Anne Frasier
Author of Hush
About the Author
Anne Frasier is the pseudonym used by Theresa Weir. Using this name she has written the Elise Sandburg Series and the Cool Cat Trilogy. (Bowker Author Biography)
Image credit: Martha Weir
Series
Works by Anne Frasier
Dark: Volume 1 3 copies
Must Love Pets 2: A Romance Box Set — Contributor — 2 copies
No title 2 copies
Dom na szczycie drzewa 1 copy
Dark: Volume 2 1 copy
Motive for Murder 1 copy
Woman in a Black Veil 1 copy
American Dreamer 1 copy
Discount Noir 1 copy
Inland Empire 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Frasier, Anne
- Legal name
- Theresa Weir
- Birthdate
- 1954
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Burlington, Iowa, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- Iowa, USA
Members
Reviews
**ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
Oh, my God. So fast.
It had happened so fast.
I'd fallen for him.
Like all those other girls.
With that fascinating quote, I welcome you to the 25% mark of He's Come Undone by Theresa Weir.
Excuse me while I do the following:
Laugh uncontrollably
Stare in horror
And piss myself laughing some more
As someone who writes sporadically, I can assure you that writing something off the top of your head, without it making any sense, and coming show more across as trying TOO hard is normal.
What isn't normal is for that off-the-top-of-your-head mess to be published.
And He's Come Undone is a huge mess.
There is the semblance of an interesting plot:
Penniless and behind on rent, college student and once famous child actress Ellie Barlow takes on the role of a lifetime when she's hired by a group of young women to break the heart of the campus player who cruelly dumped them.
And when I say interesting, it's because it sounded unusual and, well, cool.
Was it? The opposite, in fact.
I nodded, made a big production of taking a sip of coffee, then replaced my cup on the saucer. "So what's the job? An ad? Something for school?"
All three girls leaned forward. All three girls looked over their shoulder, back at me, then whispered: "We want you to break someone's heart."
Ellie Barlow is poor, a discarded child actress and in need of money, fast. When she responds to an ad on Craigslist, the last thing she expected was to be hired to break a boy's heart -- a manwhore's, at that.
You see, Ellie is a speshul snowflake and a Mary Sue. She's not pretty, but all the men want her; she's not funny, but everyone laughs at her jokes and there is no way that hot, fit, drop-dead gorgeous Julian would fall in love with her.
Julian, on the other hand, is also a speshul snowflake, but x2.
He has a DEEP DARK UNSPEAKABLE PAST which, of course, we find out about in the first 30% of the book.
And oh, he sleeps with girls, uses them for sex, and he thinks it's okay because they made the first move, therefore he is not guilty of being a dirty, STD spreading rat.
Really, people? This is what's passing off as hot these days? Manwhoring boys that can't keep it in their pants, but it's okay because they're TROUBLED?
Let me emphasise this: you should never let a man take advantage of you, of using your precious love tunnel because he has a deep dark secret and he's irresistibly hot. Your self-worth is worth more than that, ladies. Don't let him plunder your art gallery just because he's hot. BAG A MAN WITH SUBSTANCE LADIES. COME ON!
His internal monologue is fascinatingly hilarious though:
Next to her was a pink orchid with two green fronds and a stem so long and weak it had to be supported with a wooden stick and some twist ties. I mean, come on. I knew orchids were supposed to represent something soothing, but I would often catch myself looking at that damn flower, wondering if it represented her patients.
No, Julian. Sweetie, WHAT IF SHE REALLY LIKED ORCHIDS?
The dread.
Doors.
I hated them.
I never knew what was going to be on the other side. I just never knew.
How deep of you, Julian. Because doors, man.
I get that it's supposed to tie in with his past or whatever, but it was poorly executed. He just came off as weird. As someone I definitely would not be letting anywhere near my lady region.
She watched me in that calulating way of hers. With an expression that said she thought I was full of shit and she was just waiting for me to come to my senses and admit I'd used them. God, maybe I had.
You're an idiot, boy.
Basically, what Ellie needs to do is make him fall in love with her by spreading her pretty legs and doing the dirty.
