Playing Dead: A Novel of Suspense

by Allison Brennan

Book Overview

DEAD MAN RUNNING Sentenced to death for crimes he didn't commit, ex-cop Tom O'Brien is now a hunted fugitive. After fifteen years in prison, he's determined to prove his innocence-but first he must convince his daughter, whose testimony helped put him behind bars, that he has damning evidence of a plot to frame him. Claire is no longer the na ve teenager who arrived home to find her mother and her mother's lover shot dead and her father holding the...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345502736
• ISBN13: 9780345502735
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.3" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Can't Stop Reading Thriller!!!

Playing Dead is a superbly written mystery, thriller, suspense and romance novel all in one. Once you pick the book up you will have trouble putting it down. I finally finished the book and have to say that this book is filled with suspense, mystery and romance. You are introduced to the characters and given the back ground information needed to know the basis of the book. Fifteen years ago, Claire O'Brien, then 14 decides to go home from school for lunch. She walks in on her mom and her mom's lover, an assistant district attorney. Claire calls her father because she is upset about finding her mom in that situation. Tom O'Brien decides to confront his wife and lover so that he can end this charade of a marriage. When he arrives at his house he finds his wife and her lover shot dead in bed. Claire is the one that sees her father in the room and assumes he killed her mother and the other man. She is the prime witness in her father's trial. Claire goes through years of believing her father is guilty, and starting a new life without him. An aspiring young attorney does research and discovers things that can prove her father's innocence. Claire does not believe the guy and ignores everything he tells her, until her father, who had escaped from prison during an earthquake, leaves Claire a note telling her everything she needs to know to try and clear his name. She is torn between wanting to believe her father is innocent and a murderer. The story is now set for a page turning, full suspense thriller that you won't be able to put down. The FBI does everything to capture the fugitive Tom O'Brien. There is one FBI agent, Mitch Bianchi, who believes Tom is innocent and befriends Claire. He wants to find Tom before the local PD does, otherwise Tom is a dead man. Mitch is falling for Claire, just as Claire starts to be able to trust someone. Once you start reading Playing Dead you will be pulled into the suspense, thrills, mystery and romance of the 3rd book of the Prison Break trilogy. If you haven't already picked up this book to read I suggest you do. I know I will be reading the first two books in this trilogy!!

Playing Dead

excellent book, I didn't want to put it down. Allison Brennan is off to a great career.

Incredible, unputdownable, unforgettable!

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!

Never saw it comming.....

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.