While I very much enjoyed SUN DAMAGE, the title doesn't provide even a hint as to what is really going on in Sabine Durrant’s exciting, tension-filled novel. I think a better title would be a phrase used in the book: "Risky Games." Those, after all, are exactly what Ali is engaged in for much of the story.

We meet Ali in the south of France as she and her partner, Sean, decide to con a tourist on the beach. Lulu appears to be ripe for the picking, and the scam seems to be going well. The first person narration helps us understand Ali's motives and her background. We learn how she has ended up in a modest hotel on this beach, running cons on people, fleecing them, and escaping to another exotic location before anyone is the wiser.

"...[an] exciting, tension-filled novel... You definitely will look at the world a bit differently after you’ve read this eye-opening thriller."

However, this scam ends in a devastating manner, and Ali needs to find a way to disappear. She ends up posing as a chef for a family that has rented a summer home in France. Durrant's descriptions are delightful; we can smell the slightly musty rooms in the large house and feel the intense summer sun burning down on the swimming pool and our shoulders. The family Ali ends up working for is an interesting mix. While pretending to be someone she is not, she comes to realize that everyone in the house --- including friends who are visiting --- are also hiding a multitude of veritable sins.

At the same time, Ali is worried that Sean is searching for her, and she is constantly looking over her shoulder. It is too worrisome for her to even consider what might happen if she is found. We feel the tension building, and we keep turning the pages, reading on to find out if she gets away with her audacious plan or if her deceit is discovered.

I especially appreciated when Ali explains that cons exist virtually wherever you look: a mobile number you don't recognize, an email with a rebate offer if you click on the link. She says, "They're everywhere, we're everywhere, though you don't need me to tell you that."

MRS. PLANSKY’S REVENGE, a fine novel by Spencer Quinn, revolves around scams from the opposite point of view --- the victim's. These two novels would be interesting choices for a book club to discuss, perhaps together. You definitely will look at the world a bit differently after you’ve read this eye-opening thriller.