But because she's a speshul snowflake, Julian falls in love with her.
They even say those words.
40% in.
Really?
And vice versa. So when their BIG BAD NAUGHTY PASTS come to light, shit hits the fan, people cry, there's sloppy sex invo--
Oh man, the sex scenes were HILARIOUS.
Here's a list of words you should avoid using if you're trying to write a raunchy, hot sex scene:
- slapping/sucking sounds
- grunt
- drove/drive (if you're talking about someone's mouth)
- piston
- huge penis
- impale
They turn even the most lust fuelled people off. Especially if they're coupled with the following:
I impaled myself with him.
We were both sweating like mad, and our skin was beginning to make a slapping sound
Also SPARE US THE FREAKIN' INTERNAL MONOLOGUE.
The bed was moving under us, back and forth, the headboard banging against the wall and I thought I'd never fucked like this, and I'd never given into such a frenzy
One minute I was calm, thinking okay, let's have sex. The next I was out of control
I actually felt hot all over, and especially hot and even swollen between my legs. Like if a female could have an erection, then I was having one
I can't even begin to detail the things that were wrong with this book. The POV switched randomly from Ellie to Julian and once even to Julian's sister, Valerie. The all sounded the same, with no distinct personalities.
Every time a plot twist (that isn't a twist because they're immature, childish idiots who can't comprehend what the word 'responsibility' even means) they would come up with stupid, ridiculous excuses:
Ellie: IT'S ALL MY ROBBING MOTHER'S FAULT
Julian: WHAT DO YOU MEAN FUCKING AROUND ISN'T OKAY? THEY MADE THE MOVE FIRST!
Valerie: I'm obsessed with my brother and any girl that comes into visual distance of my brother will feel #MYSIBLINGWRATHHAYAAAA!
WHAT A LOAD OF SHIT.
They blame their stupid mistakes on things that happened in the past. If you're trying to be a responsible, mature adult, own up to the fact that Ellie, you had sex with Julian because some girls were willing to pay you 5k, Julian, you're a slutty man who loves the vajayjay and together, you're a big, horrible, disgusting mess that I want to bitch slap with a fish.
Okay?
Awesome.
Last thoughts: Someone said that this is "Weir at her best."
If this is Weir at her best, I don't want to see her at her worse.
#overandout show less
If you’re keeping score, you know the last book ended with Det. Elisa Sandburg & partner David Gould leaving the Savannah PD under a cloud. They decided to say goodbye to all the bureaucratic/political crap & open their own agency.
But before they can hang out their shingle, Elise gets a call from Savannah ME Dr. John Casper. A body has been found stuffed in the wall of an old house undergoing demolition. The address is well known to Savannah residents. It was once owned by Frank Remy, a show more prolific serial killer who was eventually caught by Elise’s father Jackson Sweet. He died in prison years ago but this body is eerily similar to some recent homicides in Florida. Casper is unhappy with Elise’s replacement & asks her to come back & have an “unofficial” look-see.
Elise & David are a sight for sore eyes for old colleagues who are suffering under Victor Lamont, the man who took her job. They need to determine if Remy had a partner or if this is the work of a copycat. First up is the exhumation of Remy’s grave. And oooh lawdy, no one could have predicted just how many ways THAT would go wrong.
This is a fast paced thriller with a plot that zigs then zags as some ugly secrets from the past provide clues for the present investigation. Elise’s relationship with her long estranged father is shaky at the best of times & she believes he knows more than he’s telling, especially as the body count continues to rise.
Elise still struggles with PTSD as a result of her run-ins with psycho Atticus Tremain (previous books). She’s been able to keep it under wraps but the combination of being back in Savannah plus changes to her personal life bring it roaring back to life. Weird stuff is happening around her & her sometimes erratic behaviour has colleagues questioning her stability. Meanwhile, David begins to wonder if it’s time for him to move on alone. He’s always loved Elise but with no sign she’s ready for a relationship, just how long is a guy supposed to wait?
There’s a huge back story to this series so I really wouldn’t recommend this as a stand alone. The large cast have intricate ties & many references would go over the head of a first time reader. Among the returning characters is Elise’s friend (and Jackson’s lover) Strata Luna who adds her spooky mysticism to the atmospheric old south setting.
