The Court of First Instance, Sparta, February 2025
A trial with only one member of the old gang attending to watch proceedings, but where does it all begin?

The Mani Peninsula in Greece is a fairly remote area and a cottage retreat for Matt Grimshaw whose life has gone into freefall following a relationship breakup and job loss. The cottage belongs to good friends Celia and Adam Murphy and it’s in the grounds of the family holiday property of Villa Mimosa. Matt sets about writing a screenplay, something he has long put off. The Murphys duly arrive and to Adam‘s dismay, they discover that a billionaire has moved into the area with whom he has history. Reynash de Souza’s success incenses Adam and gives rise to envy amongst other things with his noisy, lavish parties being both an irritant and an irresistible draw. The scene is set, will it be a Greek tragedy?

The five stars says it all. I love Sabine Durrant’s books which have always appealed to me, being very well written with a vice like grip to the plots. This cleverly titled slow burner thriller is fabulously rich in atmosphere, something the author always does incredibly well. The searing heat, the building hot tension and suspense, at first uneasy and puzzling but which rapidly builds in intensity. There’s a terrific sense of place and time which adds to the dark, sultry and at times claustrophobic ambience. There are subtle and less subtle hints of the promise of a summer unravelling and the anticipation that at some point it’s all going to boil over, but to what?

The plot is extremely well thought out, there’s never dull moment as it’s a Russian doll style thriller with layers within layers and to add to it’s believability the author cleverly weaves fact with fiction adding gravitas to the plot. The characters around which it is woven are deeply flawed, not necessarily likeable, indeed, some are downright unlikeable but for me, that makes it much more intriguing and interesting.Some are entitled and rich, some are manipulative , devious, huge dishonest and way worse as their true colours are revealed. Around whose orbit is the web woven as some go head-to-head? The tone becomes increasingly ominous and there are premonitions of an impending Greek tragedy. Who is true and truthful? Only time will tell. As for the end, wow, what masterful, terrific twists.

Overall, in my opinion, this is a superb slow burner thriller with moments of high tension that keeps me engrossed from beginning to end. Highly recommended as are the author’s previous books.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK, Cornerstone for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.

Will post to social media nearer publication

Wrung out and attempting to recover from the devastation of his relationship with Takara falling apart, Matt decides to take his affluent friends Adam and Celia up on their offer to stay at their holiday home in the Mani region of the Mediterranean.

Excited to begin working on his magnum opus, Matt doesn't bargain for the distractions of lavish parties held at the neighbouring, newly-refurbished property of a billionaire, the secrets that Adam is holding, Matt's own feelings for Celia, and the other dark undercurrents of this summer in Greece.

The writer does n excellent job of portraying the lives of the wealthy and the super wealthy, shining a light on the frailties of human nature. My main issue with the story, which was well told and complex, was that the more I read, the less I liked the characters - including the main protagonist.

But it was an absorbing story, and delivered a number of surprises. This one gets 3.5 stars - for readers who enjoy deeply flawed characters, it would probably score much higher.

Washed-up journalist Matt accepts an offer from old friends Adam and Celia Murphy to spend the summer at their villa in Greece.. But it's not the opportunity for rest and recuperation that Matt anticipates. First, the Murphies arrive with their children, then the whole group is distracted by a noisy billionaire neighbour with whom they discover they have shocking and unexpected history.
Another sultry and evocative thriller from Sabine Durrant. Ideal for fans of the genre.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
Upon publication I will post this review on my blog and on GoodReads.

‘Dead Heat’ by Sabine Durrant focuses on the hapless Matt Grimshaw and an eventful few weeks on the Mani peninsular where his oldest friends, the successful and wealthy Adam and Celia Murphy, have a beautiful Grecian holiday home. He’s invited to make use of a simple cottage in the grounds as he licks wounds incurred by a job loss and the ending of a decade-long relationship.

When Adam understands that Reynash de Souza, the improbably named billionaire across the bay, is someone he bullied at school, not only is he incensed that such a ‘loser’ has become so successful but he is also curious to find out more. At the same time, we are introduced to Sara whose missing brother works with Reynash. Matt takes pity on her and is keen to support her hunt but is also honest enough to recognise his own ulterior motives.

As the plot develops, Durrant subtly reveals that few characters are as they first appear, not least narrator Matt whose lack of self-confidence/loyal friend performance should be carefully examined. The author captures the interests of the self-absorbed wealthy middle class precisely as she weaves a complex tale of deceit, danger, revenge and complicity. A gripping psychological thriller.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I'm a huge fan of this author's previous work and love how she has such sharp observational skills particularly around class. She nails the habits of the upper middle classes with such precision.
This wasn't a disapppoitnemnt. I enjoyed the setting and the network of characters as well as the sense of creeping unease. The twists and turns were cleverly laid out. I'd highly recommend this.

I couldn’t get into this book. It started out slow and just never picked up for me. I even tried skipping around but couldn’t get into it. Unfortunately I couldn’t finish it.