Play Dead

by Meryl Sawyer

Book Overview

How do you stop a killer when everyone thinks you're dead? When Newport Beach heiress Hayley Fordham heads to Costa Rica on an art commission, she has no idea she's narrowly escaped an assassin's car... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373774532
• ISBN13: 9780373774531
• Release Date: April 2010
• Publisher: Hqn
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

Abrupt Ending

*** Spoiler Alert *** Spoiler Alert *** Spoiler Alert *** Spoiler Alert *** Spoiler Alert *** Spoiler Alert *** Spoiler Alert *** Spoiler Alert *** Spoiler Alert *** Spoiler Alert *** Spoiler Alert *** Spoiler Alert *** I enjoyed reading this book, but I didn't feel like things were tied up at the end. I was actually was annoyed when Ryan told Hayley to stop thinking about what had happened, because we needed someone to "think" about it so we'd know what happened after Farah was killed. * What about the sister-in-law's drug addiction? Did Hayley or anyone follow thru and try to help her? Was her husband encouraging her drug addiction? And was she able to get herself together after he was no longer around? * What about the Farah's sleazy boyfriend? What was the purpose of his homemade meth operation? And where did he end up after she was killed? * What about the nephew? What happened to him after the trauma of his aunt being blown up and then resurrected and then kidnapped and then his other aunt dying and his father going to jail? Hayley was concerned about him and was going to talk to her brother, but then you never hear about him again. * Why have the brother "too wimpy" to kill his sister and then sent alone to shoot the crooked attorney who was supposedly his friend? Is it easier to kill a friend you like than a sibling you resent? * What happened to Trent and Farah's mother after her children are exposed as the culprits? If she was still in love with their father, then how did she feel about one of her children being responsible for his death and both involved in covering it up? Or was she also involved in the plot? * Who else was involved in the plot? Who were the "paramedics" that came and helped take Hayley when she was at the beach? It couldn't have been Laird, since he was already there with his booth, and, at minimum, Trent would have been recogized by The Wrath and Timmy. * I understand that someone had to be blown up in the car, but what was the whole deal about the dead woman's husband being set up to look guilty, then not guilty, and then guilty again? It was almost like the author changed her mind about the direction she wanted to take that story in. I would have liked to see Hayley confront her arrogant brother. Oh, and that reminds me, part of the time, the siblings are referred to as "steps," but late in the book, Hayley refers to her sister as her "half-sister." And, since Hayley, in fact, did have the same father as the other two (and was born after her mother married her father), she was actually a half sibling, not a step. Oh, and Ryan's father was 50 years older than him? And what was the age difference between Aunt Meg and Hayley's mother? Because if Aunt Meg was 85, then she would have been 53 when Hayley was born -- so how much younger was Hayley's mother? And why did Aunt Meg think that Hayley should have been her daughter?

Play Dead

FBI investigator Ryan Hollister is reluctant to help solve the mystery of Hayley Fordham's death. Hayley was killed in a car bomb and Ryan isn't sure there is anything he can uncover that the police won't. After seeing a picture of Hayley then visiting her home, Ryan's sixth sense tells him to help her even if it`s just attraction speaking to him. The first surprise is that Hayley isn't dead and the next is who might be after her. Once the killer knows he didn't succeed in eliminating Hayley, Ryan knows he'll try again. Everyone seems to like and admire Hayley, so who wants her dead? The instant and intense connection Ryan feels for Haley is part pre-cognitive intuition and part plain old desire. It's equaled by his feelings of guilt though. Since losing his wife to cancer, Ryan has led a solitary life, so his sudden attraction to Hayley takes him by surprise and their romantic relationship feels inevitable. Hayley is charming and beautiful. She's a savvy businesswoman and a talented artist as well. She is a bit naïve when it comes to the danger surrounding her, but she handles everything thrown at her admirably. Play Dead is riveting and suspenseful from beginning to end. Nannette Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

good suspense and romance

Hayley Fordham is killed in a car bombing. Maybe. When Ryan Hollister gets involved in the investigation as a favor to his father's friend, things start looking more and more suspicious. Hayley appears to live a clean life, but her family is a different story. Any one of them could have something to do with her death. When Hayley turns up alive, Ryan finds himself protecting her and trying to solve her attempted murder. This is the first book by Meryl Sawyer that I have...more Hayley Fordham is killed in a car bombing. Maybe. When Ryan Hollister gets involved in the investigation as a favor to his father's friend, things start looking more and more suspicious. Hayley appears to live a clean life, but her family is a different story. Any one of them could have something to do with her death. When Hayley turns up alive, Ryan finds himself protecting her and trying to solve her attempted murder. This is the first book by Meryl Sawyer that I have read. I really enjoyed it, too. It was a good suspense without an obvious answer to the who-done-it--it kept me guessing right up until the end. The relationship between Hayley and Ryan was blended well into the story and didn't take over too much of the story. My only real nit is the ending. It was a little convoluted how things really worked out and I was slightly confused by what really happened. I would have liked just a bit more explanation. Overall, a great read. I really enjoyed the book and will look for more books by Sawyer. I received this book from netgalley to review.

terrific romantic suspense

Heiress Hayley Fordham is one of the owners of her late parents' Newport Beach surf shop. However she only wants to be an artist not a shopkeeper. When Hayley is given an opportunity to paint a mural for a hotel in Costa Rica, she leaves California for the Central American nation without telling her family; as she wants them not to interfere. She lends her car and house to an out of town friend in the area. While she is in Central America, her vehicle explodes killing her friend; her grieving family assumes Hayley died. Her stepsisters re-divide the estate while her Aunt Meg asks the son of a family friend, FBI agent Ryan Hollister to investigate her niece's death. He finds her alive, well and unaware that a killer will come after her once the culprit learns she lives. Filled with plausible great twists, Play Dead is a terrific romantic suspense starring a potential victim who if she surfaces will remain prey for an unknown adversary and the Fed who detests rich girls but admires the exception he now protects. Readers will be hooked when Hayley's car explodes only to be deeper engrossed when Ryan intercepts her. Filled with action and plenty of suspects, fans will enjoy the aptly titled Play Dead as Meryl Sawyer provides a strong thriller. Harriet Klausner