Play Dead [Paperback]

Anne Frasier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004

Her USA Today bestseller, Sleep Tight, was called "compelling and real-a great read" by Andrea Kane. "Guaranteed to keep you awake at night," raved Lisa Jackson. Now, Anne Frasier takes readers to the dark side of Savannah, where a female homicide detective must confront the truth about her own past in order to stop a twisted serial killer...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Frasier (Sleep Tight, etc.) has perfected the art of making a reader's skin crawl, which is evident from this book's very first scene, in which a medical examiner discovers in the midst of an autopsy that the cadaver he's working on is really a live person. Set in Savannah, Ga., this exceptional thriller follows the hunt for the deranged person who's drugging people so that their minds remain wide awake even as their bodies resemble death. The creepiness factor increases when Frasier introduces homicide detective Elise Sandburg, who was abandoned in a cemetery as a baby and who knows Gullah spells and culture. Elise's partner, anti-social David Gould, is equally strange; his past holds secrets so dark he should be under psychiatric care. Formerly with the FBI, Gould currently lives in a rundown, foul-smelling apartment and sleeps with a prostitute who works for a voodoo priestess. As the two detectives follow leads to the priestess and the former college professor who researched the drug, they forge a tentative bond and come to terms with their own troubled pasts. Frasier's characters are not only fully realized, but fascinating to boot, and she evokes the dark, mystical side of Savannah with precision and skill. Appropriately, this unsettling tale closes with a grim children's rhyme and a spell for "Elise's Follow-Me-Boy Mojo."
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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451411374
• ISBN-13: 978-0451411372
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #672,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anne Frasier (a.k.a. Theresa Weir) is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of twenty-one books and numerous short stories that have spanned the genres of suspense, mystery, thriller, romantic suspense, paranormal, and memoir. Her titles have been printed in both hardcover and paperback and translated into twenty languages. Her memoir, The Orchard, was a 2011 Oprah Magazine Fall Pick, Number Two on the Indie Next list, a featured B+ review in Entertainment Weekly, and a Librarians' Best Books of 2011. Going back to 1988, Weir's debut title was the cult phenomenon AMAZON LILY, initially published by Pocket Books and later reissued by Bantam Books. Writing as Theresa Weir she won a RITA for romantic suspense (COOL SHADE), and a year later the Daphne du Maurier for paranormal romance (BAD KARMA). In her more recent Anne Frasier career, her thriller and suspense titles hit the USA Today list (HUSH, SLEEP TIGHT, PLAY DEAD) and were featured in Mystery Guild, Literary Guild, and Book of the Month Club. HUSH was both a RITA and Daphne du Maurier finalist. Well-known in the mystery community, she served as hardcover judge for the Thriller presented by International Thriller Writers, and was guest of honor at the Diversicon 16 mystery/science fiction conference held in Minneapolis in 2008. Frasier books have received high praise from print publications such as Publishers Weekly, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and Crimespree, as well as online praise from Spinetingler, Book Loons, Armchair Interviews, Sarah Weinman's Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind, and Ali Karim's Shots Magazine. Her books have featured cover quotes from Lisa Gardner, Jane Ann Krentz, Linda Howard, Kay Hooper, and J.A. Konrath. Her short stories and poetry can be found in DISCOUNT NOIR, ONCE UPON A CRIME, and THE LINEUP, POEMS ON CRIME. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers.


Recent releases:

The Orchard -- Theresa Weir memoir (hardcover) September 2011 Grand Central Publishing
Deadly Treats -- Halloween anthology edited and compiled by Anne Frasier (trade paperback) September 2011 Nodin Press
Max Under the Stars-- Theresa Weir digital-only short story/fantasy, 2011

Upcoming releases:

Once Upon a Crime anthology, Red Cadillac (short story) by Anne Frasier -- April 2012
Second Theresa Weir memoir (Alzheimer's), coming late 2012
Book One of the Cat Trilogy (Theresa Weir) coming late 2012
Play Dead sequel (Anne Frasier), coming early 2013

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hang on by Your Fingernails, January 23, 2005

By 

Hippolytos (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Play Dead (Paperback)

SUMMARY: Savannah police detective Elise Sandburg has enough to deal with: a house that's falling apart, a difficult teenage daughter, and an annoying yet mysterious new partner. Suddenly, young male prostitutes start turning up dead....or somewhat dead. The tradition of voodoo in the Deep South get a new slant as freshly buried serial victims claw their way out of their final resting places. To catch the killer, Elise will have to delve deep into a past she relinquished a lifetime ago.

WHY YOU'LL LIKE IT: Frasier has a gift for immediately involving you in a story. She writes top-notch suspense that is engrossing and addictive. Characterizations are complete; truly surprising plot twists abound. Frasier is a must-have addition to any mystery/suspense lover's personal library.

WHY YOU WON'T: If prostitution and/or voodoo turn you off, get over it and read this anyway.

BOTTOM LINE: Best of genre. Frasier just keeps getting better.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Summer Read, July 12, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Play Dead (Paperback)

I read this book in one day. Something I haven't done in quite a while. The characters were compelling. The plot fascinating. The dialogue excellent. If only all thrillers were this thrilling. I like Anne Frasier's first two books but I loved this one. Her best so far.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most compelling book I've read all year, September 2, 2004

By 

Avid Reader (Algonquin, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Play Dead (Paperback)

Once I started reading PLAY DEAD, I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed HUSH and SLEEP TIGHT very much, but this is the best. Anne Frasier has a way of getting into the skin of her characters that makes every book unforgettable. Her characters are so unusual and so bent, yet by the end of the book they're part of you. I finished reading the book yesterday, but I've been thinking about it ever since.