"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 there, Gwen turn her attention to a second assignment: going undercover in a serpent-handling church. She could get a handsome reward for uncovering illegal activity there--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"--"Death has always been part of Gwen Marcey's job. But when faced with her own mortality, everything takes on a different hue"--.