Title: DEAD HEAT
Author: SABINE DURRANT
ISBN: 9781804954652
Publisher: Penguin / Century
Pages: 352
Source: Review copy from the publisher
Blog Tour Organised by Random Things Tours
Former journalist Matt Grimshaw’s life is at a low ebb. He’s been ‘let go’ by the paper where he’s worked for years, and his relationship with his long-term girlfriend has come unstuck.
So when an invitation arrives from his two closest friends, Celia and Adam Murphy, to join them at their house in Greece, he jumps at it.
It may be harsh and unwelcoming on the Mani Peninsula but Matt determines to stay there for the whole summer and to write his much put-off screen-play.
But then the Murphys plus children arrive, and a wealthy newcomer to the area starts throwing loud and lavish parties in his big house across the bay.
As the nights become hotter and the parties wilder, everyone’s motivations darken. Envy rises, resentments grow – until a terrible accident stops the summer in its tracks.
At least, it looks like an accident…
Official Summary
17 March 2026
I am new to this author and must thank Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for including me on this blog tour. Dead Heat is a beautifully atmospheric thriller that explores themes of envy, infidelity, friendship, and unrequited love.
The author paints a vivid picture of the Mani Peninsula, leaving you feeling as if you are lazing on the coast as you turn the pages. You can almost taste the salt in the air and feel the heat of the sun on your skin, making this a brilliant staycation read.
Matt has lost both his job and his long-term girlfriend, leaving him insecure and without direction. When his friends Adam and Celia Murphy offer him the use of their house in Greece, he jumps at the opportunity, determined to spend the summer there writing a screenplay. Yet as the heat intensifies and the Murphys arrive at the house, Matt finds himself increasingly distracted. The new neighbour and his loud, raucous parties certainly do not help. Soon Matt finds himself surrounded by simmering envy and resentment, until an accident brings the summer to an abrupt end.
This was a strange yet gripping read that took a little while to fully capture my attention. The setting is stunning, and I loved the stray cat Matt begins to look after. The storyline involving the missing man and his sister searching for him was an intriguing addition that added a welcome layer of empathy to what might otherwise have felt like a rather cold world of wealth and privilege.
The characters are a well-balanced mix: Matt, struggling after losing both his job and girlfriend; Celia, who seems somewhat oblivious to the world around her; and Reynash, the wealthy neighbour and former schoolmate of Adam, who clearly has an agenda of his own.
This is one of those books that leaves you unsure whether you love it or hate it while you are reading it. But by the time you reach the final page, you are glad you stuck with the story because it delivers an excellent conclusion.
Dead Heat is a slow-burn thriller that takes its time to develop and is tightly wrapped in layers of misdirection. If you are a patient reader willing to wait for a powerful payoff, this is a book you will enjoy.
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About The Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Dead Heat is Sabine Durrant’s seventh work of dark psychological suspense. Its setting, part of the Greek Peloponnese, has obsessed her since she read Patrick Leigh Fermor’s travel book The Mani in her twenties. Her previous thrillers include Lie with Me which was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller, and Sun Damage, which was subject to a fierce film and TV bidding war and is currently in production with Bad Wolf and Disney.
Before becoming a full-time novelist, Sabine worked in editorial at the Guardian, the Sunday Times and the Independent, where she also wrote the weekly ‘Sabine Durrant’ interview. Her subjects were as diverse as Archbishop Runcie, Stella McCartney and Jeff Goldblum. She has written two works of general fiction, including the bestselling Having it and Eating it, and two Connie Pickles novels for young adults. Her essay ‘At Sea’, for the collection Truth or Dare, was a personal investigation into the life and death of her father, a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm, who disappeared off the Dorset coast a few months after she was born.
Sabine lives in south London with her husband, three adult children, one dog and two cats.
Thank you for visiting and reading my review. I hope you enjoy this one. Until next time…. Happy Reading!
