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Book Review of My Cousin Rachel

My Cousin Rachel
emeraldfire avatar reviewed on
Helpful Score: 2


Orphaned from an early age, Phillip Ashley is raised by his benevolent older cousin, Ambrose. A confirmed bachelor, Ambrose delights instead in having Phillip as his heir, a man in whom Ambrose shares a kindred spirit - someone who will love his grand home just as much as Ambrose does himself. However, the cozy world the cousins have constructed together is shattered, when Ambrose sets off on a trip to Florence. There he falls in love and marries - and it is there he dies suddenly.

In almost no time at all, the new widow - Phillip's distant cousin Rachel - turns up in England. In spite of himself, Phillip is entranced by her beauty, drawn to this mysterious and sophisticated woman like a moth to a flame. And yet...might she be hiding a deadly secret of her own?

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Daphne du Maurier weaves a superbly Gothic mystery - one that is intriguing and suspenseful, and kept me guessing until the very end. I give My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier an A+!