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64th out of 76 books
—
68 voters
Play Dead
by
Anne Frasier
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. With her newest novel, Anne Frasier will really take your breath away... Watch your back, Elise. No one understands the dark side of Savannah better than homicide detective Elise Sandburg. As an infant, she was...more
Kindle Edition, 388 pages
Published
September 5th 2010
(first published June 1st 2004)
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Mix two main characters with a great deal of baggage, some southern voodoo and Savannah lore and a series of murders and bodies that seem to be dead but aren't REALLY dead and what do you get? Another fantastic Anne Frasier thriller.
This is the second book I've read by Anne Frasier. The first was Hush which I absolutely loved. Play Dead cements Anne Frasier at the top of my list of favorite mystery/thriller writers.
As with Hush the core of this novel is the characters. Frasier seems to be able t...more
This is the second book I've read by Anne Frasier. The first was Hush which I absolutely loved. Play Dead cements Anne Frasier at the top of my list of favorite mystery/thriller writers.
As with Hush the core of this novel is the characters. Frasier seems to be able t...more
‘Play Dead’ is a fun take on the somewhat overdone zombie genre. Frasier gets back to the zombie roots, ignoring the scientific, weaponized creation of zombies and looking at the voodoo/hoodoo roots of zombie creation. Now, don’t let that fool you, this is not a “horror” novel. While I initially got the book because it was listed as a voodoo-horror-novel, it’s actually a mystery-crime story, and the “zombies” aren’t really supernatural creatures at all. In fact, zombies are really just a side no...more
Despite the fact that I have numerous other books in my to-be-read pile I couldn't help moving Play Dead to the front based on the cover alone. It's fantastically creepy and morose. Which I was apparently in the mood for when I started reading this earlier today.
Ironically, after I finished the book I realized that I've recently read another book by Frasier (HUSH) and while I enjoyed that one, I adored this novel.
Set in the sweltering south amid voodoo lore and "root doctoring" (a phrase I had...more
Ironically, after I finished the book I realized that I've recently read another book by Frasier (HUSH) and while I enjoyed that one, I adored this novel.
Set in the sweltering south amid voodoo lore and "root doctoring" (a phrase I had...more
1 like · like · see review
Anne Frasier, aka Theresa Weir, wrote a complex contemporary thriller with a strong heroine when she completed the book PLAY DEAD. Elise Sandberg, a divorced police detective with a 13 year old daughter who would rather spend her time elsewhere, faces off voodoo, living zombies and a serial killer on the loose in Savannah, GA.
Elise was a competent and respected woman yet vulnerable when it came to her daughter, Audrey. Her partner on the force, David Gould, has many imperfections with ghosts su...more
Elise was a competent and respected woman yet vulnerable when it came to her daughter, Audrey. Her partner on the force, David Gould, has many imperfections with ghosts su...more
Buku kedua yg gw baca, ceritanya seperti biasa Anne Frasier yang bikin suspensnya menarik, kali ini kisah kematian orang2 secara misterius dan unik karena meski dinyatakan mati tapi orang tersebut masih bisa mendengar dalam pikirannya, bahkan masih bisa menggerakkan sedikit anggota badannya sebentar.
