Through Violet Eyes - Steven Woodworth Book Review

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"Through Violet Eyes"
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Review Summary

Woodworth's chilling debut novel, which is set in an alternate present-day setting where a small percentage of people are born with violet irises and the ability to channel the dead. Naturally, the government has stepped in and regulated their lives, using them as tools in murder trials; an early scene in which a judge instructs the jury how to "weigh the testimony of the deceased" nicely sets the book's tone. When it becomes clear that a serial killer is targeting the Violets themselves, FBI agent Dan Atwater is paired with Natalie Lindstrom, a Violet, to investigate. Here Woodworth turns the conventional murder mystery on its ear: there are a fixed number of suspects from the beginning, but since the deceased can inhabit the bodies of Violets, none of the players ever exit the story, even when they are killed. Moments after dying, the victims take over Natalie's consciousness, bringing their tale of the Faceless Man who killed them and their suspicion that he may be working with someone on the other side. This twist makes for a tantalizing puzzle rife with red herrings, one made all the more entertaining by brisk pacing and strong internal logic.

Sequels: With Red Hands, In Golden Blood
Cori, Resident Scholar

Detailed literary breakdown of Through Violet Eyes

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 40%

Tone of book - cynical or dry-wit
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Spying & Investigations Yes
What is main char. doing? - finding a killer (criminal)
Mental/magical powers focus Yes
magical powers: - telepath (scifi)
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Profession/status: - a lawyer creature
Age: - 20's-30's
Has magical/special powers? Yes
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - mastermind
Has magical powers? Yes
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
Earth setting: - current (early 21st century)
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - very explicit references to deaths and torture
scientific jargon? (SF only) - a moderate amount of scientific explanation
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references only - descript of kissing - impregnation/reproduction - actual description of sex
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog

Most similar books to Through Violet Eyes
The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
Very Bad Deaths by Spider Robinson
Gun, With Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem
Catspaw by Joan D. Vinge
The Return of Santiago by Mike Resnick

Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

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