Polly has abandoned her family. Adam has been hired to find her. They both settle in Belleville, both take a job at the High-Ho, both enter into the relationship with one another under false pretenses.
And then someone dies.
Things have gotten complicated, to say the least. And as the affair goes on, it only gets worse. Do they really love one another? And if so, can their love last as the lies begin to unravel around them?
I love Laura Lippman. She's truly fabulously talented writer, as is made even more evident by Sunburn.
The thing that jumps out at you first with this one is the voice. It's strong and sultry with a gray tinge of classic noir - a hint of danger that slinks through the story even before the actual danger begins on the page. As a longtime reader of Lippman's work, it's also different from all of the books that have come before.
And then you get into the meat of the story and realize how cleverly crafted it really is. The secrets and lies that each character is hiding start to reveal themselves and it becomes pretty impossible to guess what's coming next.
Honestly, from the opening lines I really didn't know what to expect with this one. We've got a man and a woman in a bar - she's a redhead with a sunburn and he's intent on catching her attention. And then we flash back to Pauline/Polly's family beach vacation. A trip she's decided is the perfect time to make her escape. By the next chapter we know that Adam Bosk has been hired to find and get close to Polly, but we don't know why. It makes sense that her husband would hire him to find her, and yet within a few short chapters we know that's not the case. And that's just one of the things we as the reader have to wait to find out.
The book progresses quickly - the chapters are short and alternate mostly between Adam and Polly. And that underlying sinister edge keeps up throughout, making this one read you won't want to put down until the very end.
If you haven't had a chance to dive into Lippman's books yet, this is a perfect place to start. Trust me, you'll love her!
To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.
For more on Laura Lippman and her work you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
3 comments:
Got an email from the library today that Sunburn is on hold for me at the front desk. Looking forward to reading it! I bought a Laura Lippmann book last weekend, but I can't remember the title. I tried to find it on her website, but it's so difficult to navigate!
I've read a few of her standalone books and liked them. I read one review of this book that was not very positive, but I've read others that were very complimentary. Think I'll give this a try - probably later this spring. Liked what you said about it, so it swings in the book's favor. LOL
I've only read one of Lippman's previous books and I really enjoyed it. Sounds like this should be my next one!
Thanks for being a part of the tour.
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