Sunburn: A Novel

A pleasure to read. Very noir and very much itself.
I really resent your word count requirement. When I feel like it, I don't mind leaving a review, but I want it to he what and as much as I want to say.

This book sucked me in from the first chapter. And I had to keep those pages turning. Although with these kind of stories ,where you’re frantically reading to see what the big secrets are nine times out of ten I am let down.But still good read.

Enjoyed Laura Lippman’s special touch. She knows how to get inside a character’s head, providing just the right details withput overdoing it. I liked the sense of place. I could smell the small Delaware town, and and feel the special sleaziness that summer beach towns exude. Thought the ending was a bit of a stretch, but it was consistent enough with the character to make make it seem plausible. I wondered, however, if Laura Lippman was making this woman into feminist for her own reasons. Not Lippman’s best work, but I enjoyed reading it.

She was looking pretty good in her thrift-store dress
Walked out on her family (won't reveal the rest)
Sunburn, her secrets abound
She wanted to get lost, but knows she'll be found
He was a PI sent to track her down
Made her grilled cheese in a one-horse town
Sunburn -- I can't say much more,
But this book is so fun
(No it's not a bore)

Favorite Quotes:

Men have always done things for her… It is a special art, asking people to do things, yet making it seem as if you never asked at all… but it’s the skill she was given, the hand she has to play.

Cath couldn’t find her way out of a room with no walls.

In her black dress, black gloves, and retro heels, she looks like Joan Crawford or Bette Davis. She feels like them too. Tough, yet brittle. That’s the thing about being really hard. When you do break, you shatter.

My Review:

I was immediately sucked into the powerful vortex of this enthralling and cleverly paced tale. Written from the third person omniscient point of view, the storylines were fully textured, multi-layered, and ingeniously crafted. The characters were all hues of shady and mysterious while endlessly fascinating and alluring. But Ms. Lippman’s superlative writing tops all other elements as it was first class and kept me riveted and resentful of interruption. I despised the need for sleep and begrudgingly put my book down only when necessary. This author is a recent discovery for me and I am greedy to amass and hoard all of her mesmerizing arrangements of words.

Laura Lippman pays homage to noir fiction in "Sunburn," a story about a woman who is very good at getting what she wants. The novel opens in the sleepy town of Belleville, Delaware, in 1995. Thirty-eight year old Adam Bosk, a handsome PI, is hired to keep an eye on Polly Costello, a seductive redhead who may have pulled off a lucrative scam. Adam's client, Irving Lowenstein, is an insurance broker who has skirted the law himself on more than one occasion. No one would mistake Adam for Albert Einstein; his libido leads him astray, and he ignores obvious warning signs that might have induced him to tread carefully.

Polly has a grim past. She is determined to start over, but doing so will require stealth, patience, and cunning, all of which she possesses in abundance. Even after she and Adam embark on a passionate affair, Polly keeps her eyes on the prize, and she will allow no one, not even the man she cares for, to stand in her way. Most of Lippman's characters are self-centered, greedy, and mean-spirited. They manipulate others, commit criminal acts, and do whatever is necessary to further their own interests. Adam is a decent guy, and even Polly has positive attributes that are not immediately apparent. However, her ex-husbands, especially the first one, are contemptible, and she has paid a hefty price for her terrible taste in men.

"Sunburn" is a bleak tale in which references to tragic events and the author's use of foreshadowing create a somber mood. Lippman depicts Belleville as an unappealing place, where no one with ambition would dream of settling down. Although Polly may never have it all, it is clear that she intends to do whatever is necessary to come out on top. The plot has lapses in logic, but Lippman's writing is proficient, involving, and fast-paced enough to hold our interest. Polly--a worthy descendent of the hard-boiled dames of yore--is savvy, opportunistic, and as conniving as those who are determined to bring her down.

A very atmospheric novel, Sunburn by Laura Lippman is an intriguing mystery that unfolds at a leisurely pace.

After walking out on her husband, Polly Costello meets Adam Bosk at the High-Ho diner/bar in Belleville, DE. Neither is planning on staying in town for long, but after meeting one another, they each decide to town for the time being. Polly is hired as a waitress at the High-Ho but she only plans on staying until she builds up a nest egg before moving on. Adam is hired temporarily as a cook at the High-Ho and he continues trying to inveigle his way into Polly’s life. Neither of them are forthcoming about how or why they ended up in Belleville and in fact, Adam knows more about Polly than he lets on. Over the next several months, Adam and Polly’s relationship deepens beyond co-workers but will Polly’s very colorful past prevent them from building a future together?

Polly is charming and sexy but she is also quite reserved and maintains an emotional distance from everyone in her life. She easily walks away from her present life and she does not offer anyone an explanation for her actions. She is somewhat mysterious and less than forthcoming with the new people she meets in Belleville but she is surprisingly popular with the customers at the High-Ho. Polly does not make female friends which makes for a distant but mostly cordial relationship with Cath, who also works at the High-Ho.

Adam has good reasons for cozying up to Polly and he remains quite vague when anyone asks him personal questions about his life. He is quite fascinated with Polly but he knows he should not become too close to her. Before long, Adam’s interest in her has crossed from professional to romantic, but he convinces himself he can maintain his objectivity. But is Adam fooling himself with his assertions that his feelings for her won’t interfere with his real reasons for being in Belleville?

