Picture Me Dead

by Heather Graham

Picture Me Dead by Heather Graham released on Jan 25, 2004 is available now for purchase.

Genres: Mystery, Romance, Romantic Suspense, Suspense, Thriller, Fiction, Contemporary

432 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 2003

About the author

Also published as Heather Graham Pozzessere and Shannon Drake.

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and for Harlequin's mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.

Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children's charity.

She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards frorn Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.

Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certitified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.

Reviews

[Pepa · Rating 2 out of 5]

#retorita2 #ritagraham
Muy flojo. Desde el principio se sabe quien es el asesino, o al menos se intuye.
Los protagonistas sosos y no me terminó de convencer la gran diferencia de edad. No sé, quizás porque remarcaba más otras diferencias entre los protagonistas.
Lo leí al principio de mis vacaciones y ya ni me acuerdo de él, señal de que no me emocionó y no recuerdo lo suficiente para hacer reseña jajaja
Un libro cortito que aporta poco.
El romance muy de pasada.

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good but there was something missing. Jake and Ashley - didn't really feel their chemistry. It was more like "Wham, Bam, Thank You Mam." - and where is the fecking condom, people?


It was as if the author was trying too hard to try and put us off knowing the bad guy... her hints at some bad guys were not so subtle... so straight away I said to myself... Nope, that is too obvious, it is not him... or her.


I felt my head was being filled with lots of useless information ... God, I feel like such a picky bitch. Maybe my last Suspense book was too good and I should have picked a different genre.


I will definitely read some more by this author.


JAKE


ASHLEY

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ashley is a cop in training at the Academy, but is singled out to become a forensic artist. Before she wins the job lottery, she and two of her girlfriends witness the scene of an accident right after it happened - an accident wherein a fellow was hit by a car wearing only underwear.

As it turns out, she knows this guy and feels sure he would not be hopped up on drugs, the way the police say he was. She looks into things a little bit, even though an older and incredibly attractive neighbor cop warns her against being naive and impatient. Also. There's chemistry between Ashley and the detective. Fun chemistry.

The mystery was pretty solid. I kept changing my mind. I feel pretty proud of myself for suspecting 2 people the very most. I couldn't choose between them - it didn't occur to me at the time that they could be partners. (duh!)

The ending was a happily ever after and I needed one of those right now. So yay.

[Pien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and exciting story, but to me a bit too chicklitty. (Beautiful women worrying about the negative effect of cookies on their behinds, things like that)
Did not finish, but that’s more because of other very nice books keeping my attention away from this one.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kept me guessing

Jake and Ashley. Homicide detective and police cadet. Several different cases and concerns, but most end up tangling with each other. Some great twists from important characters. I was surprised by Len and Kate since the inner monologue was not romantic? Loved the progression and trust building between Jake and Ashley. The cult angle was a fun aspect to follow for clues. Many balls in the air for this story, but through it all crime solving, family, and romance reigned supreme.

[Shannon Stallings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel by Heather Graham! The book included both romance and suspense elements as well as criminal investigations; basically, it had it all. There was also a shocking twist I didn't see coming and wouldn't have been able to guess, and believe me, I tried the entire time I read the book. I can’t wait to read more of her novels!

[Nancy Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it.

[Kathyzera · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,6 🌟

[Marieke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leuk detective boek, niks heel bijzonders maar leest lekker. De romance tussen de hoofdpersonen sprak me niet zo aan, oudere man valt voor jong, roodharig meisje met groene ogen die natuurlijk slim, knap en opstandig is, hem eerst niet kan uitstaan maar hem toch niet kan weerstaan.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I never saw THAT coming!

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very interesting to read, and I really enjoyed the author's writing style. It kept me engaged from start to finish.
However, I was quite surprised when Marti turned out to be the bad guy _ I honestly forgot he even existed! He was barely mentioned throughout the story, especially compared to Sandy, so I wish the author had given a few more hints about him. That way, I could have at least suspected earlier.
Overall, it was a good and enjoyable read.
Recommended!

