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Hidden Faces #4
Web of Lies
She was washing dishes when her world began to blur.Chelsea Adams hitched in a breath, her skin pebbling. She knew the dreaded sign all too well. God was pushing a vision into her consciousness.Black dots crowded her sight. She dropped a plate, heard it crack against the porcelain sink. Her fingers fumbled for the faucet. The hiss of water ceased.God, I don’t want this. Please!After witnessing a shooting at a convenience store, forensic artist Annie Kingston must draw a composite of the suspect. But before she can begin, she hears that Chelsea Adams wants to meet with her—now. Chelsea Adams—the woman who made national headlines with her visions of murder. And this vision is by far the most chilling.Chelsea and Annie soon find themselves snared in a terrifying battle against time, greed, and a deadly opponent. If they tell the police, will their story be believed? With the web of lies thickening, and lives ultimately at stake, who will know enough to stop the evil?
346 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 2006
29 people are currently reading
439 people want to read
About the author
Brandilyn Collins
62 books632 followersBrandilyn Collins is a best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense®--fast-paced, character-driven suspense with myriad twists and an interwoven thread of faith.
Brandilyn is also known for her distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley & Sons). She is a sought-after teacher and speaker at writers' conferences.
Brandilyn is also known for her distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley & Sons). She is a sought-after teacher and speaker at writers' conferences.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
October 9, 2020
This series is more a psychological thriller than action filled suspense. It moves a little more slowly until about the last third when it does throw in attention-getting action. Annie Kingston is a forensic artist and Chelsea Adams is a visionary who receives visions from God connected to crimes. When these two connect due to a vision Chelsea receives and a crime Annie witnesses, both their lives and Annie's children's become endangered. The author weaves a strong spiritual thread throughout the story line; and when the villain is revealed at the very end, my mouth dropped open. Very good suspense read that kept me up late last night.
May 19, 2019
This was a really good book. I think it was my favorite in this series. It was intense and cleverly written. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
February 6, 2015
Brandilyn Collins fans have followed forensic artist and single-mom Annie Kingston through three hair-raising books in the Hidden Faces series - Brink of Death, Stain of Guilt, and Dead of Night. But before Hidden Faces, there was Chelsea Adams. Her crime fighting visions from God are infamous in Eyes of Elisha and Dread Champion. In Collins' latest offering, Web of Lies, she skillfully brings the two women together by combining their completely different storylines. Not an easy feat, considering one series was written in first person, the other in third.
Annie Kingston isn't looking for trouble, but it always has a way of finding her. She's endured a myriad of trials in the last few years, including a bitter divorce, a rebellious son's drug problem, and numerous threats on her life. This time she's outside a 7-Eleven right when a gun wielding man opens fire. Within seconds one man lies dead, another wounded, and the killer gets away. The police call on Annie to draw a composite of the shooter based on the wounded man's testimony.
Meanwhile, Chelsea Adams has just had one of her most disturbing straight-from-a-horror-movie visions, and she urgently tries to speak with Annie. Annie is wary - could God really have given Chelsea this vision to help police with the shooting case? Agreeing to draw the face Chelsea saw, both women are quickly thrust into a game more complicated and deadly than they could've imagined. Can they convince the police to take Chelsea's vision seriously before more people die?
Complicating things further is the discovery of a skeleton near Annie's home. With her life now being threatened, she's called upon to attempt her most challenging drawing to date - a facial reconstruction. With time running out, Annie and Chelsea find themselves trapped not only in a web of lies, but of fear. They struggle to trust God as one thing becomes increasingly certain -- there's more to this investigation than first meets the eye.
Known for her "Seatbelt Suspense", Brandilyn doesn't disappoint in Web of Lies. It's a roller coaster from page 1 as we speed along with Annie and Chelsea on their wild ride. Avid fans will be pleased to find Brandilyn's flair for dramatic turns of phrase to be especially prominent, and the re-appearance of reporter Milt Waking (of Chelsea Adams series fame) as an important part in the novel was a clever addition. As with the other Hidden Faces novels, the villain also gets page time. I found his chilling scenes to be some of the best writing in the book. I would've liked to have seen a little more emphasis on the development of Annie's family members, but I can understand why they had to take backstage this time.
