A Grift Goes Horribly Wrong in Sabine Durrant’s Sun Damage
Sean and Ali are grifters, small scale swindlers who manage to live well and stay several steps ahead of the law. Vacationing in the south of France, they home in on a new mark – Lulu Fletcher Davies, a young woman who is traveling alone and, by the looks of her clothes and travel accessories, has money to spend. Playing brother and younger sister, Sean and Ali approach Lulu, striking up a conversation. Having done background research, Sean mentions that he once went to school with Will, the husband of Lulu’s best friend, Carrie. Lulu is impressed and soon the three are enjoying lunch, with her picking up the check. The grift is on.
Lulu says she’s a part-time chef and will be heading to Provence to cook for a wealthy family and their guests. Against Ali’s instincts, Sean suggests the three take a boat ride before Lulu leaves. Sean says he’ll rent one, with Lulu offering to pay. The next day, Sean shows up with a boat, one he managed to steal from the hotel’s dock. (Too many boat owners are careless about leaving their keys.) When Ali jumps off the boat to take a swim, Sean powers the craft away, leaving her treading water. That act is just one example of the psychological tricks Sean uses to keep the vulnerable Ali in line. Ali’s single mom, Joy, abandoned Ali and her sister, Molly, the two bouncing around foster homes. Molly, the more resilient of the two, survived, even thrived, while Ali turned to drugs, prostitution, and now grifting with Sean.
Turns out that Lulu is not so easily swindled. While on the boat, she calls Carrie who says Will doesn’t know Sean. Lulu confronts Sean, trips, falls, and hits her head. Seeing that Lulu is unconscious but alive, Ali wants to get help. Sean, however, fears Lulu will turn them into the authorities. He tells Ali to leave and the last image she has is Sean holding a pillow over Lulu’s face. She always knew that Sean was capable of violence, even murder. Now her fears have come true.
Ali does have something going for her – she could be Lulu’s double. Knowing she has to disappear and get away from Sean, she’s able to get into Lulu’s room, take the dead woman’s passport, cellphone, and pack all her clothes and toiletries into her suitcase. While not a great chef, Ali can cook and decides to take Lulu’s job in Provence.
Will the couple renting the house – Rebecca and Phil – realize that Ali is not Lulu? Fortunately, the passage of time, Ali’s resemblance to Lulu, and the way many wealthy people tend to be oblivious to hired help, works in Ali’s favor. Soon Rebecca, the other guests, along with their teenaged children, warm up to Ali/Lulu, even begin to confide in her. Ali learns that all the adults and the young people, too, are hiding secrets.
While Ali tires to balance being helpful but not getting too attached, that plan is tossed aside when bestselling author, Rob, arrives. She’s immediately attracted to him and can tell the feeling is mutual. But when Rob begins to ask her too many questions, she fears he may suspect she’s Nan imposter.
The biggest threat to Ali, however, remains Sean. Knowing her former partner, Ali knows he will not rest until he finds her and the $60,000 Euros she stole from him. When she hears from someone in town that a strange man has been asking about her, she considers leaving. Buut where will she go to be safe from a murderer?
Sabine Durrant’s Sun Damage shines a light on old fashioned cons, where human contact is essential, rather than a fraudulent pitch made over the internet. Ali, while a thief, is also adept at reading people, from facial expressions, to annoying habits that hint at deception. What she possesses, emotional intelligence, is a skill that can translate to success in the legal world, if she can escape Sean’s wrath.
Sun Damage
Sabine Durrant
Top photo: Bigstock
