Nine guests arrive at a remote villa in the south of France. They know each other well. Or think they do. But at least one of them has plenty to hide - and nowhere to run. Under the relentless sun, loyalties will be tested, secrets revealed, and tensions pushed to the point of no return.

I feel torn about this read. One part of me quite enjoyed this and the slow build atmosphere that Durrant creates. Whilst the other part of me thinks this was too long and the entire beginning section could have been cut. Whilst the beginning did set the scene of what was to come, I do not think it strengthened the plot in anyway and the book would not really suffer for leaving it out.

As the book progresses, Durrant builds the atmosphere more and more and I was left with a sense of impending doom and I just wanted it unleashed. Towards the end of the book, Durrant throws in some surprising twists as well which definitely made for a more scintillating ending.

Due to the nature of the plot, I do not think a good understanding of the characters is developed but I enjoyed following them and they are definitely an interesting cast.

'Sun Damage' is an okay thriller but largely forgettable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy.

Sabine Durrant is truly the master of suspense! Not many writers do it as well as she does - and Sun Damage is no exception. She is just fantastic at maintaining a constant bubbling of intrigue that makes it so hard to put her books down until you reach the end. Her storytelling is so intricately woven, and you can’t help feeling constantly on edge about how things are going to turn out!

In Sun Damage, we meet Ali - a young woman who had a hard start in life and has been taken under the wing of an established conman, Shane. After travelling through India and Morocco, we meet them at their current base in France, using their psychological skills to prey on the rich and over-trusting.

Then they meet Lulu and things don’t go to plan. Ali finds herself hiding out in a villa with a group of strangers, desperate to keep her identity hidden and escape Shane.

But she’s not the only one with secrets she’s desperate to keep.

I absolutely raced through Sun Damage - the amazing tension and suspense throughout made it a compelling read. And the skilful ending topped it off perfectly!

4.5 rounded up

Location:-Saint Cecile-sur-Mer, South of France.
Sean and Ali have a new mark in their sights. She's Lulu Fletcher Davies who seems vacuous but Ali's feelings about what they are doing keeps keeps changing and she's not comfortable. Resentment is growing between the pair, Sean keeps pushing, Ali pushes back. Then Sean goes off script.........

This is another utterly absorbing read from the talented Sabine Durrant who always creates excellent psychological thrillers. Ali's personality, her background and feelings are captured vividly. You end up unexpectedly rooting for her as she thinks fast on her feet which I guess has become second nature. The author captures all the moments and different moods with short sharp sentences. All the characters are depicted with clarity so you can easily visualise them. The dynamics are excellent with so much bubbling beneath the surface with some brightly smile through any difficulties. There are so many secrets among them and bucket loads of lies which are often air brushed out.

There are moments of high tension where you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. Ali also holds her breath when some of the characters discuss The Serpent* (though it's never named) and this makes her reflective and angry in turn. The tension rises and falls so you get some moments to relax and then it increases again and it becomes very claustrophobic and at times dangerous as you question who you can trust. It's as if you need to constantly look over your shoulder as if you were in Ali's shoes which is clever writing and a bit uncomfortable! What a way to live! It builds extremely well and there are two great twists at the end which are excellent and very unpredictable. Well played Sabine Durrant!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

*The Serpent is a BBC drama based on the true story of conman and murderer Charles Sobhraj who becomes Interpol's most wanted man.

Nine guests arrive at a remote villa in the south of France. They know each other well. Or think they do. But at least one of them has plenty to hide….. have been waiting for what feels like forever to read this one! It was a thrilling, edge of my seat novel full of conflict and tension. Five stars!

Sabine Durrant is quickly becoming my favourite suspense writer, especially when she leans into the holiday read. This book was so much more than I expected, and she's so strong on character, I ended this novel bereft that I could no longer spend time with this flawed yet somehow compelling cast. Five stars from me.

Ali, a young woman from a difficult background, has fallen in with conman Sean, travelling the world's tourist spots, preying on strangers with money via skilful and often elaborate frauds.

Sean's clearly a bad 'un, exerting a coercive control over Ali, and when a situation in the south of France gets way out of hand she has no option but to run, adopting a temporary false identity working for a holidaying British family. But it's fraught with the danger of discovery - one person, at least, seems to be on to her - along with the ever present fear that Sean might not be far behind.

Certain similarities to the recent TV series The Serpent, which was based on real events, are addressed early on, with a character actually referring to it (not by name, but it's obvious what's meant).

Sun Damage was a cracking read, told from Ali's perspective. She's an interesting character who has clearly done some bad things but is - perhaps? - not beyond redemption. It's an excellent and suspenseful read with a satisfying twist in the tale.

Superlative Suspense…
A remote chateau in the South of France, nine guests. They all know each other. Right? Wrong. From smaller scams with Sean, to high time deception, grifter Ali finds herself with nowhere to run once she’s infiltrated the high life. Under the sun, tensions will escalate out of control in this superlative suspense from an accomplished author.

I've read all of Sabine Durrant's thrillers; she reliably delivers gripping but credible plots, strong prose, and well-observed characterisation. Sun Damage is no exception. Ali is making ends meet through running small scams with her partner in crime Sean, drifting between different holiday destinations to find their next mark. But when a sudden tragedy makes her realise how much Sean is exploiting her, she takes off on her own, knowing she mustn't let Sean track her down. As she infiltrates the lives of a family group holidaying in the South of France, she keeps one eye open for Sean while struggling to keep up the deception she's invented to allow her to remain in their midst. But is somebody on to Ali, and what will happen if Sean does find her?

I'd certainly recommend Sun Damage for anybody looking for a solid thriller that's a notch above the rest. However, looking back on my reviews of Durrant's earlier work - which I've always rated four stars - I have one reflection. For some reason, however much I enjoy Durrant's books at the time, they quickly slip from my memory. I have no recollection of her other novels, even Take Me In, which at the time, I thought was 'much more memorable' than other thrillers I'd read. This isn't necessarily a problem, but it's interesting to compare her to a writer like Lottie Moggach - Durrant and Moggach are very much on a par in terms of the quality of their prose and their plots, but Moggach's Kiss Me First, Under The Sun and Brixton Hill are all vivid and distinct in my memory. This doesn't make her a bad writer, though; I suppose it depends what you want from a book.

I will post this review to my blog and Goodreads closer to the publication date.

#SunDamage #NetGalley
Phenomenal. A 5 star read.
Nine guests arrive at a remote villa in the south of France. They know each other well. Or think they do. But at least one of them has plenty to hide - and nowhere to run Under the relentless sun, loyalties will be tested, secrets revealed, and tensions pushed to the point of no return.
I don't want to reveal much. I can tell you that it's perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and the suspense was awesome.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Straughten for giving me an advance copy.