No Name

Wilkie Collins was an English novelist, playwright, and short story writer and he is the author of the mystery genre fiction novel No Name which was originally published in 1862. No Name revolves around the issue of illegitimacy. After the parents of sisters Norah, age 26 and Magdalene, age 18 die premature unexpected deaths, the girls discover from the lawyer, Mr. Pendril, that their parents have only been married a few months, and that the wedding invalidated their will, a will which had left everything to Norah and Magdalene. The daughters have no name, no rights, and no property, and the entire family fortune is inherited by their father's older brother, Michael Vanstone, who has been estranged from the family for many years. With the help only of their loyal governess Miss Garth, the two girls set out to make their own way in the world. Wilkie Collins' No Name, the literature and fiction classic is often categorized as a mystery, thriller & suspense, or historical mystery and is required textbook reading in many high school and university courses.