Raskolnikov, a destitute former student in St Petersburg, murders a pawnbroker on a theory about who is permitted to break the law, and then has to live inside what he has done. The investigating magistrate never quite accuses him, which makes the pressure worse. First published in 1866; this is Constance Garnett's 1914 English translation.
Public domain in the EU (author died 1881). Source: Project Gutenberg.