"Brink of Death "
by Brandilyn Collins
"Brink of Death" Description
Terror rocks Grove Landing when a woman
is murdered in her home. The victim's young daughter, Erin,
witnessed the crime but is too traumatized to give a description.
Desperate detectives ask neighbor Annie Kingston, with a
background in art, to interview Erin for a composite. But
what if Annie's lack of experience in forensic art leads
Erin astray? The detectives could end up searching for a
face that doesn't exist. Leaving the real killer free to
stalk the neighborhood.
Author Testimony
Some years ago a man asked me what I did for a living. I
told him I write Christian fiction. "Christian fiction?" His
forehead creased. "I thought Christianity was all truth!"
Well, it's a good thing my Christian suspense novels aren't "all truth." 'Cause
some bodaciously bad stuff happens in 'em.
The suspense genre in the Christian market has exploded
since 1999. Before that time, I think folks in the industry
were rather scared of it. "How in the
world are you supposed to mix the Good News with violence and terror? Agh!" Today
not only can you find plenty of Christian suspense novels,
you can take your pick from all manner of subgenres. And
every month it seems a new Christian suspense author comes
along.
The question is--why do I choose to write suspense? Why not romance,
or historicals, or contemporaries--something a little easier on the nerves? My
mother wonders this too. She thinks I'm getting more warped by the minute. She's
probably right. My stories do tend to be...intense. But the truth is, I have
an amazing, fun freedom in writing Christian suspense. I get to tell all sorts
of scary stories--and inject the hope of God into them. That's the best of both
worlds, if you ask me.
Truth is, we do live in an evil world. But the truth doesn't end there, thanks
be to God. The truth ends with the fact that God's power can help us live, even
be victorious, amid this evil. Not to say bad things don't happen to good people.
They do--in real life, and in my books. It is to say that followers of Christ
have been given the awesome authority to go before His throne and ask for help
in times of trouble--even big, bad trouble. Especially big, bad trouble.
Lest you think I sound too much like a preacher--let me set you straight. I'm
not one. My #1 job as a Christian novelist is not to preach. It's to write the
best rollickin' story I possibly can. I want to grab you-from the very first
line. I want to take you on a rollercoaster ride, make you need to sleep with
a nightlight on. I want to make you forget to b r e a t h e. Yet along
the way, you won't be so inundated with evil that you're left feeling hopeless.
Quite the opposite. My books present hope. You can accept the message, or reject
it and simply come along for the ride. Either way, I'm mighty happy to have you
along.
Uh-better cinch up that seatbelt.
Brandilyn Collins
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