Horrifying story of a merciless attack on the author by her estranged husband.and what led up to it.

The book might have been more compelling if it had been arranged differently. As it is, the first part dragged a bit for me.

Even so, it might be good reading for women who are in difficult marriages so they can watch out for signs of impending violence.

I absolutely love memoirs and this one is one I loved! It was a terrifying story and shows how verbal abuse can quickly escalate into a near deadly attack. This one was a real page-turner as at the end of each chapter I couldn’t stop myself and had to continue reading on. I would definitely recommend this one to fans of memoirs!

A true-crime story that can be heard and told many times but unfortunately is not told until the female has passed away, (killed). Here you have a true story of a woman going through a horrifying experience. The story can be difficult to read at times for many reasons. You find yourself drawn to this story once you begin because you want to find out what happens.
Monique marries her high school sweetheart who becomes a monster. It starts with verbal abuse then turns into physical. Everything escalates to the point where she tries to leave, she gets the appropriate paperwork that you are legally required to get and yet she is still kidnapped by him, raped over and over, beat to the point where she pretended to be dead. Which actually saved her. She is a true survivor, a warrior in the true spirit of the word. No matter what she did legally he continued to come after her talk about premeditation. There is no I mean tolerance for a person like him yet there are many others walking around.
This will be difficult to read once again though I think needs to be. Though scary and very much true I just wish women and children didn’t have to go through this and could be protected better. Though I think that this is a book that needs to be read, just be aware that it may take you some time to get through it. Remember that everything that happened is true and that a man who said he loved someone, married her became this monster. There are no words to describe how Monique is a true survivor and is so very lucky to be alive today, I just wish that there were ways to protect more women and families out there that this is happening to. A truly good book.

This book is a brave telling of a woman whom escaped a terribly violent domestic situation and lived to tell her story. A horrific true story, this novel highlights how common domestic violence is and why victims often struggle to leave until it’s too late. Thankyou to the published and net gallery for the ARC.

This is a true crime book. I love my true crime and this book didnt disappoint. I highly recommend this book to people who love books about true crime.

This read was such an eye opener. I always find myself thinking, "Why would someone stay in an abusive situation?" I felt this really helped put some of that into prospective. The book was very well written. It was split up into chunks of time, each giving details of her life and story. I felt like enough details were given to get the needed background information to understand without dwelling too long on unnecessary details. The story line continued on so well, that I couldn't stop reading. When I got to the fateful day where their abusive relationship came to a head, I felt the details were so well written. I really felt like I could understand her pain and emotions. I am so sorry for the events that unfolded in Monique's and her children's lives, but I am so inspired by her willingness to share their story. I felt this was a great read.

This whole story was crazy and I really appreciated the depth it went into. It definitely was the perfect book to read in the fall when you kind of want to look into the crazy stories that exist in our world. This will definitely be a hit in the true crime community.

This is a hard book to give a review on. It is such a tragic thing that has happened to Monique and her family but I am also very glad that she survived and is able to talk about it with other people.

I thought this book was very well written, especially since some of the details she could not remember. I did like how she explained the back story and did not just jump into what happened to her. I also like how she ended the book with the epilogue. Not many books go into detail about each character and I am glad to find out what happened to the others.

This is truly a very scary story. It shows how verbal abuse can escalate very quickly into a near-deadly attack. Monique, the daughter of San Diego Charger's football player, Earl Faison, married her high school sweetheart and made the biggest mistake of her life. After three children, Monique decided to leave her husband but he stalked and threatened her. Protection injunctions, police warnings and arrests did not even stop him. He finally kidnapped her, beat and raped her unmercifully. She played dead and he finally left. Her survival, her strength, and her wisdom are an inspiration and a lesson to us all.
The book was a real page-turner as the ending of each chapter gave me a need to read on and find out what was going to happen. I found Monique to be a very strong person who just wanted to protect her children. I would highly recommend this to those who are in an abusive relationship or those who love survival stories.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Wild Blue Press for a copy of this book for an honest review.

The sheer horror that the author went through is terrifying and real. Her portrayal and description of the character was clear and concise and while the book flowed throughout it was a tad long winded in the back story and less descriptive during the actual incident.

