Frenchman's Creek »

Daphne du Maurier was born in London in 1907, the second daughter of a famous stage actor and actress. Her first novel was published in 1931, but it was her 1938 novel Rebecca which made her one of the most successful writers of her time. Alfred Hitchcock's adaptation of the book won the Best Picture Oscar in 1940, and he used her material again for his classic The Birds. In 1969, Du Maurier was created a Dame of the British Empire.

At the age of 81, Du Maurier died at home in her beloved Cornwall, the region that had been the setting for many of her books.

The electrifying tale of love and indecency on the high seas.

Daphne du Maurier's Frenchman's Creek is the scandalous tale of one woman's will to seize adventure by the horns and become the fugitive of her own fate. Jaded by frivolous Restoration London and the numbing civility of its hollow members, Lady Dona St. Columb revolts against polite society. She rides into the countryside, guided only by her restlessness and the indomitable longing for escape.

But when chance leads her to meet a French pirate hidden within Cornwall's shadowy forests, Dona discovers that her passions and thirst for adventure have never been more aroused. Together, they embark upon a quest rife with death and glory, and one which bestows upon Dona the ultimate choice: sacrifice her lover to certain destruction or gamble away her own to save him.

"Highly personalized adventure, ultra-romantic mood, and skillful storytelling make this du Maurier story most enjoyable."
New York Times