The Count of Monte Cristo I

Prison breaks, thwarted love affairs, buried treasure—"The Count of Monte Cristo" has it all. If you love Dumas' "The Three Musketeers", this is your next must-read adventure. In Volume I, we meet Frenchman Edmond Dantes. His future looks a new job as a ship's captain and marriage to the beautiful Mercedes. But a trio of jealous men are plotting his downfall. And on the day of his wedding, they have him arrested on false charges of treason. Locked away on an island prison in the Mediterranean Sea, all hope seems lost. But Edmond never gives up his dreams of escape and exacting his revenge. Hugely popular in its day, "The Count of Monte Cristo" is still a page-turner. No wonder it's been made into dozens of movies, including a 2002 version starring Guy Pearce.