Play Dead
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4.0 • 603 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
The worlds of celebrity and sports are brilliantly dissected and turned upside down in the debut thriller from the bestselling author and creator of the hit Netflix drama The Stranger.
Theirs was a marriage made in tabloid heaven, but no sooner had supermodel Laura Ayars and Celtics star David Baskin said “I do” than tragedy struck. While honeymooning on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, David went out for a swim—and never returned.
Now widowed and grieving, Laura has a thousand questions and no answers. Her search for the truth will draw her into a web of lies and deception that stretches back thirty years—while on the court at Boston Garden, a rookie phenom makes his spectacular debut...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Terrible secrets lead basketball star David Baskin to fake his death while honeymooning in the tropics in this manipulative but otherwise engaging first novel. His bereaved bride, supermodel Laura Ayars, not sure that David's drowning was accidental, starts sleuthing--which proves dangerous when somebody begins killing people who may have the answers she wants. Meanwhile, David, fitted out with a new identity and appearance, tries out for his original team, the Boston Celtics, and ``replaces'' himself at his former position. Why he has faked his death is explained in the story's penultimate surprise. But why he risks playing in front of fans who know his style is never addressed. Crucial coincidences abound, such as the love affair of David's brother and Laura's sister--adults who, as kids 30 years before, just happen to have witnessed their parents' worst sins. Coben manufactures tension primarily by keeping key details out of his narrative, a method that eventually wears thin. The resolution comes as a relief, with less of a bang than its buildup promises.
Customer Reviews
Loved it
Have read 3 of Cobens books so far and this is by far my favorite.
Good Book
For an author's first attempt, this was very good and engaging. Half way through the book I came across an old review where the reviewer swore that Harlan Coben himself said not to read this first attempt and to move on to other books. I had to laugh because that's how secrets were revealed in this novel; half way through. While it is verbose, and the prose - while good - took an ungodly amount of time to get to the point, it was still good. Meanwhile your mind is leaping ahead and you just want to turn the pages to see if you're right. You are right, and at the risk of becoming wordy too, just stick with this Author. Succeeding books get better, and better and better.
Play Dead
Great storyteller- keeps me turning pages!