Tokohnya pun bermasalah seperti biasa, tokoh ceweknya adalah seorang janda muda yang memiliki anak perempuan berumur 13 tahun, memiliki masalah karena dia merasa semakin jauh dari anaknya yang lebih...more
Tokohnya pun bermasalah seperti biasa, tokoh ceweknya adalah seorang janda muda yang memiliki anak perempuan berumur 13 tahun, memiliki masalah karena dia merasa semakin jauh dari anaknya yang lebih...more
I really wanted to like this book. The summary and previous reviews made it sound very intriguing, and the setting of Savannah, GA made it hard for me to pass up. However, the descriptions of the city and its residents did not ring true to the city I know and love - seemed more like someone who had read a book about Savannah or maybe passed through the city once. I decided to overlook that personal disconnect, read the story as if it were set in a "fictional" city, and just enjoy the mystery. Bu...more
Great, great story!! this book was well written, the storyline intriuging with just the right amount of thrill, mystery, suspense..even laughter and a touch of romance. David was definitely on my list of suspects at the beginning, but as I continued to read, I just noticed he was tortured, not nuts. Elise was pretty cool, a bit weak to me when it came to her bratty daughter, Audrey, but otherwise a good person. Loved how she was open to things "outside the norm" when it came to the case and find...more
"As he always said, what doesnt kill you, makes you bitter"
Play dead was a free kindle book i picked up on recommendation from a colleague. as such, i had done no research on what the book was about, so this was a complete surprise, and didnt go where i expected.
The book concerns a series of "murders" where men are waking up during autopsy,or coming back from the dead, but the last thing i expected was for the book to lead in a mystical voodoo direction.
The detectives were suitably flawed - Da...more
Play dead was a free kindle book i picked up on recommendation from a colleague. as such, i had done no research on what the book was about, so this was a complete surprise, and didnt go where i expected.
The book concerns a series of "murders" where men are waking up during autopsy,or coming back from the dead, but the last thing i expected was for the book to lead in a mystical voodoo direction.
The detectives were suitably flawed - Da...more
1 like · like · see review
Elise Sandburg and David Gould are homicide partners in the Savannah Police department. They are called in when a mortuary assistant finds out one of his clients is not really dead but like a 'zombie'. Someone is drugging people to resemble the dead but their minds are fully aware. Creepy!!
Elise is a native Savannahan. Her father is believed to be a famous root doctor but she was left in a cemetery as a baby to die. Elise knows about Gullah and the spells and culture.
David is a stand-offish Yank...more
Elise is a native Savannahan. Her father is believed to be a famous root doctor but she was left in a cemetery as a baby to die. Elise knows about Gullah and the spells and culture.
David is a stand-offish Yank...more
Oct 06, 2011
Laura
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who likes suspense, mystery, and off-beat Southern culture
Shelves:
read-in-2011
I really enjoyed this book! It was very interesting, and I found it hard to put down. I don't get why people say this book has a supernatural ending; maybe I missed something, but the supernatural was an undertone in this book and it is never directly stated whether the "supernatural" or "paranormal" actually exists.
On a side note, I was very surprised when (view spoiler)...more
On a side note, I was very surprised when (view spoiler)...more
This was my first Anne Frasier book. I think I ordered it from Amazon, trying to meet that $25 amount for free shipping. LOL What a great find though. The book was very hard to put down; I had to pace myself. I find myself wishing a sequel had been written because I'd really like to know if something more develops between the lead characters. Loved that the book took place in Savannah - it added great atmosphere to the novel. Loved the writing style too - not too wordy, short, concise sentences....more
This is a mystery book, but I also shelve it under horror because the idea of being paralyzed, but aware of everything and under the control of a criminal is horrifying. Not to mention finding out that the body you are cutting into to autopsy is really alive and not dead after all. And to make it worse, there is an element of necrophilia that eventually comes up. Don't kiss me with that corpse breath!
In addition, the author handled the culture of Savannah and that of the root doctors well.
Over...more
In addition, the author handled the culture of Savannah and that of the root doctors well.
Over...more
"I had a special place there. A secret place. A place where we could both play dead."
