Playing Dead [Hardcover]

Allison Brennan (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 472 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1607510553
• ISBN-13: 978-1607510550
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,213,563 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dear Reader:

Like most writers, I am an avid reader. I started light - Encyclopedia Brown, Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew - but by the time I was eleven, I'd discovered my mom's vast Agatha Christie and Ed McBain collections.

But two things happened on my way to becoming a mystery writer.

First, I discovered Stephen King.

As a thirteen-year-old book fanatic, I learned about page-turners early. I wrote Stephen King a fan letter after reading THE STAND and told him I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. He wrote back and told me: "If you want to be a writer, write." Which I took to mean, why wait until I grew up?

My problem? I never finished anything I started. As soon as I was well into the story and had figured out what was going to happen, I became bored and started a new project.

In high school, I became fascinated with true crime, and it wasn't until college that I started reading my mom's romance novels. They hadn't appealed to me as a teenager, but as a "mature" twenty-one year old, I found them entertaining.

Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, and others introduced me to contemporary novels that didn't involve murder, dismemberment, or deranged clowns living in the sewer.

Over the next decade, I built a career, married, had five kids, but never stopped reading--or writing.

I soon discovered a wonderful blend of suspense and romance with the romantic suspense novels of Tami Hoag, Kay Hooper and Lisa Gardner, and knew exactly what I wanted to write. I could take my mystery reader background, my fascination with true crime, and my desire for the happily ever after, and blend it into a romantic thriller.

I love romance because I want a happy ending. True love should win over adversity. IF the hero and heroine are worthy. They need to earn it, because nothing achieved easily is truly appreciated. But I also love intense thrills and chills because they are physical--fear causes the entire body to react, heart pounding, head thumping, hands shaking.

I'm thrilled to have a new series. LOVE ME TO DEATH started the Lucy Kincaid series. Lucy is an aspiring FBI agent with a troubled past. Readers can follow her from application to Quantico and -- hopefully -- as a Special Agent. The fourth book in the series, SILENCED, will be out on 4.24.12.

Thank you to all my readers who continuing to buy and read my books. I appreciate your feedback and enthusiasm. I will keep writing as long as you keep reading!

Happy Reading!
Allison Brennan

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New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan has published seventeen romantic thrillers, in addition to several short stories. Allison is a five-time RITA award nominee for Best Romantic Suspense, and the Daphne du Maurier winner for Best Mainstream Suspense for FEAR NO EVIL. She also has an essay on Daphne du Maurier's REBECCA in the Edgar-nominated 100 MUST READ THRILLERS.

A former consultant in the California State Legislature, Allison lives in northern California with her husband Dan and their five kids. She's currently writing ... or attending her kids sporting events.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, unputdownable, unforgettable!, October 21, 2008

By 

GinRobi (Timmins, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Playing Dead (Prison Break, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

Claire O'Brien is a successful fraud investigator, assuming that they are all guilty until proven otherwise. After her father went to prison, she wouldn't, and hasn't really, trusted anyone. As she goes out to investigate a suspicious fire, her father surprises her, begging for help. He doesn't care if he ends up back in prison, he doesn't care that in four weeks, he'll walk that stretch of corridor knowing he wouldn't be coming back. What he cares about is that he doesn't go to his grave without Claire knowing the truth ~ that he never killed her mother or her lover. That he was framed.

But the begging fell on deaf ears. Until, that is, when Claire found a letter from her father in her home office. That letter let curiosity out of the bag, and Claire began her own investigation. The more questions she posed, the more questions than answers she got back, and the more runaround the received, the more she believed that her father really was innocent.

Meanwhile, Mitch (FBI agent - we've met him in the first two books in the trilogy) had befriended Claire, hoping to get close to her, truly believing that her father would eventually contact her. What he didn't plan on was falling in love with her. Now the question is - will he be able to keep her alive and prove that her father really is innocent when a psychopath made it clear he wants Claire - dead?

Even though I enjoyed the first two novels in the series, this was the perfect ending to the trilogy. Gripping, chilling, suspenseful, you truly won't be able to put the book down. You'll pick it right back up.

You're sucked into the story and follow along with Claire as she tries to piece together what had happened 15 years ago. What and why. You really feel what Claire and Mitch feel for each other, including their inner battles. Great action, tenseful scenes, an excellent mystery. Plenty of colourful characters, but not too many; just the right amount that you knew exactly who all the players were - except for one.

The more questions Claire poses, the more questions she comes up with that are left unanswered. And the more you twist and turn into the story, the more you think you believe who the psycho is that's after Claire. And I was so sure of myself, so darn sure. And I was off, way off... And I adore it when an author does that to me. If an author leaves me completely clueless until you find out exactly who it is, or all clues point to someone else and you're totally wrong in your assumption, to me... the best romantic suspense thrillers around.

Allison Brennan is definitely an author not to ignore! I can't wait for her next trilogy!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Never saw it comming....., October 6, 2008

By 

Nita Holliday - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Playing Dead (Prison Break, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

Brennan, sure knows how to keep a reader on thier seat. The entire book I was betting that the culprite was someone else. The sub characters were just as strong as the main characters and it was good to see Nelia KinCaid have a story. I hope we see more of her in future books, and see her reconnect with her family as that leaves only two KinCaids without a main story (Jack and Patrick). Looking forward to her next book, even though March 09 is 6 months away.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New Experience, April 30, 2009

By 

A. Mazer "RomanceLover666" (Pasadena, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Playing Dead (Prison Break, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'd never read a murder mystery before. I love watching them on TV, figuring out whodunit, but what I found here was an amazing experience. The romance between Mitch and Claire was almost cliche. The guy loses the girl then wins the girl... But with "The Assassin" and being secretive and the flashbacks about Jeffrey. I fell in love with murder. It's easy to get hooked on Allison Brennan's novels, the FBI, the weapons, the witnesses/suspects. You can't see it! With TV, you can guess the murderer and you're usually right, but with her books, she's keeps you guessing! It was so fun to read! This is on my list for if I was trapped on a desert island and could only have like twenty books. It's number 6 or something. :-)