Daphne du Maurier’s novel Jamaica Inn follows the story of Mary Yellan, a young woman who, after her mother’s death, travels to the isolated Jamaica Inn on the bleak moors of Cornwall to live with her only surviving relative, her Aunt Patience.

She is immediately met with a foreboding atmosphere. The once-lively Patience is now a timid, frightened shell of the woman Mary remembered, and Patience’s husband, Joss Merlyn, is a menacing and brutal man who is the landlord of the inn.

Mary quickly realizes that the inn is no ordinary establishment. She becomes aware of strange, late-night activities like wagons arriving and men carrying heavy goods. This ends up leading her to suspect her uncle is involved in smuggling.

As Mary delves deeper, the situation proves to be far more sinister than simple smuggling.

I am a fan of any fiction that has the moors are a main character, think The Hound of the Baskervilles. I must be honest though, I was a bit disappointed in the book ultimately.

Du Maurier is, of course, a fine writer, actually a great writer. But I think I started it with the idea that I was going to get a Supernatural Gothic story, not a Gothic Mystery. I suspect that if I had not made that mis-assumption that I would have ended up liking the work as whole better.