A delicious, slow-burn noir.

Polly and Adam are strangers who meet in a dead-end nothing town. One is on the run, the other is on a job. Lust and love were not supposed to get in the way. When you play the long game, someone is bound to get burned.

I believe this was my first Lippman and oh, it was so good. I adored the packaging of this novel, from its perfect cover to the glorious neon yellow end papers. I loved that I was kept guessing at the end game and the depth of the characters, told in dual POV between Polly and Adam and in vignette chapters from various others, was remarkable. You can really sink your teeth into this one. I also loved its timelessness. It took me a bit to figure out the time setting (early 90s) and once I did I loved it even more.

Also, this book is very sensual but not in a graphic way. Trigger warning for sexual violence and domestic violence.