The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

This short novel is set in foggy, respectable London. A lawyer, Mr. Utterson, becomes troubled by the strange connection between his old friend, the esteemed Dr. Jekyll, and a cruel, repellent man named Edward Hyde. As odd and violent events gather around Hyde, Utterson sets out to learn what hold this figure has over his friend.

The book is a classic of gothic fiction and a study of the double nature of people, the gap between public virtue and private appetite. Its title has become a common phrase for a person with two sides, and the story remains a gripping, compact mystery.