Snowstorms in a Hot Climate

by Sarah Dunant

Marla’s best friend, Elly, left England two years ago on a soul-searching trip through South America. Except for receiving a few postcards, Marla has not heard from her since. Then, Marla receives a strange letter from Elly begging her to fly to New York. But the person Marla meets at the airport is a very different woman from the strong, carefree friend she remembers. Elly, now well-dressed and thin, has acquired a park-view apartment, a house in the Hamptons, and a charismatic, manipulative, cocaine-smuggling boyfriend named Lenny.

As Marla tries to free her friend from the dual addictions of love and cocaine, she unravels a story of seduction and power in Columbia and of desire and betrayal in California. Caught in a web of deceptions, the threat of violence mounting around them, Marla decides to take on Lenny and his empire. But Lenny–like the drug he peddles–has no intention of letting Elly go.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Contemporary, British Literature

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 1995

About the author

Sarah Dunant is a cultural commentator, award-winning thriller writer and author of five novels set in Renaissance Italy exploring women’s lives through art, sex and religion. She has two daughters, and lives in London and Florence.

Sarah’s monthly history program and podcast on history can be found via the BBC website.

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read Dunant's historical fiction and absolutely loved it. This, I knew, would be a departure, different genre, different decade, etc. and yet I still expected a certain level of quality which this book had not met. Genre wise this one is something of a romantic drama trying to be a psychological thriller, at times regrettably veering off into something positively chicklit like. At the heart of if is a love triangle of sorts...two best female friends and a man one of them falls for and the other tries rescuing her from. This man, described inanely as bisexual beauty among other things, turns heads of all left and right due to his impeccable bone structure and innate charm. He's wealthy due to a lucrative cocaine (snowstorms, get it, those kinds of snowstorms) trade, irresistible and emotionally unavailable. He's essentially a less legit less monochromatic version of Christian Grey without S&M. The romance between him and Elly is fraught with all sort of difficulties owning to her intermittent cocaine addition, his commitment phobia and about 97 others. Marla is a lonely academic who takes her friendship with Elly to some seriously obsessive levels as one might with their only friend, which, of course, creates for all sorts of interesting dynamics. It isn't quite enough though somehow. It's a decent character study, but none of the characters are particularly likeable. The ending is an attempt at a twist, two twists in fact, first one that doesn't work and second one that does. It's a story about an obsession, but somehow it lacks the passion normally implied by such a subject. It doesn't quite engage, it convolutes unnecessarily at times and tries to shape itself into a thriller when it isn't. Dunant has certainly come a long way from this to her terrific historical fiction. The writing is still quite good and it reads very quickly, but it just fails to charm much like its allegedly charming male protagonist. Not quite what one might have hoped for, too limp for a storm, it doesn't quite stir.

[Bizzy Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had previously read Sarah Dunant's Sacred Hearts and whilst I appreciated her elegant and descriptive writing style I found the book itself a bit of a chore to read (although I ultimately liked it). But I found none of that with this one.

I just love the way Dunant writes. It really draws me in. I feel like every word I read is carefully thought out and there are no repetitions (unless there needs to be). It affords the book a real sense of freshness. As for the story, jumping straight in with a sense of urgency there's no wishy washy beginning. I was hooked into the almost romantic friendship the two women (Marla and Elly) share from the moment they sat on the balcony sipping bourbon as Elly related her story to Marla.

As the story progressed, I became more and more questioning of Marla's motives and to be honest I'm left with questions! Not because the story was left open but because I want to understand the extent of Marla's grief. What were her real feelings about Elly? I guess thats just one thing we can't ever know. Marla's secret was referred to throughout the book but what was Marla's secret? We're lead to believe perhaps Marla could gay but during her confrontation with Lenny she puts it right out there with her statement, "You'd just love to label me as the obsessive lesbian wouldn't you? But you'd be wrong. Its more complicated than that".

Taut, intense and psychological, it all kind of crept up on me. The final page left me with a wry smile as I quietly said aloud, "Clever book".

[Barbara Elsborg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story of a woman's friend who's drawn into the shady world of drug smuggling is a bit different. Much more literary fiction than a fast paced thriller, the story is told from the viewpoint of Marla, as she tries to untangle her friend Elly from the clutches of Lenny, the clever and charismatic drug dealer. Sounds just my sort of story but...

The writing is very good, I've read others of Dunant's and liked them, and the plot with its twists and turns, always teasing the reader with different versions of the truth, is simple but well done. Where the story fails for me - is that I can't connect with any character. I didn't feel any urgency in the story, any pull to keep reading.

Lenny is repellent and yet for me, elusive. He's Elly's drug, her cocaine, just as she is his. That element - was clever. They can't live with each other, can't live without each other. Until Marla is thrown into the mix. I'd have liked much more detail about Lenny.

The long stretches of narration where a character tells Marla what has happened, what will happen, seemed to slow the pace so much, it made the book a lazy read not an impelling one. I like driven fast powerful stories and this wasn't like that.

Who can trust anyone in a drugs world? A powerful message that the book certainly gets across.
But I didn't really care what happened to any of them.

[Dorina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read this author before and I have enjoyed her writing style. This was about two friends and a man. One of the friends went abroad for a year, met a man. The man interested the woman, things flowed along. The friend received a message from the woman saying she wants to come back, needed her friends help. The story takes off from there. I won’t divulge anything . At times, story was all over the place. I enjoyed it.

[Brandi D'Angelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Sarah Dunant's style of writing, as it makes me feel like I'm right there with the characters. I enjoyed this story because there were only a few characters, yet it was very intense and thrilling. The story centers around two central relationships and the cocaine drug trade. I found it all very fascinating.

