Description

Book Synopsis

This novel was previously published as Too Close to Breathe.

Perfect for fans of Tana French, Jane Casey and Gillian Flynn

'Truly first class. Just knock-out' C. J Tudor, author of The Chalk Man
'Fantastic . . . Compelling, chilling and brilliant' Karen Hamilton, author of The Perfect Girlfriend
'Mesmerizing . . . murder, betrayal, and secret lives . . . Everything you need in a great thriller' Lisa Gardner, author When You See Me

Respected scientist Dr Eleanor Costello is found hanged in her immaculate home: the scene the very picture of a suicide.

DCS Frankie Sheehan is handed the case, and almost immediately spots foul play.

As Frankie strives to paint a picture of the killer, and their victim, she starts to sense they are part of a larger, darker
canvas, on which the lines between the two blur.

Olivia Kiernan's debut is a bold, brilliant thriller that will keep you guessing and leave you breathless.



Trade Review
A truly first class crime novel. Intricate, suspenseful, twisted. Plus, a fantastic female protagonist in Frankie Sheehan who can stand proud with some of the great fictional detectives. Just knock-out. -- C. J Tudor, author of The Chalk Man
Brilliant . . . Clever and compelling, I could hardly breathe myself as I raced to the end. -- Laura Marshall, author of Friend Request
Fantastic . . . Compelling, chilling and brilliant. -- Karen Hamilton, author of The Perfect Girlfriend
Mesmerizing. Olivia Kiernan carefully unspools a complex riddle of murder, betrayal, and secret lives, layering on the menace even as she builds her tough-as-nails chief detective for the climatic finale. Clever plot. Brilliant characters. Everything you need in a great thriller. -- Lisa Gardner
Sheehan is precisely the kind of gruff, no-nonsense cynic you'd want investigating your own murder . . . Too Close to Breathe reads like a hard-boiled take on Tana French and immediately establishes Olivia Kiernan as a talent to watch. * Irish Times *
Edgy debut with strong writing that builds the sense of fatal transgression. * Sunday Times *
Smart, grisly and extremely slick - this Dublin set debut delivers a treat. * Daily Mirror *
Too Close To Breathe is a fearless, fast-paced debut which drops you into the world of Dublin detective Frankie Sheehan - who is a perfect mix of frailty, ferocity and guts. Add to this flashes of deft, dark humour and a compelling city setting and you have a must for fans of Irish crime fiction. Olivia Kiernan is a writer you'll read with your breath held. -- Jess Kidd
A really slick, dynamic-paced police procedural, very much in the vein of Tana French. A proper page-turner, lovely, accomplished writing. -- Jo Spain
Gritty, cynical and haunting, this is crime writing of the highest order and the product of a darkly fascinating mind. First class. -- David Mark
Sassy and thoroughly unconventional . . . A terrific debut with an engagingly potty-mouthed, tough-as-nails female lead. * Irish Independent *
Disorderly, dangerous and above all, driven, Frankie Sheehan is the kind of true-to-life protagonist I love. -- William Shaw
Too Close To Breathe is the kind of police procedural we haven't seen for a long time; a female cop with a traumatic past racing about the mean streets of Dublin, a hanged victim with a strange clue and a dark secret . . . Olivia Kiernan has brought the serial killer thriller back with a vengeance. -- Christopher Fowler
Olivia Kiernan is a fabulous new voice on the crime-writing scene. Absorbing, touching and scary, this is a treat of a read. -- Lesley Thomson
Loved this, clever, assured and a true page turner. Can't wait for next one! -- Amanda Reynolds, author of Lying To You

Play Dead for Me: A heart-stopping crime thriller

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    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Sat 27 Jun 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by Olivia Kiernan

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      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of Play Dead for Me: A heart-stopping crime thriller by Olivia Kiernan

      Publisher: Quercus Publishing
      Publication Date: 10/01/2019
      ISBN13: 9781786489883, 978-1786489883
      ISBN10: 1786489880

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      This novel was previously published as Too Close to Breathe.

      Perfect for fans of Tana French, Jane Casey and Gillian Flynn

      'Truly first class. Just knock-out' C. J Tudor, author of The Chalk Man
      'Fantastic . . . Compelling, chilling and brilliant' Karen Hamilton, author of The Perfect Girlfriend
      'Mesmerizing . . . murder, betrayal, and secret lives . . . Everything you need in a great thriller' Lisa Gardner, author When You See Me

      Respected scientist Dr Eleanor Costello is found hanged in her immaculate home: the scene the very picture of a suicide.

      DCS Frankie Sheehan is handed the case, and almost immediately spots foul play.

      As Frankie strives to paint a picture of the killer, and their victim, she starts to sense they are part of a larger, darker
      canvas, on which the lines between the two blur.

      Olivia Kiernan's debut is a bold, brilliant thriller that will keep you guessing and leave you breathless.



      Trade Review
      A truly first class crime novel. Intricate, suspenseful, twisted. Plus, a fantastic female protagonist in Frankie Sheehan who can stand proud with some of the great fictional detectives. Just knock-out. -- C. J Tudor, author of The Chalk Man
      Brilliant . . . Clever and compelling, I could hardly breathe myself as I raced to the end. -- Laura Marshall, author of Friend Request
      Fantastic . . . Compelling, chilling and brilliant. -- Karen Hamilton, author of The Perfect Girlfriend
      Mesmerizing. Olivia Kiernan carefully unspools a complex riddle of murder, betrayal, and secret lives, layering on the menace even as she builds her tough-as-nails chief detective for the climatic finale. Clever plot. Brilliant characters. Everything you need in a great thriller. -- Lisa Gardner
      Sheehan is precisely the kind of gruff, no-nonsense cynic you'd want investigating your own murder . . . Too Close to Breathe reads like a hard-boiled take on Tana French and immediately establishes Olivia Kiernan as a talent to watch. * Irish Times *
      Edgy debut with strong writing that builds the sense of fatal transgression. * Sunday Times *
      Smart, grisly and extremely slick - this Dublin set debut delivers a treat. * Daily Mirror *
      Too Close To Breathe is a fearless, fast-paced debut which drops you into the world of Dublin detective Frankie Sheehan - who is a perfect mix of frailty, ferocity and guts. Add to this flashes of deft, dark humour and a compelling city setting and you have a must for fans of Irish crime fiction. Olivia Kiernan is a writer you'll read with your breath held. -- Jess Kidd
      A really slick, dynamic-paced police procedural, very much in the vein of Tana French. A proper page-turner, lovely, accomplished writing. -- Jo Spain
      Gritty, cynical and haunting, this is crime writing of the highest order and the product of a darkly fascinating mind. First class. -- David Mark
      Sassy and thoroughly unconventional . . . A terrific debut with an engagingly potty-mouthed, tough-as-nails female lead. * Irish Independent *
      Disorderly, dangerous and above all, driven, Frankie Sheehan is the kind of true-to-life protagonist I love. -- William Shaw
      Too Close To Breathe is the kind of police procedural we haven't seen for a long time; a female cop with a traumatic past racing about the mean streets of Dublin, a hanged victim with a strange clue and a dark secret . . . Olivia Kiernan has brought the serial killer thriller back with a vengeance. -- Christopher Fowler
      Olivia Kiernan is a fabulous new voice on the crime-writing scene. Absorbing, touching and scary, this is a treat of a read. -- Lesley Thomson
      Loved this, clever, assured and a true page turner. Can't wait for next one! -- Amanda Reynolds, author of Lying To You

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