Dead of Night

by Brandilyn Collins

Book Overview

All words fell away. I pushed myself off the path, noticing for the first time the signs of earlier passage--the matted earth, broken twigs. And I knew. My mouth turned cottony. I licked my lips, took three halting steps. My maddening, visual brain churned out pictures of colorless faces on a cold slab--Debbie Lille, victim number one; Wanda Deminger, number three . . . He'd been here. Dragged this one right where I now stumbled. I'd entered a...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310251052
• ISBN13: 9780310251057
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Dead of Night

This book is chilling because Annie Kingston's story could be anyone's story. Everyone comes face to face with evil at some point in life, whether that be in the form of a serial killer or in the form of an addiction, or any other weapon of evil. The best thing about the book is that through the intensity that Annie faces she always finds a lifeline, a hope that can overcome any situation in which she finds herself. This lifeline is prayer, a weapon more powerful than any the realms of evil can ever throw our way.

Chilling!

If you like chilling mysteries, this is the book for you. I was hooked on reading this book from the opening prologue, which like several other chapters interspersed throughout the book is told with gut-wretching intensity from a serial killer's point of view. Forensic artist Annie Kingston, a divorced mother of two, becomes entangled in the crime she's trying to solve through the adolescent misdemeanors of her son. As the serial killer circles closer and closer to Annie's own children, the mystery builds. You may think you know who the bad guy is, but it's doubtful you'll solve the crime more than a chapter ahead of Annie. An enthralling mystery, skillfully written, and well plotted. Highly recommended-but not for the faint of heart.

Seatbelt Suspense at its finest

Diving right into the action, DEAD OF NIGHT opens with narrator Annie Kingston confronting an intruder in her house. That same day she discovers the sixth victim of a serial killer in the woods on her property. Placed there randomly? Or is the killer trying to taunt her? Book #3 in the Hidden Faces series continues the saga of forensic artist Annie Kingston with page-turning intensity. Not only must Annie draw the victims of the killer for identification, she must also face the escalating consequences of her teenage son's rebellion and the challenges of living out her new-found faith. Interspersed throughout the first person narrative are chillingly evil, yet often strikingly poetic, scenes in the killer's point of view. I was reminded of Edgar Allen Poe's story "The Telltale Heart" as I read them. With this novel, and the rest of the Hidden Faces series, Brandilyn Collins has pushed the envelope in the emerging genre of Christian crime fiction. She's not afraid to tell it like it is, yet spares us the gratuitous details most secular crime writers thrive on. That said, DEAD OF NIGHT isn't just about crime and its aftermath. It's also about the power of prayer. As the back cover states: "Annie learns where the real battle takes place - and that a Christian's authority through prayer is the ultimate, unyielding weapon." Highly recommended, five star fiction! Get out and buy this book. And while you're at it, pick up Book #1 BRINK OF DEATH & Book #2 STAIN OF GUILT.

Dead of Night (Hidden Faces Series)

A roller coaster ride in a book! A compelling plot. Creepy villian. Innocents in peril. The heroine is real. The storyline is full and interesting. Brandilyn's books would appeal to fans of Patricia Cornwell, Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti. It is less clinically intese than Cornwell, and as spiritual and thoughtful as Dekker and Peretti.

Dead of Night Has It All

Suspense. Intrigue. Tension. Wonderfully developed characters. Conflict--both internal and external, personal and social. A no-nonsense theme. This novel has it all. Yes, the story is an exciting read. The climactic scene was grippingly tense--a perfect end for a thrilling tale. But more, this novel is well-crafted, with some beautiful prose, vivid images, three-dimensional characters. Brandilyn Collins is a novelist you will want to continue reading, and Dead of Night is one of her best.