Book Review: 'When Death Draws Near' by Carrie Stuart Parks
Gwen Marcy is a free-lance forensic artist, called to Pikeville, Kentucky, to help identify a serial rapist. The latest victim lies in a hospital bed, badly beaten and barely able to talk. The local sheriff also asks Gwen to help identify the decomposed body of a man found dead in the forest, apparently about a month after he died of snakebite. Gwen takes her usual photographs and measurements and returns to her hotel to draw the most likely appearance of his face. Gwen herself is almost hit by an accelerating car near the hotel.
Returning to the hospital next morning, Gwen learns the patient’s family has signed their daughter out and taken her away from town. Moreover, that’s what previous rape victims have done; no one left in Pikeville can supply Gwen with the criminal’s description.
Other personal problems weigh upon Gwen. She is nearly broke financially. Her husband Robert recently divorced her on learning that she has early cancer. She and Robert have joint custody of their 15-year-old daughter Aynslee, but he has other commitments this month and has just phoned Gwen that he has put Aynslee on a plane to join her in Kentucky. As if that were not enough, anonymous phone threats tell her to leave town, and she discovers a live rattlesnake in her hotel room. The county animal control officer removes the snake, but whoever put it in her room knows the room number; she demands the sheriff find her another place to stay. He arranges for her to do so with a wealthy couple in town, Arless and Blanche Campbell. Arless is on his way up in state politics, eager to help combat crime. Gwen feels awed but safe there. The Campbells often have other guests at meals. One is a visiting professor of religion, Thomas Wellington with his assistant, Trish Garlock.
Gwen’s analysis of what the snake-bite victim would have looked like in life has put her in contact with the victim’s parents, who are grateful for her help. They will hold a memorial service for him soon, and invite Gwen and her daughter to come. When Gwen mentions this at dinner, all conversation stops.
“Elijah and Ruby Adkins invited you to their place? For a service?” Trish asked.
“A funeral. I think they were grateful when I gave them the picture of their son. Why?”
Blanche spoke through stiff lips. “They’re Pentecostal snake handlers.”
Arless explained. “Kentucky is the only state specifically prohibiting snake handling in religious services. When bodies started to pile up a few months ago, we increased the fines, thinking they would move to West Virginia where it’s still legal. Instead they went underground. We need to identify the leaders.”
Somewhat against her better judgment, Gwen agrees to go to the funeral and afterward sketch portraits of other attendees. But with the unidentified serial rapist still at large she fears for her daughter’s safety. The Campbells offer the use of their rustic cabin several miles up in the hills.
Gwen and Aynslee go to the Adkins funeral, and find the other attendees ordinary and congenial. Sarah Adkins, age six, takes a liking to Aynslee. Mrs. Adkins remarks that Sarah hasn’t spoken since her teen-age sister died some months ago. Her mother welcomes the friendship, and asks Gwen if she and Aynslee would like to attend the church’s annual homecoming revival meeting in the coming weekend; a secret assembly in the mountains. Aynslee is excited about it, and Gwen accepts.
Meanwhile, unexplained deaths keep occurring. Trish dies of a broken neck. The hotel clerk’s body is found floating face-up in the river. The sheriff seems to assign his least competent deputies to these cases and Gwen is beginning to mistrust him.
On the way to the mountain assembly, the guide, Blake, (guard? thinks Gwen) blindfolds us until we stop at a mountain corral. He saddles up three horses. Gwen’s tries to buck her off but she handles it, to Blake’s surprise. They arrive at a high meadow, chilled in their thin clothing. “I felt an oversize coat settle on my shoulders. Blake draped a man’s sweater over Aynslee”
“Thanks,” Aynslee grinned at Blake. “Mom says you’re a Neanderthal, but I think your nice.”
I could see why some animals eat their young.
I pretended I didn’t know my daughter. But before I unsaddled, Blake was beside me. “Neanderthal?” he whispered, his lips so close to my ear that my hair fluttered.
Another attempt on her own life almost succeeds, up at the cabin, where she had moved to be safe. The sheriff is wearing a gold wristwatch that must have cost ten thousand dollars or more. Mr. and Mrs. Adkins die in a house fire, where dozens of poisonous snakes slither around loose. Over the next few days, Gwen adopts a new motto, “Trust no one!”She reaches the Collins mansion at 11 p.m. on Halloween night where a crowd of masked, costumed party-goers have had too much to drink. But where is Aynslee? She was supposed to meet her there!
- • •
Carrie Stuart Parks is famous for piling a large number of clues and suspicious people into each of her novels, but she weaves them expertly into a surprising and satisfying conclusion. She has been trained as a forensic artist, first at North Idaho Regional Crime lab and later at the FBI. She adheres to the rules of many Christian fiction publishers — No profanity, no overt sex, but the author may have as many dead bodies as she wishes. She also quietly adds observations from her own Christian life.