Sunburn is a character-driven, multi-layered novel. Polly definitely has an interesting back story, but she is sometimes hard to like or feel sympathetic towards when the truth about her past comes to light. Adam is an experienced professional but he greatly underestimates how deeply Polly will affect him. Laura Lippman’s slow parceling of information about Polly’s past culminates with a dramatic confrontation. The novel comes to an unexpected conclusion that is rather poignant. Film buffs will especially appreciate the nod to some classic noir movies from the 40s and 50s.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

Suspense writer Laura Lippman is best known for her crime novels set in the city of Baltimore. The city is as much of a character in her novels as the people she writes about. Her newest novel, Sunburn, leaves Baltimore for the small beach town of Belleville, Delaware, a tourist town that booms during the summer months, and reverts to its small town ways the rest of the year. A town Polly describes as "put together from other town's leftovers."

While passing through town Polly stops into the High-Ho tavern and decides to get a job there as a waitress. Polly has just abandoned her husband and three-year-old daughter while on a beach vacation. What kind of woman does that?

Adam wanders into the High-Ho and gets a job as a cook in the kitchen. He has a reason for being there too- he is watching Polly for a client. Who is the client? Is it Polly's abandoned husband?

Slowly we get more information about Polly. She has a past, and many secrets to hide. She is adept at manipulating people to do what she wants, without them even knowing that they are doing it, and being grateful to help her.

Trouble begins for Adam when he falls in love with Polly. He struggles with his secrets, with his sense of responsibility to his client. Even with what he knows about Polly, he stiil loves her.

Polly has fallen in love with Adam too. Their casual affair becomes serious and then deadly when a death occurs in the town. Was it an accident or murder?

Lippman is at the top of her game with Sunburn. Her inspiration for Sunburn is the work of fellow Baltimore native James M. Cain, whose classic novels include Mildred Pierce, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Double Indemity. Lippman includes elements from all three novels in her story- an insurance man, illicit lovers, manipulative women, even the restaurant angle- and are all brilliantly woven together in this spellbinding novel.

Sunburn is the perfect book to take on vacation; I read it on a three-hour flight from Florida to New York, and never looked up once until we landed and I had finished the book. The ending is a stunner!

Polly is a fascinating character, as she "fixes her gaze on the goal and never loses sight of it". The big question is what exactly is Polly's goal? Crime noir is frequently the purview of male protagonists, so it is intriguing to have a femme fatale running the show.

Sunburn is easily one of the best novels I have read in recent memory, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries and good fiction.

Polly (Pauline) is an enigmatic woman who has plotted to leave her second husband and child in order to restart with the life she had always dreamed of. Set in the summer of 1995, Polly while on her way to “resetting,” ends up in Belville, Delaware. Here she crosses paths with the charmingly handsome Adam Bosk, the private investigator who was hired to seek out information on Polly. Soon after Polly and Adam find themselves intertwined, but when an explosion leading to a death occurs in Polly’s apartment, thing become a bit skewed. Filled with deceit, secrets, and lies; nothing is as it seems.

This novel has tons of drama and I started it thinking it would be a book I’d have some major heart-eyes over, but unfortunately there were a few things I did not enjoy. Laura Lippman is a great story teller with the strong ability to create characters with complex backgrounds; and characters are something this novel definitely does not lack. Some may find a story being told from multiple points of view to be rather confusing, while others may enjoy it. I found myself becoming lost in keeping up with who is who as additional character point of views were introduced. Due to this, there were many points in the story where things became very convoluted. It also brought on some difficultly in drawing connections between all these characters. Ultimately, the biggest issue I had with the characterization was I failed to understand what some characters, or their point of view, brought to enhance the story. None of the characters are truly likable, and I felt the reader is never given the true opportunity to get to know them well enough to even reach that point.

Of all the characters, I had the most difficulty connecting with the story’s main character, Polly. As a mother, I had such difficult understand how she could abandoned her children. This is something I could never wrap my head around and ultimately brought on huge dislike for Polly. Another thing I found to be unclear was how Polly and Adam instantly fell in love. While this is endearing, it is not conceivable. When did this happen? At what point did I miss this spark between them? Because of this lapse in the story line, and sprinkle in Polly’s prior tarnished relationships, I had a hard time putting any emotion into their relationship or rooting for its success. Another fault was the abusiveness shown towards women (Polly in particular) that are splattered among these pages. The domestic drama was a huge no go for me and was tough to swallow. I think this made up the largest part of my displeasure in this novel. I would not consider advising of this inclusion to be consider a spoiler, but more of a warning to those that are also uncomfortable by this.

On the positive side, I did thoroughly enjoy the setting being in 1995. This gave me a lot of nostalgia with all the references Lippman made to this era. Also, it was clever of her to use this time frame as a setting given that crimes and the detection of missing persons were more trying during this period. I will say, Laura Lippman has always had quite the ability to engage her reader and keep them flipping through the pages of her novels. She ends each chapter masterfully and it left me at the edge of my seat wanting to know what’s next. THIS is something I have always enjoyed about her novels.

The ending, although abrupt, did come as a surprise to me. I did not see the story taking that turn. However, I would not categorize this as a thriller, it was more as a multi-layered cat and mouse puzzle. Overall, Sunburn was a fast paced easy read and I did not dislike it. Mostly I appreciated it. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking to read a psychological thriller that is a bit different than those it sits upon a shelf with.

Many thanks to TLC Blog Tours, Laura Lippman and William Morrow for an finished copy copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

In a time when lying about anything and everything sometimes makes discerning the truth, even wondering if there is anything like real truth, hard, Laura Lippman comes along with a suspense novel built on a foundation of lies two people tell each other. Who is the real bad person here? Adam Bosk, private eye, hired by an unscrupulous insurance broker to suss out Polly/Pauline Costello/Ditmars/Smith/Hansen? Or Polly, to use one of her names, cunning and apparently on the run from something or someone?

