Review: SUNBURN by Laura Lippman

Thank you so much to William Morrow for providing my free copy – all opinions are my own.

“Sometimes, he used to wake up in the middle of the night and find her looking at him. The light from that streetlamp threw a stripe across her eyes, and it was as if she were wearing a mask that allowed her to read his every thought.”

It’s 1995 and Polly Costello finds herself in Belleville, Delaware, where she checks herself into a motel, and finds a job at a local tavern. She’s hiding from her past and is trying to reinvent herself. A mysterious man named Adam shows up and claims to be passing through town, but really is there to follow Polly’s every mysterious move.

This is a hard one to review because if I say too much it will ruin the experience. I’ll start by saying these are not what I would call likable characters. They are deceitful, secretive, and narcissistic. And there is something truly creepy about Polly; you can’t quite figure her out. She has a way with men that helps her get what she wants that is truly impressive.

This is an excellent noir crime thriller. I love the small town vibes and the characters fit perfectly. My favorite thing about the book is Polly’s character, learning about her past bit by bit, and wondering what she’ll do next. And like any good noir thriller, I wondered almost the entire time who she really is: Lippman expertly keeps you guessing about Polly’s true nature which makes this an intriguing and compelling read.

I enjoyed every second I spent reading this book! The story builds slow and steady, but it never seemed slow to me. I read it in a couple of short sittings because I was addicted and had to see how it played it out. Highly recommended!

I rate this excellent book 4 /5 stars!

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Comments

One response to “Review: SUNBURN by Laura Lippman”

  1. Sylvia Gartner Avatar

    I agree! I’m listening to the audio version during my long commute. I’m glad you said “noir” because that’s exactly what I’ve been thinking. IIRC Double Indemnity and other noir films are mentioned. Polly fascinates me. I can hardly wait to see what Laura reveals of her true self. So far, I’m not thinking she’s all bad!

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