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Dying To Play
Dying To Play by Debra Webb released on Jan 11, 2005 is available now for purchase.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Debra Webb
604 books2,579 followersDEBRA WEBB is the USA Today bestselling author of more than 180 novels, including reader favorites the Finley O'Sullivan and Devlin & Falco series. She is the recipient of the prestigious Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Romantic Suspense as well as numerous Reviewers Choice Awards. In 2012 Debra was honored as the first recipient of the esteemed L. A. Banks Warrior Woman Award for her courage, strength, and grace in the face of adversity. Recently Debra was awarded the distinguished Centennial Award for having achieved publication of her 100th novel.
With more than ten million books in print in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood when her mother bought her an old typewriter in a tag sale. Born in Alabama, Debra grew up on a farm. She spent every available hour exploring the world around her and creating her stories. She wrote her first story at age nine and her first romance at thirteen. It wasn’t until she spent three years working for the Commanding General of the US Army in Berlin behind the Iron Curtain and a five-year stint in NASA’s Shuttle Program that she realized her true calling. A collision course between suspense and romance was set. Since then she has expanded her work into some of the darkest places the human psyche dares to go. Visit Debra at www.debrawebb.com.
With more than ten million books in print in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood when her mother bought her an old typewriter in a tag sale. Born in Alabama, Debra grew up on a farm. She spent every available hour exploring the world around her and creating her stories. She wrote her first story at age nine and her first romance at thirteen. It wasn’t until she spent three years working for the Commanding General of the US Army in Berlin behind the Iron Curtain and a five-year stint in NASA’s Shuttle Program that she realized her true calling. A collision course between suspense and romance was set. Since then she has expanded her work into some of the darkest places the human psyche dares to go. Visit Debra at www.debrawebb.com.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 25, 2015
What happens when people who seem to have everything going for them suddenly turn to murder and suicide? How do your prove that these seemly random acts are tied together when your gut is screaming at you that they are but there is no forensics that can prove it? And how do you trust a broken FBI Agent seemly obsessed with a serial killer when everyone is telling you you can't but your heart is telling you that you should? These are the questions plaguing Atlanta's Deputy Chief of Detectives Elaine Jentzen when a series of homicide/suicides start popping up around her town and she is forced to work with FBI agent Trace Callahan to find the answers. Trace believes that a high profile serial killer, the Gamekeeper, is behind it all but the evidence is pointing to him and Elaine is almost convinced until she realizes that Trace will be the next to die!
Debra Webb did it again in this fast paced romantic suspense that will keep you glued to your seat and flipping the pages to find out the truth!
Debra Webb did it again in this fast paced romantic suspense that will keep you glued to your seat and flipping the pages to find out the truth!
November 15, 2015
Dying to Play is a reissue from Debra Webb so it is a book that is new for those of us that missed it the first time around and for those who have already enjoyed it before a chance to get it with a beautiful new cover.
The Gamekeeper, who is the the bad guy in this book, is a timeless character who would fit as perfectly as a killer today as he did when this book was first published so I loved how this book did not feel like it was dated at all like some books that are brought back are. I also loved the matchup of Elaine and Trace. They both balanced each other out very well by complimenting each other's weaknesses and strengths. I also liked how as a reader you could feel the attraction between them.
I thought the mystery of who the Gamekeeper was and who the bad people were was well written in this book. It kept the reader guessing because you are not really sure who to trust besides Elaine.
I am giving Dying to Play five out of five stars.
The Gamekeeper, who is the the bad guy in this book, is a timeless character who would fit as perfectly as a killer today as he did when this book was first published so I loved how this book did not feel like it was dated at all like some books that are brought back are. I also loved the matchup of Elaine and Trace. They both balanced each other out very well by complimenting each other's weaknesses and strengths. I also liked how as a reader you could feel the attraction between them.
I thought the mystery of who the Gamekeeper was and who the bad people were was well written in this book. It kept the reader guessing because you are not really sure who to trust besides Elaine.
I am giving Dying to Play five out of five stars.
November 15, 2015
Debra Webb is the master of Romantic Suspense!
Trace Callahan, a burnt-out FBI agent and Elaine Jentzen, Atlanta’s Deputy Chief of Detectives, with secrets of her own, must work together to solve one of Atlanta’s most baffling homicides. Trace is convinced a serial killer known as the Gamekeeper is behind the deadly homicides. Elaine is not so sure, because all the evidence is pointing to Trace. That is-until Elaine finds a link to a computer game with a warning that Trace will be the next to die.
