“A compelling family mystery that kept me turning the pages. Highly recommended.”—Margaret Maron, New York Times bestselling author of Three Day Town
“Dear Tommie: Have you ever wondered about who you are?”
The letter that turns Tommie McCloud’s world upside down arrives from a stranger only days after her father’s death. The woman who wrote it claims that Tommie is her daughter—and that she was kidnapped as a baby thirty-one years ago.
Tommie wants to believe it’s all a hoax, but suddenly a girl who grew up on a Texas ranch finds herself linked to a horrific past: the slaughter of a family in Chicago, the murder of an Oklahoma beauty queen, and the kidnapping of a little girl named Adriana. Tommie races along a twisting, nightmarish path while an unseen stalker is determined to keep old secrets locked inside the dementia-battered brain of the woman who Tommie always thought was her real mother. With everything she has ever believed in question, and no one she can trust, Tommie must discover the truth about the girl who vanished—and the very real threats that still remain.
“[Julia Heaberlin’s] voice is pitch perfect, and her story of one woman’s fierce struggle to reconcile her past with her present is gripping and powerful. An outstanding debut.”—Carla Buckley, author of Invisible
Playing Dead: A Novel
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“In a word, this book is fun.” —Fort-Worth Star-Telegram
“Tommie is a smart, sassy, loving, and doggedly persistent narrator in this fast-moving mystery that occasionally tugs at the heartstrings. A promising debut.”
—Booklist
“Tommie McCloud is the kind of character that every female reader ends up wanting as a sister of best friend—a friend of passionate loyalties, a no-nonsense woman who doesn’t possess the insincerity gene, a not-too-girly Texas spitfire…feverishly compelling….Heaberlintells the story with whip-smart dialogue, an insistent pace and keen wit; it’s irresistible enough that I sped through all 300-plus pages in one sitting.” —Dallas Morning News
"A terrific debut . . . Like the Chicken-Fried Steak that its characters love, Playing Dead combines Texas and Noir in unexpectedly wonderful ways, with a refreshingly real heroine and a plot thatmoves and twists with the unpredictability of a rodeo bull."
—Susanna Kearsley, author of The Rose Garden
“A debut crime novel from an author with a very promising future….Heaberlin can certainly keep the suspense going and dangled me like a fish on a line….Heaberlin’s debut is excellently written with a great mix of intrigue, murder and mystery to keep the reader determined to see what happens on Tommie’s journey.” —Crimesquad
“As Heaberlin leads the reader through several complex threads, her fast-paced narrative rarely flags.” —Detroit News
“Impressive….her debut’s most striking feature is Tommie’s narrative voice, which is so winning and vivacious.” —Sunday Times (UK)
“Tommie is a smart, sassy, loving, and doggedly persistent narrator in this fast-moving mystery that occasionally tugs at the heartstrings. A promising debut.”
—Booklist
“Tommie McCloud is the kind of character that every female reader ends up wanting as a sister of best friend—a friend of passionate loyalties, a no-nonsense woman who doesn’t possess the insincerity gene, a not-too-girly Texas spitfire…feverishly compelling….Heaberlintells the story with whip-smart dialogue, an insistent pace and keen wit; it’s irresistible enough that I sped through all 300-plus pages in one sitting.” —Dallas Morning News
"A terrific debut . . . Like the Chicken-Fried Steak that its characters love, Playing Dead combines Texas and Noir in unexpectedly wonderful ways, with a refreshingly real heroine and a plot thatmoves and twists with the unpredictability of a rodeo bull."
—Susanna Kearsley, author of The Rose Garden
“A debut crime novel from an author with a very promising future….Heaberlin can certainly keep the suspense going and dangled me like a fish on a line….Heaberlin’s debut is excellently written with a great mix of intrigue, murder and mystery to keep the reader determined to see what happens on Tommie’s journey.” —Crimesquad
“As Heaberlin leads the reader through several complex threads, her fast-paced narrative rarely flags.” —Detroit News
“Impressive….her debut’s most striking feature is Tommie’s narrative voice, which is so winning and vivacious.” —Sunday Times (UK)
About the Author
Julia Heaberlin was a journalist for more than twenty years for such newspapers as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The Detroit News. Playing Dead is her first novel. She lives with her family in Texas, where she is at work on her second book, Lie Still, to be published by Bantam Books.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By wwalden
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I loved this book, the characters, location, setting and style of writing. The book came in the mail on Friday and I finished it on Sunday afternoon...laundry, house work and a shopping trip with a grandson all got in the way of my reading it in one sitting....I truly did not want to put it down! I surely hope Julia Heaberlin continues to write as I can hardly wait for her next book to come out....hope she continues with some of these characters...maybe we'll find out how they patch their lives together now that they are finding out who they are! Whatever she writes about, I will read it! This was my first experience reading her writing, hope it's not the last! Write on!
