Play Dead by Meryl Sawyer

    Hayley Fordham arrives home from a painting commission in Costa Rica to find an intruder in her loft.  She doesn't know that she was declared dead when her car was blown to bits by a car bomb.  When a check was run on her passport it didn't show she was out of the country and no one knew she had loaned her car to a friend.  Since there wasn't enough of the person in the car left to identify, everyone assumed it was Hayley.  The intruder turns out to be FBI investigator Ryan Hollister who is there at the request of Hayley's aunt to clear the loft so it can be sold.
     When Ryan realizes it is Hayley returned from the dead, he convinces her to Play Dead since it is obvious that is what someone wants. Hayley agrees for a couple of days while they try to find the killer.  There are several possibilities including her half-brother and half-sister and her ex-boyfriend.  They each have motive but could any one of them actually plant a car bomb?  Although Hayley has never been especially close to her brother and sister, it is hard for her to imagine they would want the family business enough to actually murder her.
     As Hayley and Ryan spend more time together the sparks between them ignite.  Hayley has lost all confidence in her ability to pick suitable men and Ryan is still somewhere in the process of mourning his dead wife. When the killer comes close enough to send Hayley to the hospital, Ryan realizes how much Hayley has come to mean to him.
     Meryl Sawyer keeps the plot moving and the action fast and furious.  She does keep her characters in focus and she does not let them wander from their mission which is to keep the reader turning the pages as fast as possible. 
      If you like romantic suspense by Linda Howard, Sandra Brown, or Catherine Coulter, then don't miss Meryl Sawyer.

Other Meryl Sawyer Thrillers

Lady Killer (c2004)
Better Off Dead (c2005)
Half Past Dead (c2006)
Kiss of Death (c2007)
Death's Door (2009)