This is a true story of spousal abuse. The horror that both sides of the family endured. Especially how the children were manipulated and lied to about their mother. In a situation like this there are no winners. The mother was almost beaten to death by a shovel to the head. She had been teri g to divorce her husband for years but was always talked out of it. She endured years of abuse because she wanted to give her children a mother and a father. Chris her husband took it too far when he couldn't have his way. He kidnapped, raped and almost killed her.
Ultimately this is the story of a brave, courageous, determined mother. Her children always came first.

I couldn't get into this book. I love a good memoir and have read many but I didn't find this author's voice and/or writing style to be as compelling as others. I did not finish it so I can't really give it a honest opinion.

This is a true crime story told by the victim. IT is at times, hard to read, hard to understand why she stayed, and ultimately the will to live.
The author admits that they were just kids when her and Chris got together. They did not have the maturity to be together, let alone have children together.
yet throughout the book, you can tell that the author tried EVERYTHING a person should. Moving away from family, trying to bring money in, counseling, etc.
Then when she decides to leave, Chris explodes. Stalking, threatening, and ultimately trying to take her life.
I hope that the author got the help to overcome this horrific crime.
A great book and chilling read.

Just can't read this book. It is written like a monotone. Can't help but think the main characters are a little contrived.

This was well written but was a depressing read. I wonder whether the book would have worked better if the end had been the beginning and then the book went back in time to give an insight into the events leading up to what happened. I think this would have given a bigger impact. The book felt slow in places with a lot of build up. The main event was horrible and the epilogue brief. It's an ok read and it passed the time but there are some heart in the mouth moments as you really feel for the author and what she went through.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for the advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Playing Dead is the memoir and true life story of the kidnapping, raping, and attempted murder of Monique Faison Ross. A very compelling story of survival. The story itself is worth telling to encourage other women of domestic violence to get help. What I do not understand is the need to start the story in describing her famous father and mother. The story is about Monique and it should have started with that and because of that I was not 100% on board.

This book was provided for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading memoirs and true crime stories

Playing Dead
A Memoir of Terror and Survival
Monique Faison Ross with Gary M. Krebs
Wild Blue Press, Sep 1, 2019
248 pages, Kindle
Memoir: Domestic Violence
NetGalley
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The cover on this book is understated, but I think it really ties to the author’s story very well since it was the weapon used against her. No sensational picture would have worked half as well as this simple fence and shovel.

The author tells her story as if she is reporting it to you. For some reason, in my head, I was hearing her tell all this in a rather monotone voice the way someone would when they’ve been through the story several times and they are rather worn down from it. As if in a shock-like state and they just want to tell it and put it all behind them. There seems to be no attempt to embellish what’s going on, the events are dramatic enough in their raw state.

We hear this story so often. A marriage that’s not really quite right from the beginning. A husband who derides his wife at every opportunity until her self-worth is almost gone and she starts to wonder if she really is as useless and unattractive as he says. Children didn’t solve the problem, of course. They just created more targets and great hostages to her behavior. A puppy? Yeah, that makes a great target, too. The author takes us from some snide remarks to constant verbal abuse and plunges us into the physical violence of her relationship with her husband just the way it happened. Her primary goal through all of this was to protect her children.

This book ticks off so many of my taboos that I’m really not sure why I requested the book. This is definitely not a book for someone with triggers of domestic violence, child abuse, or animal abuse. But I do highly recommend it as a survivor’s story for those who enjoy reading about the ones who made it through and out the other side. Thank you to Wild Blue Press for providing a copy.

Playing Dead is a very emotional memoir. The author's struggle and abuse is heart wrenching. The book is well written and a quick read.

Although the what the poor author went through is horrendous she has written her story well. Although she has to live through the horrifying memories daily, she has bravely told her story which I'm sure will help other victims who are going through similar. I liked how at the end she added an update on her family etc I hope her all the best after coming through such a terrifying ordeal x f

A horrifying heartbreaking read.The abuse rape torture that Monique suffers at the hands of the man who swore he loved her.the man she married.The brain damage he inflicted on her will cause her suffering his brutal treatment forever. Monique is a strong brave women who is a true survivor. #netgalley#wildbluepress.