A very entertaining read, for Du Maurier lovers and others as well...those who just like a good story and some good mystery. Challis takes the future authoress and fictionally creates her as an amateur sleuth, all the while allowing her to use her sleuthing for material for her novels, mostly Rebecca. Set in Cornwall, England (Du Maurier's home county in England), Challis sets up a Rebecca-esque story here with all the trimmings...money, a large manor house, an austere housekeeper, a mysterious young woman of a questionable background, and, of course, the sea in the background, its waves crashing against the cliffs. Daphne as a young pre-novelist sleuth is very appealing. She's innocent, yet worldly. She's careful, yet adventurous. Rebecca is one of my favorite books and I'm always skeptical when someone tries to "improvise" on already-near-perfect work. Here, I think Du Maurier herself would be proud.
