Through Violet Eyes

By Stephen Woodworth

Book Overview

"A fast, smart novel, brighter than a meteor and twice as scary. Stephen Woodworth provides shocks and thoughts in equal measure, and climbs right to the top "--Greg Bear In a world where the dead can testify against the living, someone is getting away with murder. Because to every generation are born a select few souls with violet-colored eyes, and the ability to channel the dead. Both rare and precious--and rigidly controlled by a society that craves their services--these Violets perform a number of different duties. The most fortunate increase the world's cultural heritage by channeling the still-creative spirits of famous dead artists and musicians. The least fortunate aid the police and the law courts, catching criminals by interviewing the deceased victims of violent crime. But now the Violets themselves have become the target of a brutal serial murderer--a murderer who had learned how to mask his or her identity even from the victims. Can the FBI, aided by a Violet so scared of death that she is afraid to live, uncover the criminal in time? Or must more of her race be dispatched to the realm that has haunted them all since childhood? Praise for Through Violet Eyes "Chilling . . . shades of Minority Report and The Eyes of Laura Mars . . . tantalizing puzzle rife with red herrings, one made all the more entertaining by brisk pacing and strong internal logic." --Publishers Weekly a"Wow . . . one cool idea and Stephen Woodworth makes it work like fine oiled machinery. Full of energy and suspense, Through Violet Eye s is a great and original first novel. I look forward to his next." --Joe R. Lansdale "An eerie and compelling page-turner that maps the terra incognita between the living and the dead, loss and redemption, desire and grief, at the same time exploring what it means to be human in a frightening otherworld that too closely evokes our own reality." --Elizabeth Hand

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553803379
• ISBN13: 9780553803372
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

A Gripping Plot

I just happened to stumble across this book in a local neighborhood Walgreen's store and from the first chapter I was hooked. This has to be considered for a future big screen movie. The story behind the people with "Violet Eyes" becomes even more fascinating when you discover the various ways which their skills can be used since each of them can use their gift in a very unique manner. The story revolves around a FBI agent, with a painful past, assigned to guard a girl with violet eyes during their travel across the country trying to catch the person responsible for murdering other violet people. The motive is unknown for most of the story adding to the suspense. The integration of these violet people into our justice system adds to the fascination and the method of seeing crime through the victim's eyes makes it impossible for a criminal to escape justice. My only disappointment in the book was when I finished it. I now look forward to his second book due out sometime this month. You will not be disappointed.

Great Book!!!

I finished this book in one night it was so good. I even skipped two of my favorite TV shows to finish it. It waw unlike anything I've ever read before, and I hope to read more by this author!

IF YOU COULD SEE WHAT I SEE

THROUGH VIOLET EYES is a stunning first novel by Stephen Woodworth, and it's exciting to know it's the first in a series. Woodworth gives us a totally unique storyline, replete with a reluctant heroine, a likeable if somewhat clumsy FBI hero, and lots of government undercover and nasty villains. The Violets are a select group of people who have the ability to be conduits for souls who have been killed. The dead person actually comes to life again in the Violets, and that is where this story's originality shines through. Someone is out there killing Violets, and the FBI's Dan Atwater is assigned to protect Natalie Lindstrom, a Violet who is the conduit for the murdered Violets. Woodworth peoples his plot with some eccentric characters, lots of suspects, and eerie sequences which show the risks Natalie and other Violets are taking. A suspenseful, tightly written novel, looking forward to WITH RED HANDS, the second in this promising series.

Riveting Supernatural Suspense!

Stephen Woodworth delivers fast-paced, nail-biting suspense with this outstanding debut, the first of a series of novels about the Violets, the few people in each generation who possess violet eyes and an ability to channel the dead. Combining murder mystery and a sci-fi concept, with touches of horror and romance thrown in, this book contains familiar elements a la the "X Files"-the FBI, a special government-sponsored "School" for violet-eyed kids, courtroom mayhem and the ever-threatening presence of a serial killer. There is the added delight of a cast of vibrant characters, particularly the two likable leads-Natalie Lindstrom, a gifted Violet called upon to help investigate a series of murders that has sent many of her violet-eyed colleagues to the Other Side-and Dan Atwater, the hapless FBI agent assigned to protect her. The familiar elements combine in a completely original way to make a wonderfully breath-taking ride. Reading this novel is like watching a film. The very first scene sweeps you into the suspense and doesn't let you go until the very last word-and really, not even then. And that's the best part. Besides offering a fast, satisfying read, Woodworth has provided a truly thought-provoking concept that leaves the reader wanting more. After the book is done you'll find yourself wondering what the world really would be like if we had a systemized way of communicating with those who have passed on. And you'll be eagerly anticipating the next book in the Violet series.

fabulous urban fantasy

The Violets are people who can communicate with the dead and let their spirits inhabit their bodies. They are allowed to testify in court with the dead spirit inside them accusing the perpetrator of murder. A SoulScan is an instrument that shows the Violet being possessed by the spirit that the Violet called using a touchstone. Not many Violets are born in each generation so the government of each country puts them under their "protection". In the United States, the North American Afterlife Communication Corps is the umbrella organization of the Violets and those people who don't choose to join them are harassed, their lives are made miserable by a bureaucracy that wants to keep a tight reign on them. Someone is killing the Violets and the government officials have no clue who is doing it as they leave no evidence behind. FBI agent Dan Atwater is assigned to protect Violet Natalie Lindstrom who attended the same school as the victims. Dan is afraid of what Natalie can do because she can contact a ghost from his past, one he wants to avoid at all costs. Gradually the barriers between them are breached and the unlikely duo fall in love, but there is no guarantee that they will live long enough to celebrate their deep feelings. THROUGH VIOLET EYES is not a religious thriller because the premise of the Violets is based on scientific fact. This work reads like a fabulous urban fantasy in which spirits inhabit the bodies of the Violets as a last way to hang onto life. The fantasy element is very strong and Stephen Woodworth's work is nothing short of remarkable. Harriet Klausner