Debra Webb continues her reign as the master of romantic suspense with this fast moving, edge- of- your- seat thrill ride. As the hunt for the Gamekeeper intensifies-the attraction between Trace and Elaine ignites and brings you to an ending that you never see coming. Let the games begin!
Trace Callahan, a burnt-out FBI agent and Elaine Jentzen, Atlanta’s Deputy Chief of Detectives, with secrets of her own, must work together to solve one of Atlanta’s most baffling homicides. Trace is convinced a serial killer known as the Gamekeeper is behind the deadly homicides. Elaine is not so sure, because all the evidence is pointing to Trace. That is-until Elaine finds a link to a computer game with a warning that Trace will be the next to die.
Debra Webb continues her reign as the master of romantic suspense with this fast moving, edge- of- your- seat thrill ride. As the hunt for the Gamekeeper intensifies-the attraction between Trace and Elaine ignites and brings you to an ending that you never see coming. Let the games begin!
November 16, 2015
One of Ms. Webb's best. This book is about a serial killer who uses the internet to play games and find potential victims. He is so good at what he does that no one can track him down. He keeps getting closer and closer to the detective who is tracking him and the man helping her. As they get closer and closer, the gamekeeper keeps getting closer and closer to them. Non-stop, action-packed, can't put the book down 'til it's finished book!
February 18, 2016
A very intense and good read!! Love Webb's deranged mind!!
August 5, 2017
DYING TO PLAY by Debra Webb. The Gamekeeper, no one else had the game. It wasn't the body count, it was drawing his enemy closer in to the game..The FBI Trace and Deputy Chief Elaine are partnered, to concentration on this case. Can Trace and Elaine figure out what the game plan is, before more deaths. How does the gamekeeper think about Trace being here, he almost got caught once before, is there a bit of revenge for the two of them. This is a fast pace plot, the details as they happen are good. Readers will enjoy another gripping story, you won't want to put down.
February 21, 2019
This was a fairly interesting plot regarding a serial killer who played mind games with his victims, which caused them to go on shooting sprees before killing themselves.
I did find that I tired very quickly of the 'hidden' romance between the female detective and FBI agent assigned to the case. They resent each other immediately but in the back of their minds they are constantly thinking of sex and then getting gruff to cover it up blah blah blah. That romance side story was just too saccharin sweet.
I did find that I tired very quickly of the 'hidden' romance between the female detective and FBI agent assigned to the case. They resent each other immediately but in the back of their minds they are constantly thinking of sex and then getting gruff to cover it up blah blah blah. That romance side story was just too saccharin sweet.
July 23, 2024
Great detective story!
Slow beginning to the book as the reader learns the characters and their personalities. The second Half of the book is a page-turner with several surprises. Recommend you read.
Slow beginning to the book as the reader learns the characters and their personalities. The second Half of the book is a page-turner with several surprises. Recommend you read.
April 26, 2018
DYING TO PLAY
Good psychological thriller, it's a pretty intense book with a lot of action, and a very little amount of romance. The plot is farfetched, but it is fiction.
Good psychological thriller, it's a pretty intense book with a lot of action, and a very little amount of romance. The plot is farfetched, but it is fiction.
April 13, 2019
Not bad at all, a lot of twists and turns and some edgy moments make for an exciting read.
September 4, 2025
Good suspense novel, characters likable. Ending a little bit of a letdown .
January 29, 2017
Really good read but . . . the ending was a big let down
May 4, 2008
I once heard it said that there are only a limited number of plot lines available to write a romance story-that every romance book out there is a variation of one of these set "themes." I've read a lot of books that resemble each other in some ways, whether it be the type of characters in the story, the description of the villain, or the way the hero and heroine end up together. I'm happy to say, though, that it seems as if Ms. Webb never read the statement about all romances being alike-and if she did, she simply ignored it and wrote her own story. For that, we can all be happy, indeed!
I admit, DYING TO PLAY isn't the first romantic suspense story I've read by Debra Webb, and it invariably won't be the last. The reason is simple-this author has the ability to take two lead characters, throw in a non-typical baddy, mix it up with strong suspenseful situations, and have good overcome evil in a way that's usually not what you expected. This book is no different.
In Atlanta, Elaine Jentzen is in a precarious position. The youngest Deputy Chief of Detectives of the Homicide Division in the Atlanta Police Department's history, Elaine has no time for romantic entanglements, an active social life, or even dreams about having children of her own someday. A routine physical exam changes all of that, and at the worse possible time. While Deputy Chief Jentzen is finding out that she may never have children, a man walks into a bank, shoots the bank's President point-blank, and then turns the gun on himself.
