or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
54 used & new from £0.01

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Play Dead
 
 

Play Dead (Hardcover)

by Richard Montanari (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
Price: £9.07 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £3.92 (30%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 3 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, November 17? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
18 new from £3.33 34 used from £0.01 2 collectible from £5.75

Frequently Bought Together

Play Dead + The Skin Gods + Broken Angels
Price For All Three: £20.11

Show availability and delivery details

  • This item: Play Dead by Richard Montanari

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • The Skin Gods by Richard Montanari

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Broken Angels by Richard Montanari

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Broken Angels

Broken Angels

by Richard Montanari
4.2 out of 5 stars (20)  £5.57
The Skin Gods

The Skin Gods

by Richard Montanari
4.2 out of 5 stars (11)  £5.47
Blood Brother

Blood Brother

by J. A. Kerley
3.9 out of 5 stars (70)  £4.00
The Rosary Girls

The Rosary Girls

by Richard Montanari
4.0 out of 5 stars (20)  £5.47
The Devil's Garden

The Devil's Garden

by Richard Montanari
3.7 out of 5 stars (9)  £7.47
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd; UK edition of BADLANDS edition (14 Aug 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0434016020
  • ISBN-13: 978-0434016020
  • Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.2 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 154,112 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Product Description

In each soul, a secret ...Philadelphia homicide detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano's first assignment from the Cold Case files is the brutal murder of a young runaway. The lifeless body of Caitlin O'Riordan was found carefully posed in a glass display case in the desolate Philadelphia Badlands but, as Byrne and Balzano rapidly discover, she was just the first pawn in the killer's twisted game...A mysterious phone call leads them on a scavenger hunt for a second victim. This time a young girl has been dismembered, her body parts left in three boxes in the basement of a deserted house. More clues lead to other victims and, as the body count rises, it becomes clear that there is a serial killer on the loose, hell-bent on completing the 'performance' of a lifetime.As more runaways vanish, Byrne and Balzano come to realize that the homicidal mastermind plans to complete seven depraved tricks in his dark and dangerous magic act. With Balzano increasingly obsessed by a case that haunts her, and Byrne struggling with a loss of his own, the stakes are mounting. But this is one game they can't afford to lose...


From the Inside Flap

In each soul, a secret...

Philadelphia homicide detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano’s first assignment from the Cold Case files is the brutal murder of a young runaway. The lifeless body of Caitlin O’Riordan was found carefully posed in a glass display case in the desolate Philadelphia Badlands but, as Byrne and Balzano rapidly discover, she was just the first pawn in the killer’s twisted game…

A mysterious phone call leads them on a scavenger hunt for a second victim. This time a young girl has been dismembered, her body parts left in three boxes in the basement of a deserted house. More clues lead to other victims and, as the body count rises, it becomes clear that there is a serial killer on the loose, hell-bent on completing the ‘performance’ of a lifetime.

As more runaways vanish, Byrne and Balzano come to realize that the homicidal mastermind plans to complete seven depraved tricks in his dark and dangerous magic act. With Balzano increasingly obsessed by a case that haunts her, and Byrne struggling with a loss of his own, the stakes are mounting. But this is one game they can’t afford to lose…


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Play Dead
74% buy the item featured on this page:
Play Dead 4.4 out of 5 stars (14)
£9.07
The Rosary Girls
7% buy
The Rosary Girls 4.0 out of 5 stars (20)
£5.47
The Devil's Garden
7% buy
The Devil's Garden 3.7 out of 5 stars (9)
£7.47
Broken Angels
6% buy
Broken Angels 4.2 out of 5 stars (20)
£5.57

 

Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Play Dead - Richard Montanari, 1 Oct 2008
By S. Lloyd (Norfolk, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
Detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano are called to a scene where a dead girl is found in a glass display case. Then a phone call is received which appears at first to help them in their investigations but in fact sends them on a hunt and is the beginning of a deadly killer's psychological warped game.
This is a story that takes you into the mind of a twisted killer. There is realistic characterisaion - the relationship between the 2 detectives is so natural - there isn't a word wasted and the dialogue is sharp.
The plot has an energy that never flags and contains unforeseeable twists. There is also a strong sense of place in that the setting is so well described that you feel you are in and know Philadelphia.
Montanari is going from strength to strength - he must be one of the best crime/thriller writers about at the moment.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the rest, 1 Sep 2008
By A. Verrinder - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I've read all the books in this Byrne/Balzano series so far. Although I found them all good enough to keep reading there were aspects in all of them before this one that were cliched and repetitive and prevented the excellent characterisation and atmospheric locations fully delivering for the reader. But Mr Montanari worked it out, this latest book is a truly great read, I highly recommend it
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A very imaginative read.., 9 Sep 2008
By K. Barton "Grape Soda" (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Richard has proven once again, he is a master at making your mind go wild with images of what he's writing. Magic, Mayhem and Mischief!, brilliant.

If you have not read Richards other novels, do so!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical
This is well up to the standard of previous PPD stories. Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano are a believable team with difficult cases to crack. Read more
Published 4 hours ago by Mr. A. D. Holloway

4.0 out of 5 stars Montanari on fine form
After 3 books in this series Montanari has not lost any form. Play Dead is as intriuging, enticing and suitably gruesome as previous efforts and just leaves you wanting more from... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Andrew Mullaly

4.0 out of 5 stars Good... but not his best
Probably if this book was written by any other author i would have given it 5 stars. But seeing that Montanari is one of my favourite ones (have read all of his books)i always... Read more
Published 3 months ago by L. Bezzina

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely enthralling!
I have a big problem with Richard Montanari books - they come to an end!

Came across him by accident - my partner needed something to read on a flight and opted for... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Alison Petrie

3.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant idea, but something just didn't pay off.
This had all the makings of a truely great story. Wicked main character, brilliant idea, should have been an awesome story, but it was just lacking something and I don't know... Read more
Published 5 months ago by M. Jones

3.0 out of 5 stars Passable thriller - nothing more, nothing less
This novel has garnered some very positive reviews but I found it difficult to see what all the fuss was about. Read more
Published 5 months ago by unlikely_heroine

5.0 out of 5 stars Dead brilliant!
Loved it. All his books have been great to date, however, this is by far the creepiest. Few unexpected twists and sick characters. Could not put this one down.
Published 6 months ago by NickAbbott

4.0 out of 5 stars Kept me up all night
I've read Montanani's other books but loved this one. Kept me up long after my bed time and totally gripped.Looking forward to the next one. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Delta

4.0 out of 5 stars Back On Top Form
Play Dead is the fourth installment from Richard Montanari's highly enjoyable philadelphia set series featuring homocide detectives Richard Byrne and Jessica Balzano. Read more
Published 11 months ago by molko

4.0 out of 5 stars Sleepless night guraranteed
Having picked Richard up way back in 2005 with his first novel Rosary Girls he's been a bit of a guilty pleasure and an author that I really do make time for. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Gareth Wilson

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
See all 2 discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Discussion Replies Latest Post
Historical Fiction-Northern Ireland 0 46 minutes ago
Help! 1 2 hours ago
Any ideas of books I would like ? 28 2 hours ago
Word of Mouth 17 3 hours ago
Searching for signs of intelligence 3 3 hours ago
A New Read? 0 3 hours ago
Future 'classics' 34 3 hours ago
Authors, Can't Sell Your Book? 14 3 hours ago
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject


Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.