This was so interesting. It reminded me of one of these really old horror movies with its fascinating mystery, intriguing villian and even the way the main characters were writting fit perfectly into that genre. Even though I can't say I liked any of the characters or felt particularly sorry for them, the plot kept me engaged. That ending must have been quit shocking in 1908 and even today I didn't see it coming like this. Maughams character descriptions were really weird, though. According to the narrator, everyone except Margarete is ugly, but when they are desriped in detail that didn't really come across that way. Maybe Maugham and I just have an entirely different understand of aesthetics. Anyway, Maughams writing is special in a way and though I generally liked it, that and how he loses himself in flowery descriprions sometimes wasn't my cup of tea. Still loved the mystery and will continue to read his works in the future.