Play Dead is, on the surface, a police procedural with paranormal connotations. Delve a little deeper, however, and the voodoo cult-like acceptance of Victorian era myths enriched in Savannah become paramount to the character's psyche and their interactions amongst themselves. 'Play Dead' is an engrossing story involving an atypical murder case turned serial and the fly on the wall police perspective of those as...more
Play Dead is, on the surface, a police procedural with paranormal connotations. Delve a little deeper, however, and the voodoo cult-like acceptance of Victorian era myths enriched in Savannah become paramount to the character's psyche and their interactions amongst themselves. 'Play Dead' is an engrossing story involving an atypical murder case turned serial and the fly on the wall police perspective of those as...more
Elise Sandburg and David Gould are detectives in Savannah, working some homicide cases in which the dead really aren't dead. How are these corpses seemingly coming back to life?? With overtones of the supernatural, Elise and David become ever more personally involved in this case. I admit that I thought I had the ending figured out, but was surprised when the real culprit was revealed. I enjoyed the descriptions of Savannah, with most of the action taking place in the Historic District. A wonder...more
This book takes place in Savannah and is there any more literary city in America? To read this book made me feel the passion and heat and intensity of that Southern city almost as soon as I opened those pages.
In this cunning mystery, someone is kidnapping victims, torturing them and then dumping them, leaving them as if dead all over the city. Except they're not quite dead. Some of them wake up in the morgue after the pronouncement of death and officials soon realize the killer is giving the vic...more
In this cunning mystery, someone is kidnapping victims, torturing them and then dumping them, leaving them as if dead all over the city. Except they're not quite dead. Some of them wake up in the morgue after the pronouncement of death and officials soon realize the killer is giving the vic...more
I'm pretty sure that I picked this up from the Kindle Free Bestseller list awhile back, as I really liked the premise. I love these kind of books and the combination of crime and the occult always appeals. I very quickly got hooked and this one did not disappoint.
I really liked Elise as a character - she's flawed, strong, has an interesting past and a mystery to her origins which comes directly into play with the main plot line. She has a teenager daughter who is reluctant to have anything to do...more
I really liked Elise as a character - she's flawed, strong, has an interesting past and a mystery to her origins which comes directly into play with the main plot line. She has a teenager daughter who is reluctant to have anything to do...more
Jan 03, 2008
Sfdreams
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
mystery fans who like good character-driven plots
Shelves:
reviewed
I picked this up at a book fair and wasn't sure I would like this book or not--I have begun to shy away from the dark, gritty, in-the-head of serial killers kind of books. (Just don't want that negative energy in me anymore!) But although this deals with a serial killer, and there were chapters and parts of chapters from the killer's POV, I found that I enjoyed the characters and relationships in this book.
The main character is a cop, Elise, who was found as a baby in a cemetary in Savannah, Geo...more
The main character is a cop, Elise, who was found as a baby in a cemetary in Savannah, Geo...more
This was my first book to read of Anne Frasier's. I'm gad I did. I could barely put it down.
I loved the descriptions of the location of Savannah, Georgia. Savannah itself was a character.
The characters were believable and by the end, I could have kept reading more. I was happy to see that Ms. Frasier is working on a follow up novel to Play Dead. I will also say that this one kept me guessing right to the end. That is rare for me!
I am ready to read another of her novels and see how that compares.
I loved the descriptions of the location of Savannah, Georgia. Savannah itself was a character.
The characters were believable and by the end, I could have kept reading more. I was happy to see that Ms. Frasier is working on a follow up novel to Play Dead. I will also say that this one kept me guessing right to the end. That is rare for me!
I am ready to read another of her novels and see how that compares.
This is a book I actually wish was made into a movie. Zombies. A gorgeous but terrifying Savannah setting, creepy-smelly tunnels, old mansions, morgues, beautiful tortured people, scary tortured people, necrophiliacs and psychos. Did I mention zombies. All of it soaked in magic disguised as a regular georgian humidity. The story pulled me in despite the fact I was trying to get away from reading about hearbreak and tough decisions and simply looked for a good southern ghost story. I got that and...more
This was my first Anne Frasier book. I think I ordered it from Amazon, trying to meet that $25 amount for free shipping. LOL What a great find though. The book was very hard to put down; I had to pace myself. I find myself wishing a sequel had been written because I'd really like to know if something more develops between the lead characters. Loved that the book took place in Savannah - it added great atmosphere to the novel. Loved the writing style too - not too wordy, short, concise sentences....more
Sep 03, 2011
Domenique Camilleri
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2011-2012
This book is about someone who was doing an autopsy and finds out that the body seems to be still alive. He understands everything that is happening around him at the time and can speak or do anything. This is what made people believe he was dead, he slowly died because of something in his blood. If you want to read something that will scare you during your reading this is the book for you. I read this book on my kindle and i found myself reading it during the day.
