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Quick answer: If you loved Jamaica Inn, try Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, My Cousin Rachel, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and Moonfleet. Each one offers gothic suspense, wild landscapes, smugglers or a heroine in danger.
Daphne du Maurier's 1936 novel follows Mary Yellan, who goes to live with her aunt at Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall after her mother dies. She finds her aunt cowed and her uncle Joss Merlyn a violent leader of wreckers, who lure ships onto the rocks. Mary is drawn to Joss's brother Jem and tries to uncover the truth. Readers love its atmosphere and danger. These books share its moors, its secrets and its suspense.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Setting | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rebecca | Daphne du Maurier | Cornwall | readers who want du Maurier's masterpiece |
| Frenchman's Creek | Daphne du Maurier | Cornwall | readers who like pirates |
| My Cousin Rachel | Daphne du Maurier | Cornwall | readers who like suspicion |
| Wuthering Heights | Emily Brontë | Yorkshire | readers who like wild moors |
| Jane Eyre | Charlotte Brontë | Yorkshire | readers who like gothic secrets |
| Moonfleet | J. Meade Falkner | Dorset | readers who like smugglers |
| Poldark: Ross Poldark | Winston Graham | Cornwall | readers who want Cornish saga |
| The Woman in White | Wilkie Collins | England | readers who like Victorian suspense |
| Fingersmith | Sarah Waters | England | readers who like twists |
| Mexican Gothic | Silvia Moreno-Garcia | Mexico | readers who like modern gothic |
| The Thirteenth Tale | Diane Setterfield | England | readers who like family secrets |
| Treasure Island | Robert Louis Stevenson | Caribbean | readers who like inns and pirates |
| The Little Stranger | Sarah Waters | England | readers who like haunted houses |
| The House on the Strand | Daphne du Maurier | Cornwall | readers who want more du Maurier |
| The Shell Seekers | Rosamunde Pilcher | Cornwall | readers who love Cornwall |
1. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
A bride lives in the shadow of a first wife.
Best for: readers who want du Maurier's masterpiece.
2. Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier
A noblewoman falls for a French pirate.
Best for: readers who like pirates.
3. My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
A young man suspects his cousin's widow.
Best for: readers who like suspicion.
4. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Heathcliff's passion destroys two families.
Best for: readers who like wild moors.
5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
A governess discovers her employer's secret.
Best for: readers who like gothic secrets.
6. Moonfleet by J. Meade Falkner
A boy joins smugglers on the coast.
Best for: readers who like smugglers.
7. Poldark: Ross Poldark by Winston Graham
A soldier returns to Cornwall.
Best for: readers who want Cornish saga.
8. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
A teacher uncovers a conspiracy.
Best for: readers who like Victorian suspense.
9. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
A con in Victorian England.
Best for: readers who like twists.
10. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
A woman visits a decaying mansion.
Best for: readers who like modern gothic.
11. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
A biographer hears a writer's true story.
Best for: readers who like family secrets.
12. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
A boy finds a treasure map at an inn.
Best for: readers who like inns and pirates.
13. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
A doctor becomes involved with a decaying estate.
Best for: readers who like haunted houses.
14. The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier
A man travels back in time to medieval Cornwall.
Best for: readers who want more du Maurier.
15. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
A woman remembers her wartime love.
Best for: readers who love Cornwall.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Jamaica Inn: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Jamaica Inn. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
For more du Maurier, Rebecca is essential, and Frenchman's Creek has the same Cornish coast. If you loved the smugglers, Moonfleet is a classic. For wild moors, Wuthering Heights is the obvious choice. The Woman in White and Fingersmith offer twisty Victorian suspense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Jamaica Inn about?
A young woman moves to a remote Cornish inn and discovers her uncle leads a gang of wreckers.
Is Jamaica Inn a real place?
Yes. It is a real inn on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.
What are wreckers?
People who lure ships onto rocks and steal their cargo.
Is there a film?
Yes. Alfred Hitchcock directed a 1939 film, and there was a 2014 BBC series.
Is Jamaica Inn a romance?
It has a romance, but it is mainly gothic suspense.
When was it published?
In 1936.
Is it scary?
It is tense and dark, with violence, but not horror.