300 Days of Sun - by Deborah Lawrenson (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Combining the atmosphere of Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins with the intriguing historical backstory of Christina Baker Kline's Orphan Train, Deborah Lawrenson's mesmerizing novel transports readers to a sunny Portuguese town with a shadowy past--where two women, decades apart, are drawn into a dark game of truth and lies that still haunts the shifting sea marshes.

Traveling to Faro, Portugal, journalist Joanna Millard hopes to escape an unsatisfying relationship and a stalled career. Faro is an enchanting town, and the seaside views are enhanced by the company of Nathan Emberlin, a charismatic younger man. But behind the crumbling facades of Moorish buildings, Joanna soon realizes, Faro has a seedy underbelly, its economy compromised by corruption and wartime spoils. And Nathan has an ulterior motive for seeking her company: he is determined to discover the truth involving a child's kidnapping that may have taken place on this dramatic coastline over two decades ago.

Joanna's subsequent search leads her to Ian Rylands, an English expat who cryptically insists she will find answers in The Alliance, a novel written by American Esta Hartford. The book recounts an American couple's experience in Portugal during World War II, and their entanglements both personal and professional with their German enemies. Only Rylands insists the book isn't fiction, and as Joanna reads deeper into The Alliance, she begins to suspect that Esta Hartford's story and Nathan Emberlin's may indeed converge in Faro--where the past not only casts a long shadow but still exerts a very present danger.

From the Back Cover

A mesmerizing novel that transports readers to a sunny Portuguese town with a shadowy past--where two women, decades apart, are drawn into a dark game of truth and lies that still haunts the shifting sea marshes. Traveling to Faro, Portugal, journalist Joanna Millard hopes to escape an unsatisfying relationship and a stalled career; Faro is an enchanting town, and the seaside views are enhanced by the company of Nathan Emberlin, a charismatic younger man. But Joanna soon realizes that behind the crumbling facades of Moorish buildings Faro has a seedy underbelly, its economy compromised by corruption and wartime spoils. And Nathan has an ulterior motive for seeking her company: he is determined to discover the truth involving a child's kidnapping that may have taken place on this dramatic coastline more than two decades ago.

Joanna's subsequent search leads her to Ian Rylands, an English expat who cryptically suggests she will find answers in The Alliance, a novel written by American Esta Hartford. The book recounts an American couple's experience in Portugal during World War II, and their entanglements both personal and professional with their German enemies. Only Rylands insists the book isn't fiction, and as Joanna reads deeper into The Alliance, she begins to suspect that Esta Hartford's story and Nathan Emberlin's may indeed converge in Faro--where the past not only casts a long shadow but still exerts a very present danger.

Praise for 300 Days Of Sun

"With its lush settings, high-stakes suspense, and novel-within-a-novel, 300 Days of Sun is a feast for fiction lovers. Lawrenson delivers a labyrinth of complex relationships the reader is both breathless to solve and eager to return to upon completion. Haunting."--Erika Robuck, author of Hemingway's Girl and The House of Hawthorne

Praise for Deborah Lawrenson

"Deborah Lawrenson's writing is delicious. Her stories are atmospheric, intoxicating, and impossible not to get lost in."--Sarah Jio, author of Goodnight June and Blackberry Winter

"[Lawrenson has a] gift for bringing the senses to life. When she writes, 'you could open an envelope . . . and find it contained no words at all, just a handful of lavender with a ribbon of dried grapefruit skin, or a sprinklingof vanilla seeds, ' you wish the pages were scratch-and-sniff."--People

"Offers a vivid escape to an intriguing place, with location playing as much a role as those who dwell there."--Washington Post

"Think Graham Greene with a dash of Poe."--Sarah Blake, author of The Postmistress

Review Quotes

"With its lush settings, high-stakes suspense, and novel-within-a-novel, 300 Days of Sun is a feast for fiction lovers. Lawrenson delivers a labyrinth of complex relationships the reader is both breathless to solve and eager to return to upon completion. Haunting." -- Erika Robuck, author of Hemingway's Girl and The House of Hawthorne

"A deeply satisfying novel, a rich story with a strong feeling for time and place and the expert pacing of the best thrillers. Readers will appreciate Lawrenson's ability to combine stunning atmosphere with a fascinating historical backstory." -- Booklist, starred review

"Beautiful storytelling along with a beautiful setting....With an intricately layered plot and enigmatic, complex characters, Lawrenson crafts a story edged in mystery that blends the past during World War II with the present day. An intriguing read." -- Romantic Times

"Merges past and present, doubling identities and events to dazzling... effect. Set against the lush but corrupt coastal resorts of southern Portugal, the novel's shadowy deeds seem only more dangerous in this sunny clime.... Sure to please those who relish the untangling of crimes in exotic locales." -- Library Journal

"Praise for The Lantern: "The Lantern is a smart, gothic, bodice ripper that transcends the genre, thanks in part to journalist Lawrenson's gift for bringing the senses to life." -- People, 3 1/2 out of 4 stars, on The Lantern

"I absolutely adored this beautifully written, modern Gothic novel, set in Provence, full of scents, colors and mystery. Reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier's classic, Rebecca, The Lantern will hook you in from the start and weave its dark, lush magic around you." -- Tatiana de Rosnay, author of Sarah's Key, on The Lantern

Praise for The Sea Garden: "Deborah Lawrenson's new novel, a modern Gothic tale set in the lavender-scented landscape of Provence, serves up an escapist mix of mystery, romance and murder." -- Wall Street Journal on The Sea Garden