Sunburn by Laura Lippman is a tantalizing modern noir. Publisher: William Morrow, February 2018.

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.

You know how you watch a pot do a slow burn and then as the bubbles rise to the top, you know there’s going to be an explosion. An explosion of greatness. Yeah, that is what this book is. Slowly pulling me in until I was consumed by every nuance that appeared on the pages. From the moment I met Polly and Adam, I knew something big was going to happen with each hiding secrets of their own.

The author did a brilliant job in delivering an intriguing and suspenseful tale that had me immersed in the details that if you looked hard – told you everything you needed to know about the two main characters. The setting, the dialogue, and the personalities, all played a hand in how well this story was being told and also captured my imagination. There were several twists and turns that enhanced my reading pleasure and the finale. . .well done, well done.