What Elaine and her fellow officers don't understand is that the shooting at the bank is only a prelude of bad things to come. There's a game going on, one that Elaine is being pulled into unaware, that will put her face-to-face with the strongest, and most evil, of competitors. When Detective Jentzen is thrust into working with Trace Callahan, a burned-out FBI Agent fighting demons of his own past, Elaine is sure that things have just gone from bad to worse.
Little does she realize that Agent Callahan is the reason behind this evil computer game-Trace almost caught the elusive Gamekeeper once, and his partner died as a cause of his attempted heroic collar. Now the Gamekeeper is back, escalating his violence, drawing Trace farther and farther into his deadly web, and bringing Elaine along for the ride.
As the story progresses, you'll be on the edge of your seat, wondering yourself who could be behind this deadly game that Elaine and Trace have been caught up in. If you're like me, for once you won't be able to guess who the bad guy is, and that alone is worth reading this book.
DYING TO PLAY starts off with a bang and never lets the reader take a really big breath. Although the romantic relationship between Elaine and Trace waits until almost two-thirds of the book to develop, I can honestly say that I preferred it this way-in this story, at least, the elusive Gamekeeper and his demented game of hide and kill is the real story. The dialogue between the two main characters, the back-stabbing of Elaine's jealous fellow officers, the pain that still haunts Trace over the death of his partner, all work together to make DYING TO PLAY one of the best romantic suspense stories I've read this year.
I admit, DYING TO PLAY isn't the first romantic suspense story I've read by Debra Webb, and it invariably won't be the last. The reason is simple-this author has the ability to take two lead characters, throw in a non-typical baddy, mix it up with strong suspenseful situations, and have good overcome evil in a way that's usually not what you expected. This book is no different.
In Atlanta, Elaine Jentzen is in a precarious position. The youngest Deputy Chief of Detectives of the Homicide Division in the Atlanta Police Department's history, Elaine has no time for romantic entanglements, an active social life, or even dreams about having children of her own someday. A routine physical exam changes all of that, and at the worse possible time. While Deputy Chief Jentzen is finding out that she may never have children, a man walks into a bank, shoots the bank's President point-blank, and then turns the gun on himself.
What Elaine and her fellow officers don't understand is that the shooting at the bank is only a prelude of bad things to come. There's a game going on, one that Elaine is being pulled into unaware, that will put her face-to-face with the strongest, and most evil, of competitors. When Detective Jentzen is thrust into working with Trace Callahan, a burned-out FBI Agent fighting demons of his own past, Elaine is sure that things have just gone from bad to worse.
Little does she realize that Agent Callahan is the reason behind this evil computer game-Trace almost caught the elusive Gamekeeper once, and his partner died as a cause of his attempted heroic collar. Now the Gamekeeper is back, escalating his violence, drawing Trace farther and farther into his deadly web, and bringing Elaine along for the ride.
As the story progresses, you'll be on the edge of your seat, wondering yourself who could be behind this deadly game that Elaine and Trace have been caught up in. If you're like me, for once you won't be able to guess who the bad guy is, and that alone is worth reading this book.
DYING TO PLAY starts off with a bang and never lets the reader take a really big breath. Although the romantic relationship between Elaine and Trace waits until almost two-thirds of the book to develop, I can honestly say that I preferred it this way-in this story, at least, the elusive Gamekeeper and his demented game of hide and kill is the real story. The dialogue between the two main characters, the back-stabbing of Elaine's jealous fellow officers, the pain that still haunts Trace over the death of his partner, all work together to make DYING TO PLAY one of the best romantic suspense stories I've read this year.
November 16, 2015
I received a review copy of Dying to Play and this is an honest review of the book.The first thing that absolutely thrilled me about Dying to Play is that the action was set in Atlanta, which is the closest big city to where I live. It is delightful to see such familiar places mentioned in the book.
I love the characters in this book. Elaine Jentzen is a younger, female Chief of Detectives. She carries a lot of responsibility for a woman her age, and a history of competing for recognition of her talents within her male dominated family. Her partner, an older experienced detective knows how to play politics. He was a great foil for Elaine's obvious skill, and I was glad that even though he stepped aside to allow her to work a multiple homicide with the FBI's Trace Callahan, her partner kept an eye on Elaine.
