Dead Heat
Former journalist Matt Grimshaw's life is at a low ebb. He's been 'let go' by the paper where he's worked for years, and his relationship with his long-term girlfriend has come unstuck.
So when an invitation arrives from his two closest friends, Celia and Adam Murphy, to join them at their house in Greece, he jumps at it.
It may be harsh and unwelcoming on the Mani Peninsula but Matt determines to stay there for the whole summer and to write his much put-off screen-play.
But then the Murphys plus children arrive, and a wealthy newcomer to the area starts throwing loud and lavish parties in his big house across the bay.
As the nights become hotter and the parties wilder, everyone's motivations darken. Envy rises, resentments grow - until a terrible accident stops the summer in its tracks.
At least, it looks like an accident…
Set over one blazing Mediterranean summer, Sabine Durrant’s new thriller is tense, claustrophobic and utterly gripping.
Reviews
There are very few thriller writers who I feel as fiercely and passionately loyal to as Sabine Durrant. Every book is a gem, polished to perfection, dark in all the right ways and riven through with so much sharp humanity, intense atmosphere and spellbindingly beautiful writing. She is, it's not an exaggeration to say, my favourite thriller writer, full stop.
An unputdownable, unguessable, sun-drenched thriller. No one captures the deadly foibles of the middle classes better than Sabine Durrant
DEAD HEAT is a sharply observed, sophisticated page-turner. Sun-drenched and dripping with suspense, this is the perfect summer read.
A real scorcher. You won't want to miss this one!
Tense, clever and so vividly written, I could really feel the deceit and betrayal sizzling under the hot Greek sun. I raced through it in one sitting.
No one writes sun-soaked seductive and obsession like Sabine Durrant. Better than every season of The White Lotus spun into one, and drenched with danger, sex, and revenge. Sensational summer reading.
More hooks than a Greek fishing boat, a deliciously dark, modern Greek Gatsby, with a minotaur of a monster at its heart. Absolutely, page-turningly perfect. I burned my way through it.
Drenched in atmosphere and menace, with complicated characters who change complexion with the light, subtle dynamics playing out just under the surface, and a Greek setting to die for. Literally.
No one writes suspense like Sabine Durrant. Dead Heat is perfection
Dangerously addictive
Deft, dark and delicious
Compelling, evocative and fiendishly smart, this unsettling literary thriller is a five-star triumph.
I was gripped from the off by this twisting, beautifully written tale of love and friendship fracturing under the glare of the Greek sun and as the mood darkened and tensions rose I found I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I loved it!
Beautiful and evocative, this thriller hooked me with its dark and twisty take on love and obsession.
The novel explores adult friendships and bad behavior, building to an explosive ending
This slow burn thriller gives WHITE LOTUS vibes thanks to the luxe setting on Greece's Mani Peninsula and its obnoxious characters.”
(A) compelling thriller... Durrant's cast of characters are intensely unlikeable and yet utterly irresistible
…with scintillating shades of The Great Gatsby, this intoxicating thriller is a superb study in menace
Expertly constructed and guilefully written, it inevitably reminds you of Patricia Highsmith, but also of THE GREAT GATSBY.
Scorchingly good, whip-smart
Reader is left trapped in a delightful guessing game
Durrant pairs taut psychological suspense with crisp, beautiful writing
Explores adult friendships and bad behaviour, building to an explosive ending.
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