“Every time Laura Lippman comes out with a new book, I get chills because I know I am back in the hands of the master. She is simply a brilliant novelist, an unflinching chronicler of life in America right now, and Sunburn is her dark, gleaming noir gem. Read it.” -Gillian Flynn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl
New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman returns with a … Girl
New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman returns with a superb novel of psychological suspense about a pair of lovers with the best intentions and the worst luck: two people locked in a passionate yet uncompromising game of cat and mouse. But instead of rules, this game has dark secrets, forbidden desires, inevitable betrayals—and cold-blooded murder.
One is playing a long game. But which one?
They meet at a local tavern in the small town of Belleville, Delaware. Polly is set on heading west. Adam says he’s also passing through. Yet she stays and he stays—drawn to this mysterious redhead whose quiet stillness both unnerves and excites him. Over the course of a punishing summer, Polly and Adam abandon themselves to a steamy, inexorable affair. Still, each holds something back from the other—dangerous, even lethal, secrets.
Then someone dies. Was it an accident, or part of a plan? By now, Adam and Polly are so ensnared in each other’s lives and lies that neither one knows how to get away—or even if they want to. Is their love strong enough to withstand the truth, or will it ultimately destroy them?
Something—or someone—has to give.
Which one will it be?
Inspired by James M. Cain’s masterpieces The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity, and Mildred Pierce, Sunburn is a tantalizing modern noir from the incomparable Laura Lippman.
more
There is so much to love about SUNBURN that I’m anxious just trying to cover it all. First of all, it’s a fabulous work of noir, so if you love noir you can’t miss this. But it’s so much more than that. You know the current trend of psychological suspense and unreliable narrators, women you don’t know whether to root for or curse–well, Laura Lippman stands all that on its head. She’s made an amazingly complex protagonist, shown all the layers that could possibly exist inside one woman, and still managed to end with a twist that is both unforeseeable and inevitable. Great characters, great plot, not a misstep anywhere. A masterful piece of writing and yet the artistry is hidden, the storytelling effortless. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator’s pitch-perfect delivery served to enhance an already delectable story. This would be a great pick for a book club, too.
A very original story with a complex leading lady. Lots of intrigue and mystery packed in between these pages! A great vacation read.
Echoing what others have said, this story is a very quick read and noir at its best, paying homage to great movies with women of questionable character at the heart. Twisting and turning to the very end, upturning your conclusions about the characters and dropping bread crumbs and red herrings in equal measure. Really enjoyable!
This was a good but disturbing book. It was hard to root for the main character even though she was abused. Her methods were questionable.
Wow! What an addictive page-turner Sunburn turned out to be. I was sucked into the story from the first page, it was so engrossing, I finished the book in one day. The characters are complex and morally gray (I loved them!) and the pacing is great. The reader doesn’t have to wait until the last page for the whole mystery to be revealed. We are getting more and more clues as the story progresses. With each new clue revealed and a new layer peeled away, the story becomes more interesting and more intense. Both Polly and Adam have many secrets and both are not honest with each other, it’s not always clear who is the predator and who is the prey in the game they are playing. I really didn’t know which way the story would go. Was Polly a victim or was she a villain? What were Adam’s intensions? You’ll have to read the book to find out!
This book surprised me in the best possible way. I’ve read a lot of thrillers lately and was feeling a little burnt out (excuse the pun) but Sunburn reignited my appreciation for the genre.
Not one of Ms. Lippmann’s usual suspense novels, but filled with characters you don’t expect and an ending that will surprise.
Sunburn is like a mash-up of Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice. Couldn’t stop reading.