The Eustace diamonds

by Anthony Trollope · 1872

In Anthony Trollope’s third Palliser novel, the dazzling Lizzie Greystock—beautiful, clever and irresistibly dishonest—becomes a wealthy widow after the death of Sir Florian Eustace. She inherits not only his son but also a priceless diamond necklace that the Eustace family insists belongs to them. Determined to keep the jewels, Lizzie enlists the loyal aid of her cousin Frank, a Tory MP and barrister, while fending off suitors, schemers, and a relentless solicitor. As gossip spreads, her web of lies entangles a pompous under‑secretary, an acquisitive American, a radical peer, and a brutal aristocrat, turning the story into a blend of sensation fiction, detective intrigue, political satire and ironic romance. Through Lizzie’s relentless manipulation, Trollope exposes Victorian Britain’s obsession with wealth, its colonial entanglements, and the thin line between truth and deception.