Adam gets an assignment from Irving Lowenstein to find Polly. He’s sure she has absconded with a big pot of insurance money of which he believes he deserves a share. Adam finds her in a small Delaware ocean town that has seen better days, Belleville, working in a tired bar and fry joint called the High-Lo. She’s fair skinned, a redhead and her sunburn catches his eye. He gets to know her at first to discover where the money is. But she proves too alluring and her allure overpowers his good judgment and experience. In spite of himself, he falls for her. He doesn’t entirely trust her, knowing what he knows, but he can’t help himself. He gets a job as a cook, perfect as he has had previous culinary training, to be near her.

Polly has a talent for attracting and manipulating men, up to a point. When Adam finds her, she is escaping her current marriage to Gregg Hansen. Previously, she was married to a cop, an arson investigator who raped and brutalized her throughout their marriage, until she could stand it no more. It reveals little to tell you she drove a knife through his heart as he slept. She didn’t, however, escape punishment, at least not entirely. She has plenty of other secrets, too.

Sunburn: A Novel combines suspense and romance in an artful way. The film Double Indemnity comes up in the book and in some ways the novel resembles it, as it does concern two scheming people, one of whom really believes he’s in love and the other who might be in love but also might be just a purebred schemer. Lippman unfolds the tale slowly from the various characters’ viewpoints. You follow along snatching the scattered crumbs of information. You might even piece it all together early on. The real attraction here, though, is the developing relationship between Polly and Adam. Can they overcome their suspicions about each other and make their love match work? That you may not guess until the final pages of the novel.

The setting of this very 21st-century mystery is the early 1990s (with Vince Foster’s death in the news), and occasional references to the “Bay Area” (initially confusing, no doubt, to West Coast readers) seem to refer to the Chesapeake Bay area rather than the bay of BART, (San Francisco) Bay Area Rapid Transit. References to the work of “hardboiled” novelist James M. Cain help set the tone of the narrative, but more recent influences might be Gone Girl or Big Little Lies. The title of Lippman’s novel “Sunburn” refers to a literal sunburn initially noted by Adam on the skin of Polly,
the red-haired main character, who attracts men like a kind of sun that is dangerous and does burn them.

As a longtime fan of Lippman’s writing, I admit to finding this lastest work less than satisfying. The entire novel is in present tense, with different chapters giving a variety of characters’ perspectives in third-person limited omniscient narrations. The effect is strangely off-putting. The reader is distanced to the point that no character (with the possible exception of Adam) seems worthy of trust, unconditional liking, or empathy. There’s a “paint by numbers” quality to this work and not what most readers would perceive as a happy ending.

One of the things I especially liked about this terrific novel (and there's a lot to like) is when one of the characters attends a series of classic black and white pictures called “Raising Cain.” The movies happen to be The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity and Mildred Pierce. Shrewd book and movie lovers will instantly recognize the reference to author James M. Cain, who was probably the father of this type of hard-boiled thriller.

Each of those novels, turned into great movies that garnered countless spinoffs and remakes, involves betrayal and illicit love affairs, and consists primarily of unlikable characters, none of whom can ever be trusted. What a great way to sell Laura Lippman's new work of fiction, SUNBURN, which follows that formula to a tee and makes for an extremely pleasurable reading experience.

Right from the start, we are plunged back into the year 1995. It is on these first few pages that we are introduced to a red-headed lady who now goes by the name Polly Costello. There's a man watching her, and the first thing he’s drawn to are her sunburned shoulders. A con woman who is always in her element, she is sitting on a barstool trying to blend in. However, this is a novel filled with con artists, and she will pick up on that fact soon enough.

Polly befriends the barmaid, Cath, at the High-Ho bar in Belleville, Delaware, and quickly finds herself working alongside her. The cook, Adam, takes an instant liking to Polly --- something they both need to keep from Cath. The owner, Mr. C., is just happy that his small group of employees aren't robbing him blind. Early chapters jump to a man named Gregg struggling to raise an infant girl following the baby’s mother, Pauline, walking out on them. You already may have figured out who Pauline is, but that still will not prepare you for all the twists and turns that this hard-boiled thriller has in store for the reader.

Polly survives by showing little to no emotion when necessary and hardening herself for the difficult decisions she needs to make for both self-preservation and wearing the badge of the con game on her arm at all times. We get to know a little about Polly's past in bits and pieces. At one time she was badly abused by someone named Ditmars, naturally causing her to mistrust all men. It's no wonder she doesn't have her radar working when it turns out that Adam may have interest in her beyond mere carnal knowledge. Could Adam be under the employ of one of Polly's exes? Stay tuned, because it gets far more complicated from here.

Without fail, practically every character in this novel attempts to double-cross or blackmail each other. This will end quickly as those who are more skilled players at this game are sure to come out on top. It seems as if Polly may be attempting not only to hide from her past but also to stow away a nice chunk of change she appropriated along the way. It will be up to you to decide if you think Polly is committed to finally changing and settling down in this sleepy town, or if this is just one more stop on her endless highway to the sky.

Laura Lippman handles the text and subtext of SUNBURN with great ease, and it's apparent she's having a lot of fun with these characters. She is a skilled writer at the top of her own game --- thriller writing --- and this one is a doozy. As much as I enjoy all of Lippman’s work, I would love for her to return to where she started out --- with the Tess Monaghan series --- so I could learn how Tess has matured as both a character and a sleuth. After reading SUNBURN, it would be fun to see what nastiness Lippman might cook up for good old Tess!