Without giving too much away, I will reveal that Brandilyn refers to Web of Lies as her "spider book". And when poisonous arachnids appear in a crime novel, you can rightly guess they won't be lounging around in locked terrariums. Suspense and mystery readers alike will find much to enjoy in this novel's numerous twists and turns, and the squeamish among us will be happy to know Brandilyn never resorts to gratuitous violence or gore. There's always light at the end of the tunnel. Annie's spiritual journey has also played a critical role in the series, but it's a believable journey that's never hammered over reader's heads.
I daresay Brandilyn Collins could be the Queen of Christian suspense, and Web of Lies is a satisfying and simultaneous wrap-up of two bestselling series.
Annie Kingston isn't looking for trouble, but it always has a way of finding her. She's endured a myriad of trials in the last few years, including a bitter divorce, a rebellious son's drug problem, and numerous threats on her life. This time she's outside a 7-Eleven right when a gun wielding man opens fire. Within seconds one man lies dead, another wounded, and the killer gets away. The police call on Annie to draw a composite of the shooter based on the wounded man's testimony.
Meanwhile, Chelsea Adams has just had one of her most disturbing straight-from-a-horror-movie visions, and she urgently tries to speak with Annie. Annie is wary - could God really have given Chelsea this vision to help police with the shooting case? Agreeing to draw the face Chelsea saw, both women are quickly thrust into a game more complicated and deadly than they could've imagined. Can they convince the police to take Chelsea's vision seriously before more people die?
Complicating things further is the discovery of a skeleton near Annie's home. With her life now being threatened, she's called upon to attempt her most challenging drawing to date - a facial reconstruction. With time running out, Annie and Chelsea find themselves trapped not only in a web of lies, but of fear. They struggle to trust God as one thing becomes increasingly certain -- there's more to this investigation than first meets the eye.
Known for her "Seatbelt Suspense", Brandilyn doesn't disappoint in Web of Lies. It's a roller coaster from page 1 as we speed along with Annie and Chelsea on their wild ride. Avid fans will be pleased to find Brandilyn's flair for dramatic turns of phrase to be especially prominent, and the re-appearance of reporter Milt Waking (of Chelsea Adams series fame) as an important part in the novel was a clever addition. As with the other Hidden Faces novels, the villain also gets page time. I found his chilling scenes to be some of the best writing in the book. I would've liked to have seen a little more emphasis on the development of Annie's family members, but I can understand why they had to take backstage this time.
Without giving too much away, I will reveal that Brandilyn refers to Web of Lies as her "spider book". And when poisonous arachnids appear in a crime novel, you can rightly guess they won't be lounging around in locked terrariums. Suspense and mystery readers alike will find much to enjoy in this novel's numerous twists and turns, and the squeamish among us will be happy to know Brandilyn never resorts to gratuitous violence or gore. There's always light at the end of the tunnel. Annie's spiritual journey has also played a critical role in the series, but it's a believable journey that's never hammered over reader's heads.
I daresay Brandilyn Collins could be the Queen of Christian suspense, and Web of Lies is a satisfying and simultaneous wrap-up of two bestselling series.
November 24, 2013
Perhaps because spiders don't terrify me, this book was not as exciting to me. It was well-written and there was a lot of interesting facts about forensic art, so the book held my attention. I thought it was a great read and enjoyed it, but the "seat belt suspense" was missing for me.
June 27, 2008
WONDERFUL!
January 15, 2009
apparently everybody else liked this book better than I did.
October 21, 2011
It was love/hate for me.
Hate the constant GOD referances...
Loved the under-story.
I don't mind religion and Christianity... But every other sentence was a bit much for me!
Hate the constant GOD referances...
