Description
A taut thriller built on murder, intrigue, and false identity, this atmospheric crime novel opens as Leonie Kuyper attends the funeral of her best friend, Rose. Rose has died of sunstroke and named Leonie her sole heir. Leonie, an impoverished translator, gratefully moves into Rose's former apartment and former life. As she assumes her late friend's wardrobe, she begins to resemble Rose and as a result begins to feel Rose's life, and the growing mystery of it and its end, closing in around her. Was Rose, a pharmaceutical chemist, involved in drug manufacture? Was she privy to the falsification of research findings? Was her death indeed accidental? These questions beg answers, and as Leonie becomes a detective into her friend's past life-the life she now inhabits-she and the reader are pulled toward a chilling denouement. "An extremely well-written suspense."-Playboy "Fascinating...highly readable."-TLS
Read More
The Sundial opens with Leonie Kuyper attending the funeral of her best friend, Roos Berczy, who has died of sunstroke. Leonie has always felt somewhat overshadowed by Roos, who was striking-looking and a brilliant pharmacological research assistant to boot. She turns out to have made Leonie her sole heir, provided that she moves into Roos' apartment and cares for her cats. For Leonie, an impoverished translator, it is an offer she cannot refuse and so she becomes the owner of a beautiful apartment, a large portfolio of common stocks, and an expensive wardrobe.Gradually Leonie assumes Roos' identity. By wearing her clothes and make-up, she begins to resemble her deceased friend and, as a result, Roos' past starts to crowd in on her. Questions arise that demand answers. Her curiosity piqued, Leonie starts looking for answers and reveals herself to be a first-rate detective.Was Roos a chemist, involved in the manufacture of ecstasy? But Leonie is also confronted with the possibility that Roos had information about the falsification of research findings and might have been murdered by a colleague. And then there's the riddle of exactly how Roos died. In the meantime, the murderer, alarmed by Leonie's detective work, swings into action - and a startling denouement follows.
Read Less