When Death Draws Near

Gwen Marcey Series, Book 3

By: Carrie Stuart Parks

Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo

Gwen Marcey takes death in stride. Until she's faced with her own mortality.

Forensic artist Gwen Marcey is between jobs when she accepts temporary work in Pikeville, Kentucky - a small town facing big-city crime. But before Gwen can finish her first drawing of the serial rapist who is on the loose, the latest witness vanishes. Just like all the others.

Gwen suspects a connection between the rapist and the "accidental" deaths that are happening around town, but the local sheriff has little interest in her theories. When her digitally-obsessed teenage daughter joins her, Gwen turns her attention to a second assignment: going undercover in a serpent-handling church. She could get a handsome reward for uncovering illegal activity - a reward she desperately needs, as it seems her breast cancer has returned. But snakes aren't the only ones ready to kill. Can Gwen uncover the truth - and convince anyone to believe her - before she becomes a victim herself?

In a thrilling race against time, When Death Draws Near plunges us into cold-case murders, shady politics, and a den of venomous suspects.

©2016 Carrie Stuart Parks (P)2020 Tantor

Another late night to finish

Another great book. Intense plot. Kept me on edge all the way until the end.
Carrie Stuart Parks books are rapidly becoming a new favorite author!

The twists and turns of the are great . Use a better narrator. Needs to make it serm real.

See above review. I said it all there. It is the same i would write here.

This Gwen Marcy series is delightful

As a breast, cancer survivor myself, the reference to Lucy and Ethel, and Thelma and Louise, make me laugh. I was not clever enough to name my prosthetic breasts, but I sure could have! I finally got tired of them, and proudly have a flat chest!

Could hardly put it down!

The story is mesmerizing! The pace is quick which is great, but also seems a bit too fast for audible—or maybe I just wasn’t paying close enough attention, especially given the many characters and that I tend to multitask while listening.
Part of the problem may have been the driven pace of the narrator. It was as though every sentence had an exclamation point! I turned the pace down to “8” and found it much more enjoyable.
I will read more of Park’s books for sure.

Not a fan of the narration style

I read the first two books in this series on Kindle and loved them. But I can't get into this title. I'm not sure if it's the story itself, though it doesn't feel as strong. (Gwen seems a little more whiny and obtuse than I remember. For instance, she wonders why she'd need to know about the religious beliefs of the Pentecostal Church she's been asked to infiltrate. Um, that seems pretty basic.) But I know the narration style is definitely not for me. Ezzo reads this with hints of a period piece drama, with lots of emphasis and strong diction. It just sounds over the top to me, not really suitable for a very contemporary crime book.