Brink of Death by Brandilyn Collins

Annie and her family have just moved into her father's house. Hoping to get her son away from the influence of bad friends she moves to a smaller community. But right across the street a break in and murder occur shortly after they move in. Annie has been a courtroom artist for years, when the police can't get the murder victim's child to give a good description of the killer, Annie reluctantly volunteers to see if she can draw him from the child's description. Annie is scared that she will somehow traumatize the child more than she already is, but through a slow process they manage to come up with a likeness of the killer. Annie realizes right away that she has seen the face before. As the police run into one dead end after another Annie becomes frustrated and, hoping to keep her family safe, helps the police follow a trail that may once again lead to a dead end or may lead to putting herself into more danger.

BRINK OF DEATH had one thrilling scene after another that kept this reader on the edge of my seat the entire time. In fact it was so tense at times that I had to put it down and go do something else in order to be able to handle it when I came back to it! I love forensic shows on TV and so it was fascinating to me to read about Annie's transformation from courtroom artist to becoming a forensic artist.  I especially loved the little glimpses we got into the killer's thoughts. I did get frustrated with Annie a couple of times when she couldn't seem to deal  with life, but she matured as the book went on and she gained confidence so became a much more likable character for me. If you are a fan of thrillers/mysteries I definitely recommend this book. Not much in the way of romance, but there are a couple of men I have my eye on for Annie as the series continues!