Customer Reviews

Brink of Death

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I finished "Brink of Death" in about 3 days, had to sleep some of the time.....
The whole book was so great but the last 140 pages had me
jumpin(g)through sentences so fast that I had to go back and re-read the paragraphs over again.
This is the kind of book I just love and hate at the same time. Love because it is so darn good and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Hate, because it is so good that I read it to fast and it is over, gone, done POOF!!! , and I don't want it to be over. Oh yes, something else. You brought the Lord throughout the whole book so beautifully that as Annie was fighting him and reaching out to him at the same time, you could identify with her easily.
I can hardly wait for the next one. I am utterly amazed at the skill and talent you have to put something like that together. Thank you.
Winnie

Thirty-something divorcee Annie Kingston moves out of the Bay Area and to the suburbs of Grove Landing to afford her two children a quieter and safer place to grow up in. And so, moving to her late father's house -- a big-name, albeit hated attorney -- seems like a sound choice. That is until one of her neighbors turns out dead. Lisa Willit wakes up to noise in her husband's office, and gets murdered. Her young daughter is a witness to the crime. Annie had worked in courtrooms in the past and knows a bit about drawing and forensics, so she offers to draw a sketch of the culprit, a man with the most sinister bright-blue eyes the little girl has ever seen. But then Annie realizes that she's seen this man before. Who is he? What does he want? And is the Willit household the one he had intended to break into? The plot thickens when Annie is forced to use her eye for forensic evidence and discover the truth before it's too late.

This is a good enough suspenseful novel. The story is well woven and its conclusion is sound. Annie is a fleshed out heroine who has film-like visions of scenarios as they unfold in her head. However, Brink of Death is far from perfect. The main problem I had with this book is that it isn't a very clever thriller because I was able to figure things out before the heroine and other characters did. Also, the killer's identity is a tad disappointing. Once you've discovered who the killer is and you know where the climax is headed, there's no point reading further, is it? Still, I kept reading... and felt like I'd wasted my time. This is a Christian thriller where the heroine is supposed to discover Jesus by the time the book comes to an end. Even though I don't like overly preachy Christian novels, I don't like said novels that hardly ever mention Christ either, so I felt that this is more like a regular thriller with the Christianity thrown in as an afterthought. It doesn't feel relevant to the story at all. It might as well have been cut off altogether. All in all, Brink of Death could've been a riveting read if it hadn't been for the above flaws. Still, it is good enough of a read if you're in the mood for a film-like thriller. This is the first part of a series. I don't think I'll be checking out the other books though.

Wow...Wow...Wow...If you're interested in serious edge of your seat, bite your fingernails to the nub, and flinch at every sound suspense, then here's your book. Surprising twists and turn will keep you up until the wee hours of the morning. Don't start reading this book after dark and definitely don't read it ALONE! Thanks, Brandilyn, for another winner! I am anxiously awaiting the second in the series as my fingernails grow back - just in time to chew them all off again, I'm sure.

From the opening scene in BRINK OF DEATH you know you're in good hands. You're also in for a ride - one that thrusts you into the world of Annie Kingston - single mom, former courtroom artist, and a woman about to live a nightmare.

Told in Annie's engaging first person point of view (except for the prologue and the scattered scenes following the villain in third person), there are no wasted words. Every chapter leads you seamlessly into the next. Tight, suspenseful, and peppered with compelling details about forensic art, BRINK OF DEATH will keep you up waaaaaay past your bedtime. And the good news is it's book #1 in the Hidden Faces series (#2, STAIN OF GUILT available October 2004).

Without compromising the thrills, Brandilyn keeps her story clean, which is something Christian readers will appreciate. But this is also a book you could give to friends or relatives with no concern about hitting them over the head with its religious message. We're gently led to think about God as we follow Annie's story.

Final word? The characters in BRINK OF DEATH are REAL (no cardboard stereotypes here), and this series will win Brandilyn many more loyal fans, myself included.

Brink of Death, the first book in the Hidden Faces series, literally scared the ba..jeebies out of me! Hold onto your seat and like Brandilyn says...."Don't forget to breathe." She wasn't kidding. I held my breathe to the very end. I was still thinking about it the next day. It is the best suspense novel that I have read. Lock your doors. Read this book. Be Afraid. You may want to sleep with one eye open.

When Annie Kingston moves her children away from the big city and it's temptations to the small community of Grove Landing, she expects to find peace and quiet. Her haven is not the paradise she anticipated.

When Annie is awakened late one night by the flashing lights of emergency vehicles, she realizes something dark has come to Grove Landing. The murder of her neighbor, Lisa Willit, has left everyone in the neighborhood stunned. The only witness, Lisa's twelve-year-old daughter, Erin is too distraught to describe the intruder.

Annie is asked by the desperate detectives to use her courtroom sketch artist skills to aid in the investigation. She doubts her ability to accurately detail the intruder from Erin's description and struggles with what her lack of experience could do to the investigation. For the first time in her life, she has no choice but to ask God for help.

As she becomes more involved in the case, her discoveries bring her closer to the realization that she and her family may be in real danger. If the face she has drawn is not the killer, then the real intruder may be back to finish what he started....

Readers of suspense will enjoy the edge-of-your-seat opening, middle, and ending that calls for Ms. Collins' reminder: "Remember to Breathe".

Brink of Death (Hidden Faces Series #1)
Stain of Guilt (Hidden Faces Series #2)
Again...I could hardly put them down! Brandilyn is the best - I received the Hidden Face Series for Christmas. She has an amazing ability to put into words a persons spiritual fears without belittling that fear. A person who has been a Christian for a long time can sometimes forget that feeling of fearing the unknown when someone has not been raised in a Christian environment. Then, in Stain of Guilt, the way she continues to work thru her fears...
Absolutely amazing!!!!!!

I give this an A+ for suspense and police/forensic details! I do prefer books with more character development (I want to really know what they're feeling, etc), and this one didn't "grab me" that way. Otherwise, this is a great Christian suspense, worth the read!

I've been wanting to read Brandilyn Collins for some time and I must say "Brink of Death" my a five star first impression on me. There is little to not like about this book. The dialogue is tight and the story proceeds at just the right speed. This story has great timing, never dragging but lingering on detail at times to allow the reader to catch up. I look forward to the rest of the novels in the Hidden Faces series.

One of the best Christian Fiction books I have read in a long time. Lots of suspense, great characters, and a good story. I can't wait to read the others in this series. It is nice to find a book with good suspense, minus the foul language and gory details. Highly recommended.