Murder on the Cliffs: A Mystery Featuring Daphne Du Maurier

Daphne Du Maurier read an article in the newspaper, The Times about an old abbey that is located on the Cornish coast. It dates all the way back to the Charlemagne era. Daphne loves rooting around and learning about the history of old places. She begs her parents to let her stay instead of going with them and trying to find a husband. Her parents agree on one condition...Daphne must stay with an old friend, Ewe Sinclaire. While taking a morning walk, Daphne hears a woman scream. When she arrives at the feet of the young woman is a body. The woman who screamed is named Lianne. Lianne identifies the body as her brother's fiancée, Victoria Bastion. Though Lianne is glad Victoria is dead, she would not wish it this way. When Daphne meets Lord David Hartley, she becomes intrigued by him. Lord Hartley invites Daphne to stay in the abbey. She can't pass up the offer. While there, she gets to know the Hartley's and Victoria. It seems that the Hartley's have many secrets. Daphne decides to investigate the murder of Victoria. Daphne better watch her back or she could end up like Victoria. I enjoyed Murder on the Cliffs. It had this old, classic feel to it that reminded me of my favorite mystery stories growing up. There was no glitz or hype. Just an old abbey and a family that had a closet full of dead bodies. Daphne was so sweet and naïve that I wasn't sure at first if she was the right person to solve the murder. I read this book very quickly. It was memorizing. There were some twists. Enough to keep me from figuring the identity of the killer till the end. I do plan to check out more novels by this author.

Murder on the Cliffs is the first in a promising new mystery series by Joanna Challis. Daphne du Maurier is a young inspiring author who, instead of staying home to pursue a husband, as her mother would like, decides to take on an adventure by staying with her mother's old nanny. It doesn't take long for her to find adventure, as she discovers a dead body shortly after her arrival to Cornwall. Not only does she discover the dead body of a young woman, who she later finds out is named Victoria, but she also discovers a young teenage girl standing over Victoria on the beach. This discovery leads to a first in amateur sleuthing for Daphne, as she finds out that the teenage girl, found standing over the deceased's body, is the sister of Victoria's husband-to-be. Not only that, but Victoria was once employed by her soon-to-be husband's family, the Hartleys, and they were not overly pleased with this newest engagement. Daphne must figure out if this displeasure was strong enough to go to the lengths of murder or if there is someone else who disliked the young girl enough to kill her. The characterization of Daphne du Maurier is fantastic, as the author takes readers into the life of this young ambitious writer. Joanna Challis has a wonderful way of weaving a delightfully descriptive and engrossing story that will captivate readers from beginning to end. Set in the late nineteen twenties, Murder on the Cliffs displays and old-world gothic feel that lends further atmosphere to the story and its characters. I was very pleased with Murder on the Cliffs and anxiously await the next installment in this mystery series. Readers who enjoy light mystery and suspense with a blend of history will find themselves quickly and happily engulfed with Murder on the Cliffs, I am quite certain!

Wanting to become a writer, twenty one year old Daphne du Maurier is in Cornwall conducting research at Rothmarten Abbey. During a storm, Daphne notices a teenager leaning over the body of a woman on the beach. Daphne introduces herself to Lianne Hartley, who reluctantly says the deceased is former kitchen maid Victoria Bastion, who was engaged to Lianne's brother David over the objection of his family. Local magistrate Sir Edward rules the death an accident. Soon after running into Lianne for the first time Daphne meets the rest of the aristocratic Hartley family whom she finds odd but fascinating. When she learns Victoria died from poisoning, Daphne investigates starting with the Hartley brood at nearby Padthaway Mansion. The mystery takes a back seat to the early adult life of Daphne du Maurier whose investigation serves as the conduit to her one day writing Rebecca. The suspense never comes close to that described by the lead protagonist in her novels but is a fascinating device that enables the audience to have a glimpse at the author's life and her most famous work. Fans who enjoy historical fiction wrapped inside a thin amateur sleuth will want to read Murder on the Cliffs. Harriet Klausner

Aspiring writer, Daphne du Maurier, in search of material she can hopefully turn into her breakthrough novel, is handed it on a plate whilst holidaying in late 19th century Cornwall. She comes across a teenage girl bent over the body of a woman on a beach. The girl is Lianne, a member of the influential Hartley family and the dead woman, Victoria Bastion, the fiancée of Lianne's brother. This is the opening scene of Australian novelist Joanna Challis's latest work. And as the story develops she serves up a fantastic cast of characters in a variety of descriptive settings that give Murder on the Cliffs a gothic feel; attributes that remind one of the real Daphne du Maurier's best-selling novel, Rebecca. Daphne assumes the role of amateur detective as she delves into the circumstances of Victoria's death, and learns that her future mother-in-law disapproved of the forthcoming marriage, and that Lianne and the dead woman weren't exactly the best of friends. The mystery deepens when, although the local magistrate records a verdict of accidental death, Daphne discovers Victoria had been poisoned. So she sets out on what has become a murder inquiry, sifting through a list of possible suspects. In this novel suspense and romance take second place to some vivid characterization that, when combined with the author's flair for description, provide an entertaining read. Four stars all the way.