[Samantha]

unintentionally chosen for my nor'easter reading. Picked it up because I had read Birth of Venus. Definitely going to add Mapping the Edge and Sacred Hearts to my TBR.
This book was engaging and richly detailed. I loved the voice of Marla, was very engaged in her journey throughout this fairly turbulent read.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit I bought this unsure whether it was Sarah Dunant or Durrant I'd previously read. Initially, describing a somewhat tortured friendship between Elly and Marla, it felt a little light-weight, before the introduction of Lenny's friend J T. Lots of confrontations, conversations; lots of twists prior to the ending and perhaps I was slow to appreciate the unreliability of the narrator(s).

[Brian V · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't get past the first chapter. Lacks the verve of her historical novels.

[Bill Berger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big fan of Sarah Dunant's Borgia books and this earlier work is a thriller involving friendship and cocaine - not the the best pairing. Ms Dunant knows how to write and this is a pretty good read.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cocaine smuggling and twisted relationships.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a boring book. Don’t waste your time.
I kept expecting it to get better and it never did!

[LINDA CLAYTON · Rating 1 out of 5]

Silly

The story started off interesting but by midway had gotten confusing and nonsensical. The ending was quite convoluted and boring.

[Elyse Rudin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel was highly praised and I wish I knew why. Two childhood English friends stay close until one leaves to experience life around the world. They lose touch for two years and then a letter is received indicating that the friend is in New York and needs her to come immediately. She does and it turns out the friend is in a serious relationship with a drug dealer but she wants to leave him. Who cares. Nothing happens until the end but I was not ever connected to any of the characters. I am so glad it's done.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars. Described as a suspense novel, this first effort by Dunant starts slow but picks up after 100 pages. Elly writes to her long time friend Marla, who she hasn't had contact in years. The letter is a plea for help and Marla comes to help. Elly is tring to free herself from a man involved in a questionable business. Who is telling the truth and who could get hurt? Good read but not as good as Dunant's Sacred Hearts, The Birth Of Venus, In the Company of the Courtesan, or Blood & Beauty.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two best friends. One gets caught up with a king-pin cocaine smuggler way too deep. The other comes to help her get back on her feet. They both go through many layers of lies and betrayal in trying to figure out how to get out, how to stay ahead and who it is that is after them. Actually quite a good story. Believable, exciting, and hard to put down as the layers are peeled away. I enjoyed it.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Dunant's first novel, The Birth of Venus, is still one of my favorite books of all time. This is a nice follow up from a gifted writer. I too had trouble putting this book down. She intricately draws her characters so you feel you know them, and care about what happens to them. This novel takes place in London, NYC, California, and beyond, as Dunant weaves a rich tale saturated with suspense. Highly recommend, and now I have to seek out other books she's written in between.

[Malia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really loved the Birth of Venus, and In the Company of the Courtesan, so I was stoked to pick this up for an easy read. It was totally boring, not very believable, and overall, uninspiring. I kept reading because I thought it might get better, but, unfortunately, it didn't. Good thing I'm a fast reader, I only wasted a few days on this book.

[Karin Westbrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

with this book, I can say that Sarah Dunant may be one of my favorite authors! The Birth of Venus is in my top 5, and with Snowstorms in a Hot Climate it may just solidify this. She is such a colorful writer, that I get brought into the story, and never want to leave! I highly recommend this book!

[Aryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing book. Nearly compulsive reading. Characterization is flawless. Scenes and settings are vivid without an overabundance of detail. This is one of those books that were written to be talked about. Drunkenly, with a good friend. I will not spoil the ending, but it won't be the one you expected given the beginning of the book. And you might hate it as much as I did.

[Joyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoy Sarah Dunant's historical fiction novels: The Birth of Venus, In the Company of Courtesans and Sacred Hearts, but this venture into different territory didn't do a thing for me. I never felt connected with the characters in any way, the story rather dragged on and overall it was disappointing. I rarely say this, but it felt like a chore to get it finished.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, which I came upon by accident, is dark and a bit shocking, but the most amazing fast page turner that you can't put down. Strange actually, but a great read for a vacation when that's just what you need.

[Dotty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This psychological thriller focuses on a woman's passionate love affair with a cocaine dealer nadn the intervention of her girlfrien, who tries to save her. Very exciting, different "world" than mine (fortunately!)

[Danielle Franco-Malone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book better than Fatlands, but not as well as the Birth of Venus. Character development and the story itself were both pretty good. It left me thinking that I might give another Sarah Dunant book a try, but I'm not going to rush to buy it when one of her new books hits the stands.

[Carla Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing, although somewhat glamorized, look into the drug underworld. The characters are well-developed and I had the sense was right there with them as I read. A fast read that makes us question who we can really trust.

[Tracy Hollen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shortly after I started reading this book I realized that I had already read it, but couldn't remember the ending. As I continued I remembered that it was because I hadn't liked the ending. The story was very promising but ultimately I was disappointed.

[boat_tiger · Rating 3 out of 5]

A departure from her previous novels in both subject and genre. I enjoyed reading it but I was not "wowed" by it as I have been by her other books. Still a good quick easy read and an interesting story.

[Tomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a while to finally finish reading this book. Been at it for 6 weeks..... it had a slow build up for me, and by then ed, I got into it. I had to keep going back for more information in the previous passages, as it seemed I had lost interest in the book

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another strange plot..but definitely worthwhile to read it!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very different from Sarah Dunant's other novels. A fun mystery, but not as well written at Birth of Venus or In the Company of the Courtesan.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dunant does it again...I am forever a fan!