Sunburn 1979

Jake Dekker [Charles Grodin] is a private eye who is hired by an insurance company to travel to Acapulco and investigate the death of a rich industrialist named Theron. In an effort to cloak his intentions, Dekker adopts the persona of an independently wealthy jet-setter and hires the beautiful Ellie Morgan [Farrah Fawcett] to pose as his wife. After the two arrive, they are invited to a party, where they become acquainted with Theron’s offspring—a grown daughter and son, named Joanna and Karl. Of the two, only Joanna appears to be genuinely in grief, while Karl takes his father’s death in stride, all the while attempting to seduce Ellie, unsuccessfully.

As the sun-drenched nights in Acapulco roll on, Dekker keeps one eye on the clock and the other on the guests, trying to blend in while staying focused on the truth behind Theron’s death. The affair with deception weighs on him, even as Ellie proves to be a capable ally in the murky process of piece-by-piece revelation. The atmosphere at the party is thick with whispered rumors, selective memories, and the subtle but persistent sense that everyone there has something to hide. Dekker’s carefully constructed cover story begins to fray as small inconsistencies surface, hinting at a motive more intricate than a simple accident or misfortune.

When Dekker’s real purpose for being in Acapulco comes to light, the dead man’s reclusive widow, Mrs. Theron, Eleanor Parker declines offering Dekker any assistance in his search for the truth behind her husband’s demise. The refusal only sharpens the tension, pushing Dekker to press deeper into a maze of half-truths and buried resentments. Yet the case grows more labyrinthine as Dekker’s old friend and colleague, Marcus, digs into Theron’s past and uncovers a shocking secret: Theron was once an escaped Nazi who found refuge in Mexico some thirty years earlier. This revelation, carefully concealed by others for purposes of blackmail, becomes the crucial thread that begins to unravel the mystery of who killed Theron and why.

As the pieces start to align, the story tightens its grip, pulling the cast into a web of old loyalties and dangerous secrets. The pursuit of justice in a sunlit paradise becomes a tense, morally gray game where motives are not always what they seem, and every conversation could be a clue, a trap, or a confession waiting to surface. The final turns hinge on trust, opportunity, and the late-breaking truth that Theron’s past casts a long shadow over the present, guiding the reader toward the elusive answer that ties the murder to a motive rooted in history, blackmail, and the fragile line between protection and exploitation.