Play Dead (Elise Sandburg #1)

I confess that I have only read the first 25% of the book, so please do not take my review all that seriously. I have read other Anne Frasier novels and enjoyed them quite a bit, but this book simply did not work for me. There were rwo big problems: 1) I was sympathetic to none of the characters , to the extent that I simply did not care about the plot or subplots. The second problem for me was the constantly shifting narrators. I grew weary of attempting to decipher who was speaking in the first person. As a related criticism, I truly and deeply despise novels in which the villian speaks in first person. Ick! I acknowledge that these complaints are personal peeves of mine, but I just could not get past them. Its probably not fair, but I annot change my own bias. In the end, Ms. Frasier writes excellent stories that are fun to read. These are good summer vacation novels, so I recommend them for that reason. I liked The Body Reader much more than this work.

I was first introduced to Anne Frasier via her novel \”The Body Reader,\” and after growing attached to the main character of that book, I wasn\’t sure a different main character would resonate with me. But Elise Sandburg is a thrill all her own, as is her partner, David, and the cases they work on in mysterious Savannah, GA couldn\’t be any more fascinating if the author tried. I\’m now knee-deep in this series and biting my nails as I wait for the next book to come out sometime in 2017. If you want a page-turner with unforgettable characters, gripping cases, and an undercurrent of romance with a dash of the paranormal… this book, and this series, are for you!

PLAY DEAD [2014] (Elise Sandburg Book 1) By Anne Frasier My Review 3.75 Stars**** I just finished reading the debut novel of Frasiers book series featuring her new lead character Homicide Detective Elise Sandburg. All four installments of the series were purchased a good while ago after I became an instant fan of Anne Frasier with THE BODY READER. The setting for her books following the exploits of Detective Elise Sandburg is the atmospheric streets of Savannah, Georgia. The underlying Gothic ambience of the haunting surroundings of the Old South envelops the story line like a colorful yet chilling cocoon. Savannahs dark heritage and its pervasive local Gullah culture of voodoo and magic is as much a character in the plot as are the Homicide Detectives and the colorful yet dark and scary human characters who populate the novel. The main character of Elise Sandberg is skillfully molded by the author into an intriguing figure who is immediately mysterious and yet working quietly within Savannahs police department as a dedicated Homicide Detective. Rumors swirl about the fact that she was abandoned as an infant in a cemetery, perhaps even deposited atop a tombstone. Elises eyes are unique and arresting in that they contain an array of splinters and stars reflecting all colors. It would not escape the imagination of any native of the streets of Savannah to realize the sum of all colors results in pitch black. This characteristic is consistent with the rumors that Elise was the illegitimate daughter of an infamous Savannah root doctor (conjurer, witch doctor) named Jackson Sweet. The author does a splendid job with character development in this novel with her main characters. I liked the main protagonist of Elise and her evolving back story as the reader moves through the pages of the story line. The reader can understand why an orphaned child with such a strong rumored link to the local culture of voodoo and magic would gravitate toward her purported heritage. This would be especially true for a teenager growing up in a foster home with parents who accepted her only because of a sense of duty or philanthropy. Elises current life as a divorced mother with a teenager who understandably prefers the comfort, perks, and stability of a home with dad and step-mom only tend to humanize Sandberg to an even greater extent. I liked her, and she emerged as a strong, competent, intuitive, yet imminently sensitive hero. The co-main character of Elises newly assigned partner from FBIs Cleveland, Ohio Office (David Gould) is also deftly crafted into a believable and vulnerable character by the talented author. Sandberg initially mistakes his emotional detachment for a lazy and undesirable partner to carry his part of the burden of her assigned homicide cases in the department. Rather quickly the reader finds that his backstory is so dreadful that it rivals a good man and fathers worst nightmare. I was briefly reminded of Ann Rules SMALL SACRIFICES. David gradually emerges as a sensitive, caring, and perhaps even over protective side kick. There is a gritty realism to the rivalry between Northerner (Yankee) David Gould inserting himself into the world of the superstitious Southern homicide cops. It ultimately shapes up to reflect that he and Sandberg are both outsiders but for different reasons. They make a terrific team and the scenes and dialogue between them are outstanding. This review hasnt touched upon the main plot, and that is because it was the weakest link in my opinion. The gist is that a killer is preying on male prostitutes, and sheerly by accident the authorities discover that an active serial killer has been in their midst for well over a year. That may not sound all that thrilling in and of itself, but the investigation assumes a terrifying and superstitious aura all its own when the forensic team determine that the murderer is poisoning the victims with the lethal toxin tetrodotoxin. The local Gullah culture of voodoo and magic serves up the mythical figure of Strata Luna, a purported black voodoo priestess, as a person of interest. She is the madam of a house of prostitution Black Tupelo and the male victims were branded by a distinctive ostensibly protective mojo which identified them as employees of Lunas stable of young hookers. It becomes apparent that a madman is loose in the city and is chemically lobotomizing young men in their prime creating a conscious paralysis that mirrors death. The terrifying concept of being autopsied on a cold slab in the morgue when you are fully aware of the experience has been explored in (I think it was the Outer Limits). In this novel, however, the fate of our doomed escorts is getting buried alive or worse as Sandberg and Gould try to divine the answers in this truly horrible and chilling state of affairs in the streets of Savannahs dark side. The narrative is mildly confusing when the author frequently switches narrators early in the book. This ceases to be an issue when the reader meets the characters and learns more about their respective roles in the homicide investigation. More interesting for me than the search for the serial killer was Elises own experiences with the compelling character of the powerful and feared Strata Luna, specifically the revelations about her own heritage which is validated to be laced with voodoo, magical spells and curses. A killer who is obsessed with death and whose motivation remains uncertain even as profilers work their own special kind of magic suffered from a lack of momentum for me. Perhaps it is because I enjoyed the main characters so much that the murder mystery was less interesting to me. I wasnt surprised by the plot twist at all, and the topic of tetrodotoxin, fascination with the dead, and necrophilia are all plot lines Ive experience before albeit with different story lines and authors. Perhaps my inclination to read the darkest psychological thrillers out there render me more difficult to impress. That said, it doesnt dull my admiration for the remarkable writing talent of Anne Frazier. I am excited about Sandberg and Gould and their next adventure in the spooky South.

