牙买加旅馆 – Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

“玛丽，死人不说话。”

荒凉无人的沼泽深处，天高地远的滨海僻壤，坐落着牙买加旅馆。

虽是一家旅馆，这里却门窗紧锁，就连车夫路过时都会快马加鞭，绝不在此停留。

23岁的玛丽，只身一人来此投奔姨妈，然而一来就收到了姨父“不准多管闲事”的警告。怪异之处不仅于此：夜半来临的马车队伍、鬼鬼祟祟的各色来客、一截悬荡在房梁上的绳头……

玛丽在不知不觉中被卷入罪恶的中心，她又将如何在这片罪恶的土壤中开出正义的花朵？

After the untimely death of her mother, Mary Yellan travels across the untamed and desolate Cornish moors in search of her only living relative. A resolute and inspirational heroine, 23-year-old Mary finds her aunt, Patience Merlyn, in a desolate and irksome Inn on Bodmin Moor. Realising that the stark and forbidding Jamaica Inn is tainted with corruption, Mary is resolved to help her aunt survive and escape from the clutches of her abusive husband, Joss Merlyn, and the ominous and illicit trade that he conducts there.

First published in 1936, Jamaica Inn came at a time when most authors focussed their attention on issues of poverty, psychology, fascism and religion, following the devastating impact of the First World War and the Spanish Civil War. Having always been captivated by 19th century literature, Daphne du Maurier differed from her contemporaries and ignored modern trends. She set out to write captivating stories that stimulated the imagination and unsurprisingly, Jamaica Inn went on to become one of her most celebrated works. A tale of intrigue, suspense and evil, Jamaica Inn is an exciting adventure for listeners of all ages and a true testament to the enviable skill which Daphne du Maurier possessed as a storyteller.