The book Jamaica Inn is the story of Mary Yellan. Mary grants her mother's dying wish by travelling across Cornwall to go and live with her Aunt Patience at Jamaica Inn, a lonely inn on the Bodmin Moor. But before travelling to the Inn Mary hears all kinds of odd tales about the goings-on at the there, mainly stories to do with the horrible man that it appears her aunt has married.
Feeling confused and apprehensive Mary continues on her way. But shortly after arriving at her new home, Mary realises that she has made a mistake. The once-happy Patience is now a shadow of her former self, skulking around and pandering to her husband's every whim. It would appear that the rumours she'd heard were true.
There are few visitors to the inn, and the people that do come are just like her Uncle Joss, loud, uncouth and intimidating. Mary also suspects they're up to no good, particularly as her sharp mind starts to question the constant coming and going of carts in the middle of the night, and the reason there's a locked and barred room in the inn.
On questionning her aunt, Mary learns little more, but enough to know just how terrified of her husband she is and that what he gets up to on those dark nights is deeply criminal. Mary starts to plot how she can get herself and her aunt away from the brooding presence of Jamaica Inn and it's evil landlord without being implicated in the activities taking place there...
A dark and brooding wonderful piece of fiction. Once I started it I couldn't put it down.
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