Reviewed by Ray Palen

Started out strong, drew me in right away despite unlikable characters throughout. The last 100 pages dragged a bit for me as I became increasingly frustrated with Adam, supposedly a highly skilled detective who was captivated by the sunburned siren to the point of being completely ineffective in his assignment...and in his life. At the same time, I never really felt the connection or rapport that was supposed to be drawing the two together; it's like the reader is kept at a distance. The conclusion (ie. final 15 pages) was over-the-top contrived, incongruous, and sappy, wrapped up too quickly/perfectly and brought no relief of comeuppance for that particular conniving and heartless character....thus an unsatisfying pay-off after all that interminable buildup.

Although Ms. Lippman mentioned the inspiration of author James M. Cain, and I saw similarities to his books, DOUBLE INDEMNITY and THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, I didn't really feel much sympathy or "connection" to any of her characters as I did (at least, somewhat) for Cain's.

***3 stars: an "Okay" read for me. [Started out 4 stars, devolved into 2 stars, thus compromised with 3 stars]
Book itself well-written, another reason for 3 stars instead of 2.

A mysterious woman with a past and a detective hired to track her, these two threads of the story lead to a riveting tale to uncover the secrets of the past. Polly has appeared at a roadside diner and Adam appears shortly thereafter. They both get a job at the diner, one as a waitress, and one as a cook and their love interest simmers through the summer. Adam finds he can’t keep away from Polly, but what is her true story? Is she a murderer or a victim?

I enjoyed how the story unraveled over time and kept me guessing until the end. There were many threads to this story and I really enjoyed how they were all revealed over time. I liked the setting, although it did take me a bit to realize it was set twenty years in the past. I’ll admit, I didn’t enjoy this as much as I’ve enjoyed previous Laura Lippman books. I had a hard time getting into it and I had a hard time caring about Polly. The characters were well developed, but she was so much of an enigma, I found myself not caring for her much. And at the end of the book I was left thinking, what the heck just happened?

Favorite Quotes:

“No one chases a waterfall. You go for a swim and next thing you know, the current catches you and throws you right over.”

“June leaves her parents in the den, watching Murder She Wrote. She worries a little about the watching crime shows, but it was always their favorite program. Maybe it’s a good sign that they still want to visit Cabot Cove and follow J.B. Fletcher on her various trips. Murder in J.B. Fletcher’s world is almost gentle, bloodless. And there’s no follow-up, no future visits from J.B. Fletcher in which the bereaved are staring into space, indifferent to food, conversation, or even a possible Baltimore oriole sighing.”

“He’s not a bad man, he’s a good man who made some bad decisions. It’s an important distinction.”

“Nothing makes you feel more alive than almost dying.”

Overall, Sunburn is an intriguing tale that kept me guessing, but I felt the ending was a bit flat.

Book Source: Review Copy from William Morrow – Thanks!

Terrific. Polly's got a secret and so does Adam. Actually, Polly's got a lot of secrets and while Adam knows some of them, he doesn't know them all. Polly also doesn't know that Adam has been hired to track her down. One of the best things about Lippman (and there are many) is that her plots are intricate but never too hard to follow and they always come together in the end. Polly's a lot like that too, and you'll wonder how far out she plans things. It's hard to categorize this as it's not a mystery, it's not really psychological suspense, and it's not really a thriller. It's really fascinating though. While this is set in Delaware = an hour from the beach- and not in Baltimore, those of us who are from the area will recognize some of the same touches which actually encompass both areas. This is told from several points of view and that, I think, adds to the story because the reader sometimes knows more than the narrator and sometimes less. Polly, despite at root being pretty rotten, is actually sympathetic but I suspect you'll like Adam more. Keep an eye on Cath; there's more to her than you think. Also, love the title, which is drawn from a very early scene. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. Highly recommend this one. ]

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

I’ve had a dicey track record with thrillers lately, but Sunburn is a thriller that I actually liked a lot! But, I was more confident than usual because it was recommended by Annie Jones from From the Front Porch podcast (one of my Go-To Recommendation Sources) and Megan Abbott, one of my few trusted thriller authors. Sunburn is an unconventional love story where essentially everyone is messing with everyone else. There’s not a single character who is 100% likable or trustworthy (take note if dislikable characters tend to bother you!). The first half focuses on peeling back the layers of the characters (i.e. it’s not super fast-paced) and had me wondering who exactly was pulling the strings. Then, the action picks up in the second half. I’m still mulling over whether I buy the ending in the context of these characters, but all in all Sunburn kept me quickly turning the pages even while sick with the flu!

Check out my blog, Sarah's Book Shelves, for more reviews.

Ms. Lippmann sure can write, but I struggled with this book. I disliked the woman protagonist so much that it made the book very difficult for me to get through. But I will say the plot and characters were richly drawn and reflective of the author’s talent and sure hand. Still, I cannot say I enjoyed the book, because of my struggles with the main character. It’s very important for me to feel a connection or sympathy that carries me through a book, even with a character who is flawed. Here I simply didn’t find anything to sympathize with, much less empathize with, about the main character or most of the other characters. So for talent the book might deserve a five but for pleasure in reading I can’t go there and it’s probably a three so I’ll give it an average of four stars. It is a clever homage to some of the noir stories of a Maryland author who is mentioned in the book.This seems to be a new female form is Lipman since Wilde Lake was also an homage- in that case to Harper Lee.I thought on the whole Wilde Lake was a better book.

Laura Lippman's book: What the Dead Know was one of the best mysteries I've ever read. Not so, Sunburn. The prose is quite masterful and evocative, and I love Lippman's attention to little details of the scene or actions that make the story come alive. While I found the story engaging enough to listen through to the end, I was not blown away by it. Nor by the machinations of how and why the protagonist, Polly or Pauline, got or did not get her money. I also did not find her behavior believable in a lot of ways. There was a huge amount of sex between Polly and Adam, but the chemistry that led to it did not really come across in their dialogue -- the author was telling and not showing. The ending was a big disappointment as well; it came as a surprise but not a good one. The author was looking for a way to end the story but what she did seemed contrived and a cop-out. The reader of the audiobook did a credible job.