Some of the scenes are fairly graphic but entirely in keeping with what fans expect from several of the characters. A little suspension of disbelief is required & that’s what prevented me from giving this a higher rating. Elise’s fragile state, personal tragedies & what she endures made it hard for me to believe she could function as a person, let alone a detective. But hey, this is fiction & if you’re a fan of romantic suspense/drama there is plenty here to keep you entertained. show less
But before they can hang out their shingle, Elise gets a call from Savannah ME Dr. John Casper. A body has been found stuffed in the wall of an old house undergoing demolition. The address is well known to Savannah residents. It was once owned by Frank Remy, a show more prolific serial killer who was eventually caught by Elise’s father Jackson Sweet. He died in prison years ago but this body is eerily similar to some recent homicides in Florida. Casper is unhappy with Elise’s replacement & asks her to come back & have an “unofficial” look-see.
Elise & David are a sight for sore eyes for old colleagues who are suffering under Victor Lamont, the man who took her job. They need to determine if Remy had a partner or if this is the work of a copycat. First up is the exhumation of Remy’s grave. And oooh lawdy, no one could have predicted just how many ways THAT would go wrong.
This is a fast paced thriller with a plot that zigs then zags as some ugly secrets from the past provide clues for the present investigation. Elise’s relationship with her long estranged father is shaky at the best of times & she believes he knows more than he’s telling, especially as the body count continues to rise.
Elise still struggles with PTSD as a result of her run-ins with psycho Atticus Tremain (previous books). She’s been able to keep it under wraps but the combination of being back in Savannah plus changes to her personal life bring it roaring back to life. Weird stuff is happening around her & her sometimes erratic behaviour has colleagues questioning her stability. Meanwhile, David begins to wonder if it’s time for him to move on alone. He’s always loved Elise but with no sign she’s ready for a relationship, just how long is a guy supposed to wait?
There’s a huge back story to this series so I really wouldn’t recommend this as a stand alone. The large cast have intricate ties & many references would go over the head of a first time reader. Among the returning characters is Elise’s friend (and Jackson’s lover) Strata Luna who adds her spooky mysticism to the atmospheric old south setting.
Some of the scenes are fairly graphic but entirely in keeping with what fans expect from several of the characters. A little suspension of disbelief is required & that’s what prevented me from giving this a higher rating. Elise’s fragile state, personal tragedies & what she endures made it hard for me to believe she could function as a person, let alone a detective. But hey, this is fiction & if you’re a fan of romantic suspense/drama there is plenty here to keep you entertained. show less
FOUND OBJECT was an excellent thriller with an intriguing and vulnerable main character. Jupiter Bellarose is an investigative journalist who was hospitalized for depression after an undercover assignment went wrong. She never expected to fall in love with the subject of her investigation nor to watch him commit suicide by walking into the ocean and swimming away.
Jupiter's editor offers her a puff piece about a cosmetics company turning 100 to get her back into journalism. But doing the show more story will take her back to Savannah which was the site of her life's greatest tragedy. When Jupiter was sixteen, her mother television star Marie Nova was murdered and dismembered. A man was convicted of the crime but Jupiter still has questions and isn't convinced that he was guilty.
Detective Ian Griffin whose first day on the job was marred by discovering the dismembered body of Marie Nova also still has questions. He and Jupiter get together to investigate and, somehow, Marie finds her two investigations coming together.
Marie Nova was the face of Lumet, the cosmetics company Jupiter is supposed to be writing about. As Jupiter uncovers things the company doesn't want the public to know like radioactive face cream and face creams with human fat as a part of the formula, she also learns more about her mother's death.
Jupiter has always feared that her father who was estranged from her mother finally snapped and murdered her. And she learns that he has always feared that Jupiter had a sleepwalking session and murdered her mother since he was sent a recording of his car at the scene of the crime and knows he wasn't the one driving it.
