Be careful what you wish for…
Sea, sand and a film set. Actress Ellie Miller can’t wait to fly to Dubai to record her first movie scenes, especially as she’ll be working with actual stars, but when there’s a death among the crew, Ellie’s dream starts to transform into a nightmare…
What’s it about?
Ellie has grasped her dream role, but as she flies to Abu Dhabi to start filming, she overhears two people secretly planning a murder.
When a death occurs, Ellie doesn’t dare report what she heard to the police, because Ellie isn’t who she says she is, and liars are always the first suspect…
Unfortunately, her dream role comes with a nightmare cast and this won’t be the last time the police come to call.
What’s it like?
Beautifully atmospheric and well structured with a gripping plot. The characters are simultaneously convincing and conniving while our protagonist silkily transforms into an unreliable narrator. (Regular blog readers will know that I love an unreliable narrator.)
Does everything hang together? Pretty much. There are a couple of questions I would raise, mostly around a late addition to the group in Abu Dhabi, and there might be the odd coincidence, but the ride is so gripping that I defy you to really care about those.
Final thoughts
This is how you write a psychological thriller. The premise is intriguing and the execution is stunning. From the sun scorched prologue to the grief drenched epilogue, Wolf weaves a gripping tale of damaged people making dangerous decisions.
I love thrillers where the truth hides in the gaps you didn’t even see and a retold scene reveals much more than on the first read. Perhaps I loved this all the more because I read it immediately after a psychological thriller that was, unfortunately, not in the least bit thrilling, but I loved it nonetheless.
This is a very modern thriller – think #MeToo movement, think mental health awareness – and the ending is perfect.
‘Sun Trap’,
Rachel Wolf,
2025, Head of Zeus