Trace Callahan is everything I like in a hero - he's had great tragedy in his past and is working toward redemption. He's intelligent, knowledgeable, skillful, even though he appears to be a burnout at the beginning of the book. Why has the FBI sent him to Atlanta? Why do they keep tabs on his work there? Lots of questions arise, revealing a very complex man in Trace.
The characters are brought together because there's a string of multiple homicides. Normal people are killing others in bazaar circumstances for no apparent reason. How are they being leveraged into these crimes? Enter the Gamekeeper. Through most of the action, we don't know who the Gamekeeper is, only that Trace has worked on catching him in the past and knows that the Gamekeeper loves to trigger murder.
Who are Elaine's and Trace's allies? How is the Gamekeeper hiding him or herself? You won't know the answers to these questions until the very end of the book. Filled with unexpected twists and turns, Dying to Play is a great read. Debra Webb hits it out of the park yet again. I highly recommend this book.
November 18, 2015
Looks like the Gamekeeper is back to playing games again and is looking for new players in a new town; Atlanta! Or is it the Gamekeeper at all? Elaine Jentzen is the Deputy Chief of Detectives for Atlanta Police Department. She has got some personal issues going on in her life but that will have to wait while she tries to figure out why people who have the “perfect” lives are suddenly killing people without and with motives. Trace Callahan, Special Agent with the FBI seems to think it is the Gamekeeper but no one else believes him. Should she believe him since it’s been two years since the Gamekeeper was active and Trace seemed to lose it after his partner Molly Brubaker was killed during the last encounter with the Gamekeeper? Trace thinks he wounded the Gamekeeper and that’s why he has been laying low since then. Now they have been partnered together. Will they be able to work together while trust issues are arising and everything seems to point to Trace making all this up in his head. Has he totally lost it?
I did not want to put this book down when I started reading it! It was so full of twists and surprises. Debra Webb knows how to write a great suspense story that keeps you reading until the end.
I did not want to put this book down when I started reading it! It was so full of twists and surprises. Debra Webb knows how to write a great suspense story that keeps you reading until the end.
November 16, 2015
The characters in this book are Elaine Jentzen and Trace Callahan. Elaine Jentzen is the youngest Deputy Chief of Detectives of the Homicide Division in the Atlanta Police Department's history. She has work very hard to get where she is and there isn’t any time for romance. In fact, she doesn’t have a life outside of her job.
Trace Callahan, is a FBI agent, who almost caught the elusive Gamekeeper once. Because of Trace, action his partner was killed and so he is dealing with the pain that haunts him every day.
Dying to Play is a suspense with romance, that has bought two people together by the Gamekeeper who has a plan for them. There are so many twist and turn, that keep you guessing until the very last page. If you enjoy suspense with romance and throw in some evil person than you can’t miss this one.
Trace Callahan, is a FBI agent, who almost caught the elusive Gamekeeper once. Because of Trace, action his partner was killed and so he is dealing with the pain that haunts him every day.
Dying to Play is a suspense with romance, that has bought two people together by the Gamekeeper who has a plan for them. There are so many twist and turn, that keep you guessing until the very last page. If you enjoy suspense with romance and throw in some evil person than you can’t miss this one.
November 9, 2015
Trace Callahan is convinced the Gamekeeper is at it again, but can he get anyone to believe him after what happened last time he was close to catching him. In a last ditch attempt to save his FBI job, he is brought in to help Elaine Jentzen, the Deputy Chief. She is going through a multiple of emotions herself, will she be able to put her personal life aside to focus on this case? Another great suspense by Debra Webb!
November 17, 2015
As always, Debra Webb writes a book that keeps you captivated throughout. Elaine and Trace work together to try to find a serial killer. But when Elaine starts to suspect Trace, something turns up that proves Trace is the next on the list. Can she find the killer in time? A great read!
November 23, 2015
This is the first book by Debra Webb that I've read and it won't be my last! This was a great psychological thriller with a creepy killer with sick game. It kept me guessing the whole way. I really enjoyed the characters and hope maybe they'll be brought back again!
February 25, 2016
Dying to Play review
Dying to Play is an exciting action thriller involving a serial killer called the Gamekeeper. It is written by author Debra Webb. Her books are always excellent.
Dying to Play is an exciting action thriller involving a serial killer called the Gamekeeper. It is written by author Debra Webb. Her books are always excellent.
March 12, 2010
Great romantic suspense, page turner.
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March 29, 2018Found Debra Webb and she has several different series. Working my way through them in order. Webb is a great writer and if you like murder mysteries, especially serial murderers, these books are riveting. Have loved each I have read. Just go to her website, get the lists of each series, and I suggest reading them in order.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews