Bleak House is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published in book form in 1853. It opens in the twilight of London, where fog grips the city in the Court of Chancery. The main story of the book involves the obscure case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce, in which an inheritance is gradually devoured by legal costs. Smaller backstories that are intertwined include the romance of Esther Summerson and the secrets of her origin, the sleuthing of Detective Inspector...