"My Cousin Rachel", first published in 1951, is one of the more famous works of the British author Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989), also famous for such works as "Rebecca" and "Jamaica Inn", who was also a playwright and produced a highly acclaimed biographical work about Branwell Bronte.

In common with many of du Maurier's works, it is set in Cornwall in South West England, and is inspired by a portrait of an actual woman named Rachel, though it is only ever presented as a work of fiction.

It centres on the relationship of a young man, Philip, and his relationship with Rachel, his mysterious cousin. At the start of the book, she is married to Philip's godfather, Ambrose, and living in Italy, but when Ambrose dies, she returns to England. Philip is torn between being attracted to her and suspicious of her, particularly concerning Ambrose's demise. It transpires that she was careless with money and also had an affair.

When Philip, too, falls ill, Rachel nurses him, but he fears she is trying to poison him. But he can find no evidence to prove this. When he goes out in the garden, he discovers that Rachel has met a tragic end, when an unsafe bridge collapsed and she fell onto bricks and stones, killing herself. With her dying words, she calls him "Ambrose".

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