Murder on the Cliffs

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.