Sunburn refers to the sunburn PI Adam Bosk sees on Pauline "Polly" Costello the woman he has been hired to observe and find out where she is hiding the money she ripped off of her stepdaughter according to his client Irving Lowenstein. Pauline has just left husband number two with her three-year-old daughter and headed down the road and stopped in the small town of Belleville, Delaware and decided to hole up here for a while. She gets a job as a waitress at the High-Ho bar and restaurant.

When he flirts with her she doesn't respond at first and then when one night she does, he is so shocked and not sure about going back to her room that he just leaves the bar which is the wrong move. To give him a reason to stay in the town he uses his cooking skills to work as a cook there and tries flirting with her but gets shut down. So he decides to start a sexual relationship with the other waitress Cath to inspire jealousy and it works.

She tells him to just stop talking to Cath. That that would be the easiest way to break things off with her and keep their relationship a secret. It's not long that Adam is falling for Polly and against her better judgment she is falling for him. We learn that Polly killed her first husband by stabbing him in the heart in his sleep because he was abusive and threatened to kill her and their disabled daughter. She was pardoned by the governor who decided to pardon some women who had been ill-used by the world and the law. She had taken out a life insurance policy on her husband with Irving's help but put the policy in the name of her daughter. Irving had expected to get a commission on that policy and was pissed when he didn't get it. Polly turned the care of her daughter over to the state. So she's left two children behind.

Her second husband hires a PI to find her and then comes down threatening her if she doesn't come back but Adam intervenes and he leaves and goes back home with his tail between his legs. Polly is hiding something from everyone and has a secret plan. Polly is a bit of a bitch, but you kinda can't help but like her anyway. Some of that's due to the fact that she was abused by her first husband. You feel sorry for her for that. But some of it is just her moxie to do what she wants to get what she wants no matter who's in the way. And both of their treatment toward Cath is deplorable. You do feel sorry for Adam who seems like a sweet guy for what he is getting himself into. This book is set in 1995 before the internet really came about so it's not like he could run a search and find out all this information on her and she had changed her name. He was dependent on the information Irving had given him and believed that Irving had run a LexisNexis report on her. This book holds many surprises and twists and turns you don't expect. Lippman is a master storyteller who weaves an intricate web that you won't see the design of until you get to the last page. This was a fantastic book and I highly recommend it.

Sunburn
Mysterious Book Report No. 337
by John Dwaine McKenna
Memorial Day weekend is the traditional start of the warm weather season; a time for vacations, kicking back, relaxing and light summertime reading. And hey, what could be better, we’re kicking it off with one of America’s most loved, respected and widely-read authors who’s always at the top of the NY Times bestseller lists.
Sunburn, (William Morrow/Harper Collins, $26.99, 290 pages, ISBN 978-0-06-238992-3) by Laura Lippman is a psychological suspense novel about a pair of lovers in a relationship based upon lies and secrets. Polly and Adam meet in a bar in the small inland town of Belleville, Delaware. She says she’s just passing through on her way out west: headed for Las Vegas. Adam is more ambivalent, but also claims that he’s going to be somewhere else when summer ends. That’s what they say, but it’s not what they do, because they’re both holding back elemental details about themselves . . . even as they’re inexorably drawn together into a passionate love affair. Polly has a past: seedy, criminal and heartbreaking. She may, or may not, have stolen a fortune from a defenseless child; and she’s run away . . . abandoned actually . . . her second husband and three year-old daughter. Adam on the other hand, has a much shorter backstory . . . he’s a private investigator who’s been hired to find Polly, and the secret cache of stolen money she’s suspected of squirreling away. As the summer wears on, the lovers get more and more involved with each other, until the sudden, violent death of a co-worker. It’s officially ruled an accident, but was it? Will the star-crossed pair survive as a couple or will their deceits and personal failings catch up with them in the end . . .
The pace is relentless, while the suspense and psychological twists just keep on coming in this thriller from the hand of one of the most esteemed writers working in America today, and a great way to start your summer reading!

I LOVE Laura Lippman. Everything I’ve read by her (and I haven’t read all of her books) is intelligent and suspenseful, filled with great characters and wonderful twists.

Knowing that, you’ll understand that I had HIGH expectations going into Sunburn. And Queen Laura did not disappoint.

Very different than her previous books, Sunburn is very much noir fiction. Dark, shady, sneaky. Perfect.

Lippman obviously studied the masters of noir, especially James M. Cain. She pays complete homage to him when one of her characters goes to a series of old, black and white movies aptly named “Raising Cain.” The series features three of Cain’s best loved books turned into movies: The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity, and Mildred Pierce.

Sunburn is a great tribute to the masters (especially Cain) of noir. Lippman subtly uses the formula of the masters to create nearly perfect modern noir. She flashes back to 1995, to a time before cell phones and social media stalking, a time when a person could have real mystery and an unknown quality (unless one chose to do real research). When a person could disappear pretty easily.

Polly (Pauline) is an incredibly complex character with a rich, layered backstory that comes in pieces throughout the book. We meet her as she abandons her husband and three year-old daughter, so immediately she’s unlikable. But is she, really?

And then there’s Adam, also complex, but his complexity is laid at the reader’s feet. He’s a private investigator, sent to find Polly. Slowly we discover who sent him, and why. And slowly Adam falls in love with Polly, and she with him.