The novel begins with the somewhat dysfunctional relationship with Detective Elise Sandburg and her daughter. Elise and her new partner, David, are compelled to deal with a series of murders in which the victims, treated with a chemical substance, are MOSTLY dead when they are found. After having been treated with a nasty chemical which makes the body appear dead, only to eventually succumb to real death! David, a former FBI agent who left after his wife had murdered their baby boy, has had enough trouble adapting to his new job in life, when he is drugged by and abducted the murderous female who has been attacking and murdering many people in Georgia. The story wraps up very quickly when the real murderer under estimates love and the strong desire to protect those about whom we care! The relationship with her daughter and the deepening friendships Elise and David make the reader reaslize that diversity can build strong friendships …and solve crimes too!

I tend to like the \”crime fiction\” cum \”occult\” sort of mash – but it has to be written very well to work. This sorta works. It really isn\’t a clunker, but it isn\’t a totally successful book either. It just sorta lays there and doesn\’t ever sing. It hums on occasion but that\’s a phrase that is more \”damning with praise\” than an outright compliment. The characters should be interesting and sometimes they are. But mostly they just lie there and the world has it\’s way with them. Soooo many characters, not well enough delineated to make much difference. A few do stand out, but not, unfortunately, our heroine. Her \”partner\” is a very troubled young detective, but again not compelling enough to withstand close examination. The plotting is linear but not very dynamic. The occult part of the mash is the most interesting part, but the characters are basically stock characters and a little too interchangeable. Suffice it to say, I did finish the book and I own the next in the series as well, but I\’m not excited enough to rush into it. Instead I\’m on to others in my collection that seem to offer more enjoyment and a more captivating read.

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