Loved the under-story.
I don't mind religion and Christianity... But every other sentence was a bit much for me!
January 4, 2019
This time around forensic artist Annie Kingston teams up with Chelsea Adams. Chelsea has visions from God. Her latest vision includes a case that Annie may be working on. Chelsea's vision is petrifying to both of them, but the detective that is handling the case refuses to listen to either one of them. Two people's lives are at stake and Annie and Chelsea forge their way through the case hoping to save them before this latest killer gets away with murder once again.
Spiders y'all! Gah! I'm not normally skittish about spiders, but yeah, this book was terrifying in it's description of them. No spoilers, but be prepared to be repulsed! Okay, now on to the characters. Annie's son Stephen has matured a lot since his mother's life was in danger the last time. Now all of the sudden he is the man of the house and ready to take on anyone who threatens his family. Good for him! A definite turn-around for the better. Both Jenna and Stephen are skeptical about Annie's and Kelly's faith in God but neither one are scoffers. Dave and Annie have progressed in their relationship, but Annie still has feelings of guilt and unworthiness that she has to deal with. I'm a definite skeptic about "visions from God" but for the purpose of the book it was entertaining and provided a nightmarish look into the killer's reasoning and thoughts. This was the last book in the Hidden Faces series. It was just as good as the first 3, but I am glad that it is over with. I don't think Annie and her family could handle anymore killers coming out of the woodwork! Annie was less hysterical this time around, but still there were scenes that provided her with lots of emotional trauma that translated into panic/hysteria. Author Brandilyn Collins' books are described as "Seatbelt Suspense" and WEB OF LIES fit right into that category! Buckle up and be prepared for a wild ride...er, read!
Spiders y'all! Gah! I'm not normally skittish about spiders, but yeah, this book was terrifying in it's description of them. No spoilers, but be prepared to be repulsed! Okay, now on to the characters. Annie's son Stephen has matured a lot since his mother's life was in danger the last time. Now all of the sudden he is the man of the house and ready to take on anyone who threatens his family. Good for him! A definite turn-around for the better. Both Jenna and Stephen are skeptical about Annie's and Kelly's faith in God but neither one are scoffers. Dave and Annie have progressed in their relationship, but Annie still has feelings of guilt and unworthiness that she has to deal with. I'm a definite skeptic about "visions from God" but for the purpose of the book it was entertaining and provided a nightmarish look into the killer's reasoning and thoughts. This was the last book in the Hidden Faces series. It was just as good as the first 3, but I am glad that it is over with. I don't think Annie and her family could handle anymore killers coming out of the woodwork! Annie was less hysterical this time around, but still there were scenes that provided her with lots of emotional trauma that translated into panic/hysteria. Author Brandilyn Collins' books are described as "Seatbelt Suspense" and WEB OF LIES fit right into that category! Buckle up and be prepared for a wild ride...er, read!
August 30, 2019
I found myself rapidly turning the pages of this suspenseful book - into the wee hours of the night. A 24-hour turnaround read for me.
With a Christian backdrop, the story evolves around a forensic artist and a woman who has visions. Police have difficulty swallowing any mention of visions, even though the woman made headlines solving crimes using these visions. With their shoes and socks removed, kidnapped individuals are thrown into a room filled with assorted spiders, some of which are deadly. But finding that room is what challenges the authorities.
With a Christian backdrop, the story evolves around a forensic artist and a woman who has visions. Police have difficulty swallowing any mention of visions, even though the woman made headlines solving crimes using these visions. With their shoes and socks removed, kidnapped individuals are thrown into a room filled with assorted spiders, some of which are deadly. But finding that room is what challenges the authorities.
