WHEN DEATH DRAWS NEAR; STORY LINE:
Gwen Marcey, forensic artist, is back in action in When Death Draws Near, book 3 of the Gwen Marcey stories. Pikeville, Kentucky is the center of murder, accidents, and rapes; then, we have the Pentecostal Snake Handlers to add spice. Gwen’s is in Pikeville to render a drawing the latest victim. What starts as a simple case spirals out of control into much worse. Gwen finds her cancer has returned, her ex-husband is still a controlling conniving jerk who loves to humiliate and demean her, and something is very off in Pikeville.
The Hillbilly Rapist is active, bodies are found murdered, the Sheriff’s Dept seems ineffective, and the local underground snake handling Pentecostal Church is going strong. Gwen finds herself hired to infiltrate the group, identify and render drawings of the handlers reporting any illegal activity. The richest man in town, having White House aspirations, wants the Pentecostal snake handlers out of business.
Pikeville is a hub of criminal activity and Gwen finds herself in the center of the storm. Come with Gwen as she ferrets out the truth, protects her daughter, meets a new man, and delivers justice. My crime/mystery novel review follows.
WHEN DEATH DRAWS NEAR; CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, AND DEVELOPMENT:
In When Death Draws Near, author Carrie Stuart Parks has crafted a first-rate criminal/msytery story. As a result, I found I could not put down this book. Ms. Parks had many threads in this story which she skillfully wove together to create an intense and intriguing story-line. Consequently, the plots just kept coming; woven into the story by a master.
Furthermore, Ms. Parks has a cast of characters which she skillfully developed and was progressive throughout the book. You will root for Gwen, shiver and worry when she’s in danger, despise her ex-husband, and love her attitude to life. Her daughter, you will find is a normal teenager with all their attitudes and opinions. The secondary characters are essential to the story-line and well-developed. Also, I found Ms. Parks’ research into the Pentecostal Movement well done and her legal background added much authenticity to the story-line.
Ms. Parks has a killer of an ending which you will not expect. Kudos, Ms. Parks, kudos. What a surprise, my mouth fell open! The pacing of the revelations were spot on and the length of the book was correct. This book does not rely on fluff to fill the pages.
In concluding the review of When Death Draws Near, I found this a well-written and developed book. The story never lags or bogs down nor does the author fill the story with meaningless dialogue. Once again, Ms. Parks has crafted a first-rate criminal/mystery story-line.
WHEN DEATH DRAWS NEAR, RECOMMENDATION: 5 STARS:
In conclusion, I do not hesitate to give this book 5 stars. You will not regret purchasing this book if you love a good solid crime story.
Final Note: I received this book from the author and Netgalley in return for a voluntary honest crime/mystery novel review. Book reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion; consequently book reviews on line under my name and on my blog are my opinion.