teaching two half-sisters—Laura Fairlie, a gentle heiress, and Marian Halcombe, her brave and intelligent sister—in the countryside.
Walter falls in love with Laura, but she is betrothed to the sinister Sir Percival Glyde, who has schemes involving her fortune.
What unfolds is a twisted conspiracy involving false identities, wrongful imprisonment, and dark secrets—including the origin and fate of the ghostly woman in white, Anne Catherick, who holds the key to exposing a terrible crime.