November 11, 2022
another good book dealing with 2 women with special ablites..one is given visioins of stuff to come and the other is a forensic artist..Chelsa has dreams or visions from God on things that happe today or some in the past so when she has a dream in her kitchen of a frightened girl and a dead person she knows she has to contact Annie and give her details etc along the way a dead body is found and up to the 2 ladies to help discovery who poor guy was ..this a faith based book and I enjoyed the suspense and sure as heck didn't see the ending coming lol...enjoy
April 11, 2023
You Know When God Speaks
I just finished Web of Lies Book 4 in the Hidden Faces Series. After reading each book in the series, I was ready to accept a certain disappointment after each one … not expecting that another in the series would be able to compare to the others … WRONG. Each story seems to outdo the previous ones. I especially like the challenge each thriller gives me to think about my relationship with God. My faith comes out stronger. Such a surprise from such a terrifyingly intense … entertaining story. Thank you Ms. Collins for your ministry.
I just finished Web of Lies Book 4 in the Hidden Faces Series. After reading each book in the series, I was ready to accept a certain disappointment after each one … not expecting that another in the series would be able to compare to the others … WRONG. Each story seems to outdo the previous ones. I especially like the challenge each thriller gives me to think about my relationship with God. My faith comes out stronger. Such a surprise from such a terrifyingly intense … entertaining story. Thank you Ms. Collins for your ministry.
February 20, 2018
Review of Web of Lies
Brandilyn Collins keeps you on the edge of your chair in every book she writes. This one was no different. She spins her tails so that you have no clue how it will end until the end
You think the villain is one person and then discover it wasn’t that person at all. She definitely keeps you interested.
I have learned a great deal about prayer in this series of books.
Brandilyn Collins keeps you on the edge of your chair in every book she writes. This one was no different. She spins her tails so that you have no clue how it will end until the end
You think the villain is one person and then discover it wasn’t that person at all. She definitely keeps you interested.
I have learned a great deal about prayer in this series of books.
January 20, 2018
A little tamer than the other books in the series, but it was interesting to see how Kelly was put more into the storyline this time around. Having used Kelly as this source of great comfort and stability for Annie over the years, I think this was the perfect way to end the series for her. I also liked the introduction of a new character, Chelsea Adams, and I am glad Stephen turned around!
August 15, 2020
Annie is a forensic artist, and Chelsea a woman with detailed visions, a meeting in Annie’s home gives us a tense filled plot. Their steps are hesitant of who to trust, with a strong faith and pray to guide them, they step out.
How it ends up when it strike at being personal for both of these strong women. Enjoyable as was the series.
How it ends up when it strike at being personal for both of these strong women. Enjoyable as was the series.
September 6, 2022
I always enjoy Brandilyn's books. This was no exception. I've met the characters in previous books so it was good to see them again. It's a scary and creepy story, but one fueled by faith and prayer. I liked the relationships between the characters, especially between Stephen and his sister Kelly. Family is really what life is about.
December 21, 2017
This was probably my favorite of the Hidden Faces series. However, I would suggest one read the entire series so you can see how the characters mature physically as well as spiritually.
August 30, 2017
I didn't realize this book would have actual spiders in it. I had spider nightmares last night.
July 10, 2019
Good story! Not as predictable discovering the killer. Still took a very long time to get to the end. Still worth the read.
January 24, 2020
Hated all four of this serious a friend read them also and she thought they where all awful so boring never will read any of her books again. Really deserves no stars
May 13, 2020
Very good, but kind of creepy and a little darker than the others but nothing that is unseemly.
September 10, 2020
My favorite in the series
I hope she continues it
I hope she continues it
June 8, 2021
Best of the series. I hope there will be another!
September 13, 2022
Love the detailed storytelling!
May 20, 2023
Was kind of creepy with the graphic arachnid descriptions.
October 14, 2023
Web of Lies was an exciting, can't-put-it-down book, with a powerful message about trusting God.
July 24, 2025
The book had a good story line, however it started out slow. I felt bored in some spots.
November 24, 2025
All four in series worth the read.
January 30, 2025
Not my favorite of the Hidden Faces series. Very slow to start but it did pick up at the end. I think it was just a little too far fetched for my taste.
May 8, 2018
Good story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews