Lead Review (Sun Trap)
- Book: Sun Trap
- Location: Abu Dhabi
- Author: Rachel Wolf
Sun Trap by Rachel Wolf, thriller set in ABU DHABI – “the curse of the Doppelgänger”.
The thriller opens in New York, where Ellie is studying on a four week drama course. She meets Phoebe, who, frankly, is her double. Once the course has finished, Phoebe, in theory, is off to film in Abu Dhabi, a tiny part for an entrance level actor but somehow, mentally and emotionally, she isn’t up to it. Ellie is more than willing to take Phoebe’s part, as they truly are Doppelgängers – she is especially keen knowing Hanneghan is one of the lead actors. She is in true fan girl mode on the private plane that whisks them away on a 13 hour flight – she has spent most of her adult life in awe of this handsome man, seeking him out wherever and whenever she can.
On the flight she is befuddled because she has taken some pills to calm her mood, but it appears they don’t combine well with free-flowing champagne. She has already teamed up with Josh, who will be her on-screen husband and he takes care of her. But as she is on the way back from the lavatory (where she can fish through fabulous stocks of complimentary make up, moisturisers and the like) she seems to overhear a plot to kill off a male member of the team. That cannot be right, surely, but it leaves her feeling on edge. Obviously.
The scene is set for a tumultuous few days on set, in the desert, a perfect location for drama and death. She also disappears down the rabbit hole of magical thinking, that perhaps some of the devastating events the team comes to face may not have happened if she hadn’t chosen to impersonate Phoebe; and of course, there is ample stress in keeping up appearances, remembering as a Brit to keep the American accent going.
A nocturnal, dramatic excursion on a dune buggy ensues, a race against time during a burgeoning sandstorm in order to track down one of the team who seems to have gone AWOL, a tricky exercise given there are “..no streetlights in the desert ..” (no sh*t, Sherlock ). The buggy overturns and survival is achieved by cowering under a blanket for the duration of the night until help arrives in the morning. The author herself encountered a terrible sandstorm in Syria, and has based this episode in the novel on her own experience.
“You are film people, the rules are different” says the hotel manager at one point and indeed, the gilded life of 5* luxury, palatial accommodation with “.. decor for the rich and elite” doesn’t mitigate the mayhem. At one point Ellie closets herself in a cupboard, as she is snooping around in her Nancy Drew persona, only to witness the end stages of an affair. Whatever happens, she cannot let anyone or anything sabotage her on-screen debut. Partway through, the storyline dramatically shifts gear, changes direction and the reader is offered a wider perspective.
There are multiple murders and a variety of upsets and unfolding dramas in the closing pages, which are extremely inventive.
It is all a bit bonkers, to be honest, preposterous at times but the story bowls along at a cracking pace, tacking this way and that. A quick and entertaining poolside read.
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