As they circle each other with truths and lies, their love is the only honest thing happening between them. Will the lies, and the truth, get in the way of their love? That’s the question.

Lippman uses all the great devices of noir: a complex damsel in distress; a smart, honest PI; a plethora of bad guys waiting to get to the damsel. A mystery peeled back in layers, all wrapped up in a love story.

PERFECT.

Once again, Lippman didn’t disappoint. If your looking for something different, something that will remind you of smoky rooms, a good stiff drink, and black and white mysteries, look no further. Sunburn is perfect.

Sunburn by Laura Lippman is an excellent, very highly recommended novel of psychological suspense. Written in the traditional noir style of writer James M. Cain, this novel is full of dark secrets, passion, and betrayal.

Set in 1995, Polly and Adam meet at the High-Ho tavern in Belleville, Delaware. Both claim to just be passing through when they first meet, but both find jobs at the tavern and stay. Neither Polly nor Adam is who they say they are; both have secrets and a private agenda. They are attracted to each other, but keep their distance, staying guarded and alert, but focused on the other. Fate determines they will become lovers.

Polly was on beach vacation in Fenwick, Delaware, with her husband, Gregg, and three-year-old daughter, Jani, when she walked out and left them both behind. What kind of woman leaves her husband and daughter behind? Adam knows a bit more about Polly than Gregg does. Adam has been told about her past, hired to find her, and figure out what she is doing. Both have secrets and are playing a game, but one of them is playing a long con and murder may be an option.

Superb, excellent, outstanding! Lippman's skillful writing shines in this sophisticated, twisty, satisfying noir, full of secrets, past and present, and mysteries. Sunburn is perfectly plotted and will gripe you from the beginning to the end. Readers will not know who or if they can trust any of these characters. There is betrayal, revenge, lust, and murder, but where does the truth rest? The mystery will grip you while you try to figure out what these people are planning.

And the characters! Lippman shines in her ability to portray these characters. They are all so well-developed - nuanced, complicated, mysterious, finely layered, conflicted. Certainly Polly is an unreliable narrator and unlikable, or is she? Adam has his secrets, but does he know the truth? Can we trust what they are revealing, or do we need to seek what they aren't saying? Even the supporting cast of characters is wonderfully realized.

I enjoyed Sunburn from start to finish.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins

Being a lover of hardboiled crime fiction and a collector of James M. Cain books, I was excited when I read advance praises for Ms. Lippman's "homage to James Cain" new book Sunburn. Mr.Cain's novels drew you in with a feverish urgency, sexual burning, desperatness and escalating suspense. Sunburn has none of this. I found myself disliking the protagonist and honestly did not like any of the characters. I wanted to put the book down about halfway through but kept reading thinking it would get better. It did not. If you are looking for a gritty, suspenseful crime fiction novel, this is not it.
I do recommend Ms. Lippman's collection of stories "Hardly Knew Her."

The WSJ and others have called this novel "femme noir"; however, it's not. The story is told from a male perspective and the main female character, Pauline, is portrayed from a male point of view. The men (and even Pauline, herself) praise her weight loss and red hair. Two men know about the abuse she suffered from her first husband, but offer no sympathy or understanding. The male characters talk endlessly about the amazing sex with her. Pauline, however, only describes the brutality of her first husband and states that sex with her second "wasn't very good". The relationship with Pauline and Adam is very physical, but does Pauline enjoy any of it? We don't know; we only hear Adam's description of his own satisfaction. As the story reaches it's climax, the author spends lots of time on Adam's motivation and plans. She never gets us close to Pauline, however. Even when we know the reason for her actions and the end results, we never really hear Pauline's true voice. I know that I'm focusing on what the novel isn't, not what it is (which is an intriguing thriller in the classic private detective genre). But it's been mistakenly presented as femme noir. In reality, Lippman's Pauline is more of a femme fatale - and that's disappointing.

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.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review

Polly Costello (not her real name, she has many), is an attractive, bright woman with a somewhat wild and dark past. She's also a woman on the run. She's just abandoned her loveless marriage and young daughter Jani, while the family was on a beach vacation in Delaware. Believe it or not, this is not the worst thing that Polly has ever done. So, who is Polly and why has she spent much of her adult life on the run?

Much of the story is told through the POV of Adam Bosk, a stranger Polly hooks up with in a bar/diner in Bellevue, DE. (population, 2,000) while on the run. But, Adam, has his secrets as well, yet an intense relationship begins. Who is Adam and was his meeting Polly more than just coincidence?

A stand alone novel, tense and dark, had me quickly turning the pages. I loved the strong, cunning, Polly character and, when bad things happened it was hard not to suspect anyone but Polly was involved. Best categorized as dark noir, this was a very quick, satisfying read.

If you were physically abused, if you felt helpless and hopeless, just how far would you go to save yourself? Polly figured out just how far she would go to save herself and those she loved but would she continue down that path?

Every time you think you understand Polly you find out that you’re wrong. So many lies between Polly and Adam and yet the strong attraction is there. Polly has a history and Adam believes he knows what it is until he finds out he doesn’t. There were moments I could understand, or thought I did, why Polly did what she did but there were almost as many that puzzled me until the end.

This complex and at times perplexing story is so well written that it really was a pleasure to read. Laura Lippman has woven a tangled story of love, hatred and hope.