This was an engaging and twisty thriller about a woman nearly drowning in guilt about a case gone wrong who is also determined to finally find out the truth about her mother's death. The narrators did an excellent job with the story. show less
Jupiter's editor offers her a puff piece about a cosmetics company turning 100 to get her back into journalism. But doing the show more story will take her back to Savannah which was the site of her life's greatest tragedy. When Jupiter was sixteen, her mother television star Marie Nova was murdered and dismembered. A man was convicted of the crime but Jupiter still has questions and isn't convinced that he was guilty.
Detective Ian Griffin whose first day on the job was marred by discovering the dismembered body of Marie Nova also still has questions. He and Jupiter get together to investigate and, somehow, Marie finds her two investigations coming together.
Marie Nova was the face of Lumet, the cosmetics company Jupiter is supposed to be writing about. As Jupiter uncovers things the company doesn't want the public to know like radioactive face cream and face creams with human fat as a part of the formula, she also learns more about her mother's death.
Jupiter has always feared that her father who was estranged from her mother finally snapped and murdered her. And she learns that he has always feared that Jupiter had a sleepwalking session and murdered her mother since he was sent a recording of his car at the scene of the crime and knows he wasn't the one driving it.
This was an engaging and twisty thriller about a woman nearly drowning in guilt about a case gone wrong who is also determined to finally find out the truth about her mother's death. The narrators did an excellent job with the story. show less
Promising start to a series, set in Savannah, that walks the line between police procedural and supernatural thriller.
'Play Dead' is the start of a series of books about Elise Sandburg, a homicide detective with the Savannah Police Department. In this first book, Elise is investigating instances of apparently people waking up on the coroner's slab and dying shortly afterwards. Elise gets the woo woo work because legend has it that she is the daughter of a famous root doctor and that she was show more found abandoned in an ancient Low Country cemetery.
I found it refreshing that, from the start, nobody thought these were really zombies. Which is not to say that a root doctor may not have been involved but if they are, they'll be found by detective work, not magic.
Elise Sandberg knows about root spell the way a lapsed Catholic knows about transubstantiation: she can describe the ceremonies and the intent, knows that it has power for others, doesn't buy-in to herself but accepts its presence as part of her identity.
For me, much of the appeal of the book was that it was filled with credible characters with real lives, albeit exotic ones. Elise is a mother as well as a detective and her relationships with her teenage daughter, and with her ex-husband and his new wife are well-drawn. Her new partner, an ex-FBI agent and a Northerner, has a traumatic past, a bleak present and may not have much of a future. The victims and bad guys, who are sometimes the same people, are complicated and human.
The plot had enough puzzle in it to make things interesting without putting the characters in the shade and Savannah provides a unique setting that feels authentic.
'Play Dead' was an entertaining read that made me want to read more in the series. show less
'Play Dead' is the start of a series of books about Elise Sandburg, a homicide detective with the Savannah Police Department. In this first book, Elise is investigating instances of apparently people waking up on the coroner's slab and dying shortly afterwards. Elise gets the woo woo work because legend has it that she is the daughter of a famous root doctor and that she was show more found abandoned in an ancient Low Country cemetery.
I found it refreshing that, from the start, nobody thought these were really zombies. Which is not to say that a root doctor may not have been involved but if they are, they'll be found by detective work, not magic.
Elise Sandberg knows about root spell the way a lapsed Catholic knows about transubstantiation: she can describe the ceremonies and the intent, knows that it has power for others, doesn't buy-in to herself but accepts its presence as part of her identity.
For me, much of the appeal of the book was that it was filled with credible characters with real lives, albeit exotic ones. Elise is a mother as well as a detective and her relationships with her teenage daughter, and with her ex-husband and his new wife are well-drawn. Her new partner, an ex-FBI agent and a Northerner, has a traumatic past, a bleak present and may not have much of a future. The victims and bad guys, who are sometimes the same people, are complicated and human.
The plot had enough puzzle in it to make things interesting without putting the characters in the shade and Savannah provides a unique setting that feels authentic.
'Play Dead' was an entertaining read that made me want to read more in the series. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 63
- Also by
- 5
- Members
- 4,014
- Popularity
- #6,285
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 177
- ISBNs
- 124
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- 6
- Favorited
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