Playing Dead

"Is it still possible to fake your own death in the twenty-first century? With six figures of student loan debt, Elizabe... (more)

"Is it still possible to fake your own death in the twenty-first century? With six figures of student loan debt, Elizabeth Greenwood was tempted to find out. So she sets off on a foray into the world of death fraud, where for $30,000 a consultant can make you disappear{u2014}but your suspicious insurance company might hire a private detective to dig up your coffin{u2026}only to find it filled with rocks. Greenwood tracks down a man who staged a kayaking accident and then returned to live in his own house while all his neighbors thought he was dead. She takes a call from Michael Jackson (yes, he{u2019}s alive{u2014}or so some would have her believe), talks to people contemplating pseudocide, and gathers intel on black market morgues in the Philippines, where she may or may not succeed in obtaining some fraudulent goodies of her own. Along the way, she learns that love is a much less common motive than money, and that making your death look like a drowning virtually guarantees you{u2019}ll be caught. (Disappearing while hiking, however, is a great way to go.)" --from Amazon. (less)

Sentenced to death for crimes he didn't commit, ex-cop Tom O'Brien is now a hunted fugitive. After fifteen years in pris... (more)

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 naive teenager who arrived home to find her mother and her mother's lover shot dead and her father holding the murder weapon. She's a successful fraud investigator who assumes that everyone lies. Though Claire is convinced of her father's guilt, curiosity propels her to look into the disappearance of a law student who claimed to have proof of Tom O'Brien's innocence. But seeking answers only leads to more questions, reinforcing Claire's belief that there's no one left to trust. Obsessed with the O'Brien case, FBI agent Mitch Bianchi befriends Claire under false pretenses, certain that Tom is not only innocent but in grave danger--and not just from the cops. As the three race toward the truth, a murderous conspiracy tightens it noose--and Claire becomes the target of an ice-cold psychopath who will kill to protect his secrets. (less)

"Molly Madison is back to solve another doggone difficult murder in her California community. Molly Madison has barely h... (more)

"Molly Madison is back to solve another doggone difficult murder in her California community. Molly Madison has barely had a moment to catch her breath after moving to the sleepy beach town she now calls home. But as a former PI, she can't help but notice the odd chemistry between members of Playtime Academy on the first day she and her loyal Saint Bernadoodle, Noodle, and golden retriever, Harlow, visit. When a trainer's body is found on-site, Molly knows it's her duty to put her ex-police skills to use. She can't say no to temporarily taking in the deceased woman's dog, either-not with those puppy dog eyes. Relationships at the training facility are not as clean as the prize-winning agility runs, making it difficult for Molly to get a leash on potential suspects. And her personal life is just as messy-her boyfriend is hiding something, her agoraphobic neighbor needs help, and her number of four-legged friends keep growing as she agrees to dogsit a wriggly local French bulldog. When Molly's friend is arrested for the murder, she's not sure who to believe anymore. Is the case as simple as the local cops make it seem, or is something more devious afoot?"-- (less)

"Is it still possible to fake your own death in the twenty-first century? With six figures of student loan debt, Elizabe... (more)

"Is it still possible to fake your own death in the twenty-first century? With six figures of student loan debt, Elizabeth Greenwood was tempted to find out. So she sets off on a foray into the world of death fraud, where for $30,000 a consultant can make you disappear{u2014}but your suspicious insurance company might hire a private detective to dig up your coffin{u2026}only to find it filled with rocks. Greenwood tracks down a man who staged a kayaking accident and then returned to live in his own house while all his neighbors thought he was dead. She takes a call from Michael Jackson (yes, he{u2019}s alive{u2014}or so some would have her believe), talks to people contemplating pseudocide, and gathers intel on black market morgues in the Philippines, where she may or may not succeed in obtaining some fraudulent goodies of her own. Along the way, she learns that love is a much less common motive than money, and that making your death look like a drowning virtually guarantees you{u2019}ll be caught. (Disappearing while hiking, however, is a great way to go.)" (less)

"Dear Tommie: Have you ever wondered about who you are?" The perfume-scented letter that turns Tommie McCloud's world up... (more)

"Dear Tommie: Have you ever wondered about who you are?" The perfume-scented 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 inextricably 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. (less)

"Molly Madison is back to solve another doggone difficult murder in her California community. Molly Madison has barely h... (more)

"Molly Madison is back to solve another doggone difficult murder in her California community. Molly Madison has barely had a moment to catch her breath after moving to the sleepy beach town she now calls home. But as a former PI, she can't help but notice the odd chemistry between members of Playtime Academy on the first day she and her loyal Saint Bernadoodle, Noodle, and golden retriever, Harlow, visit. When a trainer's body is found on-site, Molly knows it's her duty to put her ex-police skills to use. She can't say no to temporarily taking in the deceased woman's dog, either-not with those puppy dog eyes. Relationships at the training facility are not as clean as the prize-winning agility runs, making it difficult for Molly to get a leash on potential suspects. And her personal life is just as messy-her boyfriend is hiding something, her agoraphobic neighbor needs help, and her number of four-legged friends keep growing as she agrees to dogsit a wriggly local French bulldog. When Molly's friend is arrested for the murder, she's not sure who to believe anymore. Is the case as simple as the local cops make it seem, or is something more devious afoot?"-- (less)

Jean, a 40-year-old unemployed actor, has hit rock bottom. Insufferably clueless and egotistical, his over-the-top "meth... (more)

Jean, a 40-year-old unemployed actor, has hit rock bottom. Insufferably clueless and egotistical, his over-the-top "method" acting and high-maintenance personality have gotten him fired from countless jobs. At the unemployment office, his counselor sets him up with a rather odd job: helping the police reconstruct crime scenes by standing in for the dead victim. Jean's obsession for detail impresses the beautiful chief investigator, allowing him to take a leading role in a double-murder investigation at a ritzy ski resort. (less)