Playing Dead    by Julia Heaberlin Order:  USA  Can Ballantine, 2012 (2012) Softcover, e-Book Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth As if life weren't hard enough with her father just a few days in his grave, Tommie McCloud receives a letter from a woman claiming that Tommie is her daughter. How the blue blazes could that be? She had a mother, one who raised her and loved her and her sister Sadie. The writer states that Tommie had been kidnapped when a baby. Tommie's brother Tuck died in a car accident many years ago and her mother is slipping into dementia. Her father is now dead and this crazy letter digs up a past Tommie didn't know she had. It reveals to Tommie that she is the daughter of a mobster who was a brutal killer. And her mother is supposedly waiting for a man who would never see daylight again, being in prison for life. Her world now revolves around discovering the truth. It's a hard task even for a woman such as Tommie who is as tough as nails. She unlocks secrets from the past that she's not sure she wants to know. Her on-again off-again relationship with Hudson is rekindled, but Tommie is not sure this is a good idea. Life sucks. And then she finds a secret that almost blows her off her feet. It makes a great ending to a really good read. Playing Dead by Julia Heaberlin is a debut novel that makes me wish for another book from Heaberlin right now. Lie Still is the next one and I shall have to be patient waiting for it as it is still in the writing stage. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews