Fifteen years ago, Claire O'Brien's life was turned upside
down when she found her mother and her mother's lover both
brutally murdered. Clarie's father Tom has every reason to
be the culprit. After all, he did just catch his wife
cheating on him with another man.
All of the evidence pointed to Tom O'Brien's guilt, all of
his appeals were overturned, and the case ended with Tom
receiving the death penalty for the two murders. But
throughout the years, Claire has wondered what really
happened that night. She was only fourteen years old at
the time and just assumed her father did it since he was
holding the murder weapon and was the only other person in
the house.
After an earthquake gave several San Quentin inmates an
opportunity to escape, Tom O'Brien fled with everyone
else. Tom is a former cop and even helped the police catch
the escaped convicts, well everyone but himself. If Tom
goes back to jail he will be awaiting his execution in only
six short weeks.
Tom's only hope is a law student named Oliver Maddox who
came to visit Tom and told him he believes he is innocent
and wants to help him prove it. But Tom has no idea how to
find Oliver since he has been out of touch and missing for
several months. Does Oliver know who really committed the
crimes and if so why doesn't the police know the truth?
When Tom runs out of options, he decides to contact his
daughter Claire, now all grown up, for help. Claire has
experience as a private investigator and might be able to
find some answers. But Claire is skeptical of Tom and
believes he is guilty still. Will Claire swallow her pride
and give her father a second chance and perhaps save him
from an undeserved execution?
PLAYING DEAD is the third book in the Prison Break Trilogy
by romantic suspense author Allison Brennan. The mystery
is tightly plotted with the final reveal not happening
until the very end of the book. There are several red
herrings and possibilities on who the killer could be, but
with so many characters it is hard to truly know who the
guilty party really is.
The suspense builds up until the exciting conclusion when
all questions are answered and justice is served. I am a
huge fan of Allison Brennan's novels and I was immensely
satisfied with this latest installment. PLAYING DEAD is an
adrenaline rush of thrills and chills that is sure to win
Brennan several new readers.
Sentenced to death for crimes he didn’t commit, ex-cop Tom
O’Brien is now a fugitive on the run. After fifteen years
behind bars, he’s determined to prove his innocence—but
first he must convince his daughter, whose testimony
helped put him in prison, that he has damning evidence of
a plot to frame him.
Claire is no longer the naïve young teenager who walked in
to find her mother and her mother’s lover dead and her
father holding the gun. She’s a successful fraud
investigator who figures that everyone lies. Though Claire
believes in her father’s guilt, her curiosity propels her
to look into the disappearance of a law student who
claimed he had proof of Tom’s innocence. But the answers
Claire finds only lead to more questions and reinforce her
belief that there’s no one left to trust.
Obsessed with the O’Brien case, FBI agent Mitch Bianchi
befriends Claire under false pretenses, convinced 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 its noose—and Claire becomes the
target of an ice-cold psychopath who will kill to protect
his secrets.