I received this ebook from HarperCollins via BookPerk in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, which surprised me. I do think the title of this book would be more suited to be called Slow Burn instead of Sunburn.
This book reminded me of those old black and white suspense noir films...example.. "Man stops at a diner out of the way, meets the sultry waitress, she's got troubles, he falls for her hook , line and sinker". You get my drift.
It read like those type of films, which since I enjoy that style, I was drawn in. Some parts became a little confusing to me, but I just needed to take a bit more time in reading it, even if I would have backtracked a bit, that might have helped.
I am going to rate it with 4 stars, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I did enjoy it. Nice change of pace from some recently read books,that seem to keep telling the same plots. Enjoyable read!

Crime fiction impresario Laura Lippman gives readers a memorable protagonist and a complex plot in her novel titled, Sunburn. My insight and understanding about Polly changed about every fifty pages. Like most of us, Polly looks out for number one, but the ways in which her planning and long-term patience accomplishes her goals were astounding. Lippman throws a wrench into Polly's plans when she meets Adam in a bar. One thing leads to another and twists and revelations abound. Fans of crime fiction are those readers most likely to enjoy this entertaining novel and will close the book feeling pretty good that someone like Polly has not been part of our life, so far.

Rating: Four-star (I like it)

Sunburn is a psycological thriller. Adam Bosk is on assignment. He is to follow the red headed woman and find the money she is hiding. He doesn't see that she is hiding money but knows she is hiding her background - including the most recent heartless act. When Adam first finds her, she is at the beach with her 3 year old daughter and husband. That night when they are asleep, she walks out on them and hitchhikes to another town. Adam has been warned by his client that she is dangerous but he falls for her anyway. Can she afford to fall for him? When murder follows them, can the trust each other?
The story is absorbing and the ending is a shock. I sat and said "WHAT?" Another good one from Laura Lippman

Victim or perpetrator? Just who is Polly and what is she running from or working around? The mysteries surrounding this captivating woman who shows up one day at a small beach town unfurl slowly as her tale unwinds chapter by chapter. Why is she being followed by a private investigator? Who is her family and what did she do to them? So many questions! I enjoyed Sunburn though I found it darker than most Laura Lippman books. It certainly kept me guessing as it zigged one way and then zagged the other. I do miss Tess though.

Unbelievable. Unlovable. A novel about a bunch of characters who are all hiding something. Trouble is they're not sympathetic characters, especially Polly Costello/Pauline Hansen, a mother of two who walks away from both her daughters, kills one of her husbands and abandons another. She is not a lovable lady, no way. But at the end of the book, she ends up with her daughters because that's what she wanted all along (oh yeah?). We learn all about her violent first husband and his shady friends, about insurance fraud and arson, abut a P.I. who falls for the subject he's tailing. It's not "noir." It's simply junk.

Finished Sunburn last night... I liked it but I also wasn’t super impressed by it. I was waiting for a big twist to happen near the end but you basically knew everything and there wasn’t anything shocking in the end. I thought it dragged on some but I kept reading to see what would happen, so the writing was very good and maintained my interest. This is the first book I have read by Lippman so it may just be a different style of writing

Put this book in your 2018 “To Read” pile. This is a captivating story with morally gray characters that draws you right in from the very first page. And every time you THINK you know what is going on and who is being truthful, well, you just get thrown for a loop all over again.

In the blurb, it says that Sunburn is a “modern noir inspired by James M. Cain”. Unfortunately, I have not really been into the noir writing style, so many of the comparisons that I am reading to James M. Cain’s are very much over my head. With that being said, I enjoyed every single sentence in Sunburn. This is a story that slowly unfolds and is so engaging that I didn’t want to put it down.

All in all, I thought that the plotline is great, the story moved along at a good pace and the characters were unlikeable but well developed. I loved trying to figure out who is good, who is bad and who is chasing who. It was the perfect mix of “what the heck is really going on here?!?!?”

I had to deduct 1 star because I thought the ending fell just a little flat. I really enjoyed that the story unfolded throughout and that you didn’t have to wait until the very end to put the puzzle pieces together. Maybe the ending is typical of classic noir style, but I was hoping for a little more “oomph”. A little more of the “Aha”. But overall, I tore through this book and would highly recommend it.

Polly and Adam meet while each is passing through the small town of Belleville. They both decide to stay in the town, and become more and more drawn to one another. But, each of them has secrets and isn't being entirely truthful about why they were passing through town.

Well-developed, interesting characters. Engaging story. A great read for fans of psychological thrillers.

I've read almost everything Laura Lippman has written and enjoyed it. This book is very different from her others but it's good. I wasn't floored or wowed by it, but it was a good read. The story was interesting and different. Set in 1995, a troubled woman finds her self starting over again. It's difficult to discern what her long game is though there clearly is one. I was a bit surprised by the ending.

A tale of deception and dangerous secrets. A steamy affair, a missing wife/ mother. This plot is so twisted it keeps you turning the pages. My mind is still twisted thinking about it. One of the best books I've read so far this year. If you like psychological suspense this is it.
Dawnny
BookGypsy
Novels N Latte

Unbelievable. Unlovable. A novel about a bunch of characters who are all hiding something. Trouble is they're not sympathetic characters, especially Polly Costello/Pauline Hansen, a mother of two who walks away from both her daughters, kills one of her husbands and abandons another. She is not a lovable lady, no way. But at the end of the book, she ends up with her daughters because that's what she wanted all along (oh yeah?). We learn all about her violent first husband and his shady friends, about insurance fraud and arson, abut a P.I. who falls for the subject he's tailing. It's not "noir." It's simply junk.

Finished Sunburn last night... I liked it but I also wasn’t super impressed by it. I was waiting for a big twist to happen near the end but you basically knew everything and there wasn’t anything shocking in the end. I thought it dragged on some but I kept reading to see what would happen, so the writing was very good and maintained my interest. This is the first book I have read by Lippman so it may just be a different style of writing

Put this book in your 2018 “To Read” pile. This is a captivating story with morally gray characters that draws you right in from the very first page. And every time you THINK you know what is going on and who is being truthful, well, you just get thrown for a loop all over again.