[Carmen8094 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Identikit di un incubo non mi è piaciuto.
La storia è piuttosto prevedibile, e per alcune pagine l'unica cosa che si aspetta è lo scoppio della passione tra i due protagonisti, il che accade abbastanza presto, bruciando una carta che avrebbe potuto essere vincente.
Sì, perchè a tratti Identikit di un incubo sembra più una commedia romantica travestita da giallo, che un thriller dalle sfumature rosa.
Non mi piacciono le continue ripetizioni -aveva una pistola. E sapeva usarla-, lo stile del racconto, da storiella semplice; quello spiegare sempre tutto per filo e per segno (lo so, è un classico, che il cattivo con la pistola puntata, invece di far fuoco e scappare, si fermi lì, come un teatrante al centro del palcoscenico, non solo per ammettere tutta la sua colpevolezza, ma per illustrarci per filo e per segno come e dove e quando e perché. Dicevo, è un classico, ma non mi va mai giù, troppo poco realistico e poco fiducioso nell'intelligenza dei lettori), ma soprattutto, quel che ho apprezzato meno, è stato il terminare più o meno un capitolo sì e uno no con una suspance finta; il gioco non dura molto, e già sai che, all'inizio del capitolo successivo, non sarà successo nulla, si sarà trattato di un equivoco, la bella starà bene -magari tra le braccia dell' amato-, o la tizia di turno avrà urlato per un motivo noto solo a lei e alla scrittrice.
Alcune situazioni sono poco credibili, il finale -chissà come mai- scontato e zuccheroso.

http://iltesorodicarta.blogspot.it/

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake is a cop/Ashley is in the academy. He is obsessed with a 5 y/o case, she is worried about an old friend who's hit by a car in just his underwear on a major highway. Are the cases some how related? It takes half the book to even feel a bit of chemistry between Jake/Ashley. I guess its more of a lust/hate relationship. They fight every moment they are together even though both walk away thinking how they can't get the other off their minds. As with most of Graham's books I didn't figure this out exactly... I did get some of the details right but I love when I don't know the ending. And once Ashley/Jake were together the story was better. While I am not all about getting the love birds to be together quick I am not fond of them not liking each other and arguing all the time. I guess if I want to read a romantic suspense I want the romantic to enhance the suspense not add a different layer to the aggression. The last 1/2 is much better than the first 1/2. That being said another great book by Graham.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for the second time. Loved it again. When I haven't read a book for several years it's like reading the book for the first time. I'm noticing that in Heather's earlier books, there may be 100 pages more than her newer books. I like those extra pages because she goes into more detail about the relationships of various characters. This book had one of my favorite lines: "Your place or mine"? Really good love story and murder mystery. As usual, Heather directs the reader to the "bad guy" by making almost every character seem guilty! I don't think I've ever figured out the right person!! Really worth reading.

[book_livre~shū-libro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started out, I didn’t like it. Too many characters being introduced, I didn’t like how it was written. The way she introduced characters seemed like a lot of useless information. Turns out, it was pretty good. The last 5 or so chapters were good, suspenseful. The whole book was action-packed. Not one of my favorite authors, but the ending made it better.

[Megan McQueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD! I loved Jake and Ashley! This kept me interested the entire time. The suspense was really really good and there were a lot of surprises that I did not see coming.

One complaint I have is Len's character... I kind of wish it ended the way it seemed it was going to....

[Kw · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pretty good mystery sidelined all too often by the gratuitous raunchiness that I despise. I won't be reading her other books.

[D · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think most people would really enjoy this. Heather Graham is a great story teller. I just found this book really stressful, so didn't enjoy it that much. But I think it was just me.

[Richard Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed 'Picture Me Dead" although I felt that I could have chopped out the central 100 pages and still had a great read at 323. The boathouse to apartment play between Ashley and Jake is too much back and forth for me. I got a bit bored out in the middle of the book. Fortunately, if you feel ennui sneaking in, or you start to yawn, just skip to the next love making scene. You'll come away with new learning! The "Prologue" really pulls you in at the start of the book. Then the love-hate cycle between Ashley and Jake make for a good fallback in between the intrigue of the mystery. I kept wondering if Ashley was going to drop out of the Police academy. The author obviously came up with a better solution. Everglades scenes and the death on the motorway scene are a bit contrived, but lay the groundwork for other things to come in the book. My wife was totally absorbed with the book. It took me ten days to do the reading of the 400+ pages while she only took two days, so there you have it ladies, it gets a higher rating from the gals, but that's OK because men have been getting all the good parts in books for eyars and now it looks like some smart tough women are stepping forward in novels to equalize the filed. A very good book, enjoy the reading.