A very creepy book about real zombies. As in, living humans who are zombified by drugs and not the horror-story kind who only want to eat your brain.
Even though I was up way too late reading this last night because I had to know how it would end, I can’t give it more than three stars. It was good and I look forward to reading the other books from this author that I got for free on my Kindle, but it didn’t really stand out as something above the crowd, if that makes sense.
Even though I was up way too late reading this last night because I had to know how it would end, I can’t give it more than three stars. It was good and I look forward to reading the other books from this author that I got for free on my Kindle, but it didn’t really stand out as something above the crowd, if that makes sense.
I had read this books year ago and then somebody recommended the author to me very recently. I was half way through the book before I even realized I had read it before. I loved it all over again. The main character Elise and her partner David had the perfect oil and vinegar relationship, add in their baggage, voodoo, zombies and you have one great ride. Very happy to have rediscovered this author and looking forward to reading more of her books.
While I originally thought this book would be much creepier than it was, the book had a rather suspenseful undertone, and really kept me coming back for more. The end was a bit hurried-feeling, as though the author were just done with the book or didn't know what else to do with the characters, but as with all intriguing characters, I always love to hear more instead of less! I will definitely be searching out Anne Frasier's literature in the future!
This was an okay read, but not spectacular. I found the characters Elise and David somewhat interesting, but I could have done without the killer's point of view. I don't usually like being exposed to the bad guy/gal's thought processes, but it did succeed in creeping me out. I read on the author's blog about a sequel to this book, but I doubt I'll read it when it comes out. This book just didn't leave me wanting more.
Sep 14, 2011
Sheri Salatin
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Sheri by:
find books by title / author / isbn
Whew. What a story. I'm still kind of intrigued. A drug that can mimic death, but you're not really dead?
Scary stuff.
This was a really suspenseful book and usually I can guess the endings on these kinds of book, but not this time. I felt my mouth drop open at the end when the "whodunnit" was revealed.
I gave this book 3 stars because of the language and the darkness. Not one I would recommend, but one that I enjoyed despite the personal problems with it. :)
Scary stuff.
This was a really suspenseful book and usually I can guess the endings on these kinds of book, but not this time. I felt my mouth drop open at the end when the "whodunnit" was revealed.
I gave this book 3 stars because of the language and the darkness. Not one I would recommend, but one that I enjoyed despite the personal problems with it. :)
finished this one and liked it alright. The setting was Savannah and I love to read books set in Savannah. The characters were likable and I'd like to read more about them. I'd really like to know what happens with Elise and David. Do they remain work partners or become more. Don't know if there is another book with these characters so I'll have to go find out. Loved the weirdness of the root doctor angle.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Anne Frasier skillfully capitalizes on Savannah, Georgia's dark side to stage this briskly-paced thriller. What's not to love about voodoo and the undead? Play Dead was a good, fast read with a satisfying ending. I did find that at times the writing itself was a little lackluster, and a disappointing overuse of the F Bomb. Just my personal taste on that one, but can we not be a tad more resourceful in creating drama? Jus' sayin'...
Voodoo in Savannah. Zombies that are not really zombies. Really it is a pretty good mystery-- NOT horror. My only complaint is that I think the the murderer came out of left field ---- almost like the author wasn't playing exactly fair with us. Maybe I missed something, however. I have to say that the author really knows how to create a very spooky atmosphere.
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Apr 13, 2012 06:07pm