Through Violet Eyes

So many good books are being published these days that some inevitably slip through our fingers. Through Violet Eyes by Stephen Woodworth (Dell, $6.99, August 31, 2004) sat on my towering “To Be Read” pile ever since it was published, but it took a week off between jobs before I managed to read it. And once I did, I immediately bought – and read back to back – the two later books in the series: With Red Hands (Dell, $6.99, December 28, 2004) and In Golden Blood (Dell, $6.99, October 25, 2005), and added the forthcoming From Black Rooms (Dell, $6.99, October 31, 2006) to my lengthy read-next list. These science fiction thrillers are quintessential “what if” stories, taking the world as it presently exists and adding one small show more twist that changes everything, and then playing out those changes.

Natalie Lindstrom is a Violet, one of a very few humans born with violet eyes, a characteristic that brings with it an ability to speak directly with the dead and to have the dead speak and act directly through them. The existence of Violets, never explained, allows for the painting of Picassos and Monets through the hands of the living (imagine having Picasso in your head, controlling your hands, creating new masterpieces through your fingers); the study of history by receiving the testimony of those who created it; and, most importantly, by allowing murder victims to testify at the trials of their murderers. Despite her preference to work with artists, Natalie has been assigned by the North American Afterlife Communications Corps – the NAACC – to work in law enforcement. As Through Violet Eyes opens, she has been assigned to work with the FBI in tracking down a serial murderer who is targeting Violets themselves. She knows about the assignment before FBI agent Dan Atwater approaches her, because the dead Violets have already been talking to her about the masked individual who killed them.

Through Violet Eyes fascinates with its history of the NAACC, the training of Violets, and the torture of the lives they live, being constantly in touch with – indeed, living through the deaths of – those who have died incredibly ugly, demeaning, tragic deaths. No wonder Natalie seems to be such a prickly character, rude to Dan, who is himself afraid to let her touch him in any way, even so much as a handshake, for fear she will then be able to communicate with those whom he has killed in the line of duty. (Violets need a “touchstone” to initiate contact – something the dead touched, including another human being.) Watching Natalie and Dan progress from a couple who barely tolerate one another to a couple quickly and deeply in love is a treat within a treat, as the mystery deepens and the danger increases. This is a very accomplished first novel.

Woodworth’s sequel, With Red Hands, is even more hair-raising. It begins four years after the events of Through Violet Eyes. Natalie has quit the NAACC to raise Callie, the daughter she and Dan created, who has inherited her Violet eyes from her mother. The NAACC isn’t taking her retirement lying down, however, and neither is it pleased that Natalie refuses to enroll Callie at the NAACC’s school, a place of childhood horrors from which Natalie has never herself recovered. The NAACC has blackballed Natalie from almost any sort of work, including those occupations that would not require her to use her Violet talents at all, to force her back into the fold. But Natalie scrounges a living with private clients who want a final word with a parent or a husband – contacts that rarely work out as well as the clients would like them to – and resists the frequent blandishments of the school and ignores the spies who keep watch on her 24 hours a day.

With Red Hands explores what happens when a Violet goes bad. Even though judges are careful to instruct juries that the testimony of a victim is not to be accorded any greater weight than that of any other witness, what juror can ignore the actual presence in the courtroom of the victim testifying to the circumstances of his or her own death? If a defendant can obtain false testimony from a corrupt Violet cooperating with an evil dead soul so as to fool the SoulScan that testifies to a Violet’s possession, that defendant has a possibility approaching 100% of going free. But how does one uncover such a Violet, and how does one escape the corrupt soul that is possessing him? That is what Natalie must do, and all without allowing the NAACC to figure out what she’s doing. In the meantime, she must figure out how to raise a child who is herself subject to visitations from the dead, and teach her how to keep her mind and body to herself, and not to allow herself to be used as the instrument of others. The mystery is carefully thought out, and the human implications are beautifully explored in this marvelously entertaining novel.

Natalie’s adventures continue four years later in In Golden Blood. Natalie’s estrangement from the NAACC has grown even more bitter, and the NAACC’s attempts to keep Natalie from making a living of any sort has made her desperate. When she gets an extraordinarily lucrative and very secretive offer to delve into the history of Peru to uncover a treasure trove hidden away for the ages by the conquistador Pizarro, she takes it despite her misgivings. Woodworth has obviously researched his subject matter extensively, and Natalie’s trials and tribulations in communing with Pizarro in the far reaches of the Andes Mountains provide the close reader with a history lesson as well as an excellent thriller.

The teaser for From Black Rooms contained at the end of In Golden Blood suggests that it will be at least as enjoyable as the first three books in this entertaining series. I look forward to reading it – and anything else Stephen Woodworth might have to offer up in coming years. show less

This book caught my eye here on LibraryThing. I had never seen it before and noticed it had pretty high ratings with my fellow LTr's, so I thought I'd give it a read. I like series and am always happy to find another one to read.

The book was pretty good, it seemed pretty average throughout, until the ending. The plot was a clever idea, special people with the ability to talk to the dead. The author did a great job relating how rotten it would be to have that ability and try to live with it. But I wasn't too impressed at first. The book seemed a bit predictable and I pretty much figured out where he was heading. Until the ending, which I did not see coming. I always like it when an author does something I don't expect in the end, and show more conversely, I'm usually disappointed when an author takes the easy way out and ends a book exactly as I thought they would.

The unexpected ending bumped the book up from average to above average in my opinion. It was a good read, and I'll be reading the next book in the series. show less

This was sort of your typical "catch the serial killer" thriller with a nice original twist. The Violets make things interesting. I wasn't expecting one of the twists at the end. The next three books in the series will be immediately added to my wish list!

After accepting and settling into the premise I enjoyed this well-written book. At some point in the near future a little more than a dozen "Violets" are born. As adults now, with violet eye color, they are able to contact the dead. This is especially helpful when a Violet is able to call up a murder victim and get a description of the murderer. When I began the book and read the word "soul," I thought this was going to be some sort of religious story. It is not. It is a crime story. Violets are being murdered and a male FBI agent is on this difficult case. Teaming up with a female Violet, they drive their way through murder and mayhem.

I found this very original, and a quick but involving read. I admired the handling of the sci/fi aspect, in which the setting is nearly identical to real life, with just one twisty exception... very nice and not overplayed. The writing is average, and there are some cliches, but the pacing is brisk, the premise is novel, and the plot is satisfyingly knotty.

This is my first book by Stephen Woodworth. I was very impressed by this story, it was unlike anything else that I have read recently. This is definetly a recommendable book. It held quite a realistic view of societies view of the unknown. Dan's hestiatance with Natalie due to his fear of her ability was one that anyone could relate. I was pleased that he found a way to over come his stereotypes to really care for Natalie. It also interested me the effects of their ability was enough to make some of them crazy in the end, which it is quite believable if you were to spend your whole life talking to ghosts. I just learned that this book is part of a series called 'Violets'. I wonder if there will be just as good.

Violets are people with violet eyes who are conduits for the dead – meaning a murder victim can testify at their killer’s trial. In this very intriguing thriller, someone wants Violets dead and FBI agent Dan Atwater must team up with Violet Natalie Lindstrom to catch the killer. One of the better thrillers I’ve read.