[Jayda · Rating 2 out of 5]

although i finished this book, it took me some months as i really didn’t feel connected to the story at all. it wasn’t until maybe half way in i started to actually gain and interest in the storyline. as for the romance sector, jake and ashley’s chemistry was little to none. the time frame in which everything happened was way too fast, maybe that’s because i’m used to slow burns, but i really felt rushed reading this. there was no time for jake and ashley to form any connection, let alone a romantic one at that. the author even confirmed it herself, where jake was barely even present in ashley’s life at all. i also felt unresolved by the end. a reveal being surprising does not equal the reveal being satisfying or enthralling, as was the case for this story. in the end i was left feeling unresolved. also, i just didn’t really like the overall writing style as i felt it was seriously lacking in terms of complexity. there’s this whole adult storyline with writing that’s equivalent to primary school writing

[Naizak · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first try at Heather Graham and i am not impressed.

The storyline was so so interesting and had so much potential - but the execution just was a big fat no.

The start was so slow, and the ending was too rushed for one thing.

The cops in this book literally defy the rule book so much, but what ticked me off the most was how they were so open discuss ongoing investigations with civillians. If they kept their mouth shut, it is likely a lot of things in this book would have not taken place.

Graham tried too hard to make characters suspicious to throw the readers off, adding their POVs to that, just made the book go all over the place instead of the main plot.

The story woule have sufficed in the POVs of just Ashley and Jake.

And the relationship between these two, oh boy. Too insta. No development. No chemistry. Little to no communication. Jake viewing Ashley as a kid half of the time, whether because of their age gap or her inexperience, did not help this at all.

[Susan Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good thriller except for the red herring that, in retrospect, made no sense due to the dialogue of the character involved.

Ashley and Jake have an almost immediate connection physically. I thought the first two encounters were fun (Ashley spills coffee on Jake, then Jake tackles Ashley thinking she's an intruder) but by the third encounter it was getting redundant.

Ashley and Jake have a lot of sex, with no condom!

I never guessed one of the true villains' identity, so there was a good twist. I did guess the identity of the second villain. I actually went back and reread the beginning few pages, now knowing who was who.

I read the book in just a few days, after all, it is a thriller.

[Sharon Gallup · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book long to read. it seemed to jump from one person to another, story within story, with a slow start. it took me a bit to read as i had to reread the begining a few times to get the line how one story lead into another. A few girls go on a a couple day trips and on their travel they see a accident. one of the girls is an artist and also going through police training. she feels there is something wrong with the accident and meets up later with another police officer who was involved in murder cases from the past. They are forced to work together.and find that an a cult from the past is/was involved. There are loads of twists and turns

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good mystery from Heather Graham! Ashley is attending the police academy when a good friend of hers is found on the interstate in his underwear. Told that he was full of drugs, Ashley knows that is not true and sets out to find out what really happened to her friend. Nick is a seasoned detective whose previous partner was murdered. Determined to find out what happened to her, Nick and Ashley paths cross and uncross and cross again. A great story with many twists and turns and good characters.

[Gail Dennehy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picture Me Dead by Heather Graham

I've spent this summer reading everything I could find by Heather Graham. Love them all from her first book to her newest. It's been fun watching a good writer journeying from one book to another, getting better each time. This is a tightly plotted police procedural with just enough outside investigation to keep you on your toes. Exciting characters have you holding your breath as they go through personal and professional trouble and neither the reader nor the characters have any idea who will win out until the last page.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent who-done-it!

Fast paced, great character development, well written. Ashley is a cadet in the Police Academy. A serial killer is on the loose, and the police have just discovered another victim. Ashley works with the homicide detectives to discover clues to identify the victims and the assailant.

[Jowin Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Book Quote]
He was silent for a minute; then he grimaced and spoke flatly, with an open honesty his partner could well understand. “I need the truth. Or I’ll never be free of this.”

[My Reading Profile]
Reading Platform: Kindle App
Ownership: Borrowed from Libby Library, Kindle Ebook
ASIN: B0721KCNF6

[Pamela McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twisty

Talk about a twisty mystery!
This was! Almost too twisty because the author's trying to throw the reader off at times didn't make sense at all. I guessed right on one of the dirty cops, but didn’t figure out the other. Jake and Ashley's relationship was steamy! Len was a little creepy or was he?

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

É um livro muito surpreendente.Te faz desconfiar de tudo e todos, mas no final, apenas a pessoa que você nunca desconfia é a culpada.Achei a história e as personagens bem legais,e como a autora teceu o suspense também, mas o casal não é dos melhores.
Apenas achei que o final poderia ter sido um pouco mais descritivo, inclusive o epílogo.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

i have read a few of heathers Krewe series as well as Flynn brothers series. I dont remember this book at all. I will have to re-read this but for the fact of not sticking with me I am giving it a 3