A great plot idea and a strong beginning. Edmond's arrest, imprisonment and escape make great reading. But from the time that he becomes the Count, things fall apart. He is hardly involved, appearing only as a shadowy figure totally different from his earlier character and now, somehow, infallible. Far too many characters are introduced with superfluous wives and children and servants all over the place and having nothing to do with the plot. The means Edmond uses to gain revenge are ridiculously complex and almost impossible to follow. And the ending is disgustingly sappy.