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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I enjoyed the characters and the well-evoked wide-sky Texas setting of this thriller so much it gave me a case of cognitive dissonance--I wanted to keep reading as fast as I could to figure everything out and I wanted to go slow and have the book world I was inhabiting last as long as possible. Tommie, tough and compassionate--a former rodeo star now working on a PhD in psychology, is home for her father's funeral when she gets a letter that throws everything she thinks she knows about her life and family in question. Was she kidnapped as a baby and raised by people who aren't blood relatives? With her father no longer around and her mother no longer lucid there is nobody she can go to for answers. As she begins to investigate the threat of danger surfaces immediately, making Tommie desperate to protect what's left of the family she knows and loves--her free spirited younger sister and her elementary school age niece. Plenty of plot twists kept me guessing so I figured out some but not all of the eventual outcome. I'm looking forward to reading more by Julia Heaberlin. For now, this first book has left me with a strong desire to see the small towns and open ranges of Texas for myself.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By P. Woodland
Format:Paperback
Tommie McCloud has her life turned upside down upon the death of her beloved father. It starts with a letter from a mildly crazy woman - the wife of an imprisoned mobster - who is claiming that Tommie is her daughter. A daughter kidnapped many years ago and never found. As Tommie investigates the letter and her parents' pasts she finds out information that is probably better off staying buried.
I'm a bit torn with this book. The premise held so much promise and the secrets revealed throughout provided some wild twists and turns yet the storytelling did not live up to the promise. The heroine was at turns a noiresque broad who could stand up to anyone and anything. A woman who could shoot any gun, any time and ask questions later. And at other times she was a weepy pile of mush. The two personalities just didn't seem to belong within the same woman and I was left conflicted.
Tommie's reactions in certain situations were assured and as if she were in law enforcement and in others just like the psychology student she purported to be. She was of course rich and beautiful to boot. She was if I had to choose one word, implausible.
The plot points were very good and this is a hard review to write without spoiling the story as so much of it is wrapped in secrets I don't want to spill. So - I liked the story but not the heroine. Weird but true.
I'm a bit torn with this book. The premise held so much promise and the secrets revealed throughout provided some wild twists and turns yet the storytelling did not live up to the promise. The heroine was at turns a noiresque broad who could stand up to anyone and anything. A woman who could shoot any gun, any time and ask questions later. And at other times she was a weepy pile of mush. The two personalities just didn't seem to belong within the same woman and I was left conflicted.
Tommie's reactions in certain situations were assured and as if she were in law enforcement and in others just like the psychology student she purported to be. She was of course rich and beautiful to boot. She was if I had to choose one word, implausible.
The plot points were very good and this is a hard review to write without spoiling the story as so much of it is wrapped in secrets I don't want to spill. So - I liked the story but not the heroine. Weird but true.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing
I liked the first person narrative, written like a memoir. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a family saga.
Published 1 day ago by Nancy Quirk
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing
I was amazed with the storylines and surprised by the several twists & turns. A few spots had me a little confused but it would eventually make sense. Surprise ending...
Published 2 days ago by Tina
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oh What a Tangled Web Julia Heaberlin Weaves
Tommie's beloved father has just died, and Tommie is back in Ponder, Texas to take care of the family home. Her mother is in assisted living, barely there mentally. Read more
Published 27 days ago by E. Burian-Mohr
4.0 out of 5 stars
Heaberlin's Playing Dead
Drama, drama, and more drama. That is what this book provides. A 31-year old woman finds out that she isn't who she thinks she is. Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. A. Boswell
3.0 out of 5 stars
a lot going on
Very well written, but, a lot of going on. If you like lots and lots and lots of twists, turn... where your head is spinning excellent book!!!
Published 1 month ago by C. Kinney
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good book
I am never effusive in my reviews. This book was an excellent read by an author I had never known before.
Published 2 months ago by Good Guy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting
I really enjoyed reading this book. There was not a single boring page in it. I wanted to hurry through to see what happened next, as it did keep me wondering. Read more
Published 2 months ago by majikabo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Reading
Loved it! Julia Heaberlin's writing style and characters are unforgetable. Can't wait for her next book to come out. Hope she writes many more.
Published 2 months ago by jleaj
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!
I loved this book, and once I started reading it I could not put it down. A great suspense, with a satisfying ending.
Published 2 months ago by Kathryn Arrigo
4.0 out of 5 stars
3.5 but i'll go with 4..
This story is a truly unique one. Unique as in it would only happen in a fiction novel, probably not even on television or in a movie. Read more
Published 2 months ago by F. Zawaydeh
