Sunburn by Laura Lippman

Laura Lippman can write. She has a style that pulls you in and keeps pulling you forward all the way to the end. In Sunburn, her prodigious talent is on full display. Sunburn is the story of Polly. Polly needs a fresh start so she walks away from a Delaware beach leaving her husband and young daughter behind. She winds up in the small town of Belleville where a stop at a local bar turns into a summer job. Polly is intent on heading west as soon as she saves up a little money. Then Adam walks in. He’s also passing through when he decides to stay for a while. The attraction between him and Polly is instant and magnetic. The affair between them is intense. But Polly and Adam are both holding onto secrets. Secrets that slowly unspool. When somebody dies, questions arise. Was it an accident? Or is something more sinister at work.

Sunburn is a very modern take on noir. The characters practically sizzle on the page. Lippman gives you characters that you know you can’t trust, that you know are hiding something, and still manages to surprise you every time a new secret is revealed. Polly is someone who should be unsympathetic, but isn’t. You are continually drawn into her story and her motivations and never certain who the real Polly is. Adam is likewise captivated by her and drawn in against his better judgement.

Sunburn is a terrific suspense story. The setting, small town Delaware in 1995, is perfect. Before the advent of cell phones and internet, it is easier to disappear, but not impossible for your past to come looking for you. Lippman asks the question, how far and to what lengths would you go to outrun your past? Every character, even minor ones, is rendered nicely here. The level of detail in the story shines through. The description of the diner food is enough to make your mouth water. All the elements in this novel work, from plot to setting to dialogue to characters. The explosive ending had me reeling!

Fans of Lippman are going to love this and new readers are going to have a new favorite author. Sunburn takes inspiration from classic novels like The Postman Always Rings Twice and this book is destined to be a classic worthy of sitting alongside it. This is the book that you read, and reread, and read again. Don’t miss out on one of the best books of 2018. Highly recommended.

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy from the publisher.

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