In the blurb, it says that Sunburn is a “modern noir inspired by James M. Cain”. Unfortunately, I have not really been into the noir writing style, so many of the comparisons that I am reading to James M. Cain’s are very much over my head. With that being said, I enjoyed every single sentence in Sunburn. This is a story that slowly unfolds and is so engaging that I didn’t want to put it down.

All in all, I thought that the plotline is great, the story moved along at a good pace and the characters were unlikeable but well developed. I loved trying to figure out who is good, who is bad and who is chasing who. It was the perfect mix of “what the heck is really going on here?!?!?”

I had to deduct 1 star because I thought the ending fell just a little flat. I really enjoyed that the story unfolded throughout and that you didn’t have to wait until the very end to put the puzzle pieces together. Maybe the ending is typical of classic noir style, but I was hoping for a little more “oomph”. A little more of the “Aha”. But overall, I tore through this book and would highly recommend it.

Polly and Adam meet while each is passing through the small town of Belleville. They both decide to stay in the town, and become more and more drawn to one another. But, each of them has secrets and isn't being entirely truthful about why they were passing through town.

Well-developed, interesting characters. Engaging story. A great read for fans of psychological thrillers.

I've read almost everything Laura Lippman has written and enjoyed it. This book is very different from her others but it's good. I wasn't floored or wowed by it, but it was a good read. The story was interesting and different. Set in 1995, a troubled woman finds her self starting over again. It's difficult to discern what her long game is though there clearly is one. I was a bit surprised by the ending.

A tale of deception and dangerous secrets. A steamy affair, a missing wife/ mother. This plot is so twisted it keeps you turning the pages. My mind is still twisted thinking about it. One of the best books I've read so far this year. If you like psychological suspense this is it.
Dawnny
BookGypsy
Novels N Latte

I went into this book not knowing anything about it...Story has many twists and turns in it but can be tedious in some chapters. Unrealistic at times but that is what fiction is about, right? ;) Didn’t see the ‘end’ coming. Loved the setting too since we spend our summers at Bethany Beach, DE.

"Sunburn" is my first journey into accomplished noir mystery author @LauraMLippman's world. I will definitely be interested in more. A terrific beach read with intriguing characters, intersecting plot lines & enough secrets to build suspense & mystery. Definitely check it out.

Review This book has a great plot, interesting characters, and a nostalgic 50s feel. Lippman’s subtle clues threw me off and I had to rethink what I thought I knew. Does that make sense? I loved this cat and mouse game that had passion, lies and ever changing rules. I’ll be reading more by this author in the near future.

The story line is compelling and moves quickly at first, but about 2/3 of the way through it starts to drag. I found myself checking how many pages were left. Then the ending wraps up,a bit too quickly and without enough thought, as if the author was ready to be done too.

Very solid, lightly twisty book. I loved the way character traits and background story were revealed slowly with tiny pieces coming and changing how I felt about the characters as the story progressed. If you need likeable characters this probably isn't the book for you, but if you're like me and can get onboard with understandable characters even if you don't like them give this book a shot.

Scorching is the perfect word to describe this book. A contemporary neo-noir that reads like a cross between The Postman Always Rings Twice and the film Wild Things. Great writing, characters who are not what they seem, and a story that coils and twists like a snake.

Laura Lippman tips her hat to James Cain’s novels and film noir of the 50’s. The twists and turns carry the novel and keep you guessing to the end. This not not a Tess Monaghan novel ... it is different. Enjoy!!

From the publisher: 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?

Part One of this book, headed “Smoke” [Part Two is headed “Fire”] finds Mark, 38 years old, who spots Polly, “a [sunburned] redhead well into her thirties . . . sitting on a barstool, forty-five miles inland, in a town where strangers seldom stop on a Sunday evening.” They are both in a bar-slash-restaurant, the High-Ho. He is a handsome private detective, guy who, in his downtime, likes to hunt deer [“Bow and arrow] who takes a job as a short order cook at the High-Ho. The redhead who has grabbed his attention takes a job there as a barmaid. When he asks for her name, the response she gives him is Polly Costello. The reader soon discovers that she is also Pauline, who has left her husband and three-year-old daughter. She and Gregg had met when she was 31, married quickly when she discovered she was pregnant, but the marriage went bad just as quickly when his abusive nature became very apparent. Her name had been Pauline Ditmars, then Pauline Hansen when she married Gregg, then Pauline Smith when she left him and their daughter. Now living as Polly Costello. One night soon after “a short, squat woman with a butch haircut” comes into the High-Ho and Mark knows instantly that “she’s a private investigator and that she’s looking for the woman who’s calling herself Polly Costello.” Since that’s what he himself is doing there. Both the woman, Sue, and Mark have each been hired to track her down. Although a risky plan, Mark and Polly very shortly become intimately involved. Mark has been hired to find the woman who left her husband [a dirty cop, btw] and her child “in the lurch” then stole money from the kid when the guy died, and disappeared with the life insurance. So no one here has a clear conscience. But when Polly’s friend, Cath, goes to Polly’s apartment looking for her, and dies when the apartment blows up, there is a lot for the ensuing investigation to find. No one here looks very innocent.

The novel is but the latest where the reader gets to know the characters, to the point where one would like to meet her/him off the page, in real life as it were, and get to know them better, such a wonderful job having been done by this author in their creation. The same could be said about this book as a whole, keeping the reader turning pages more and more quickly. Highly recommended.