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. 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.
A suspenseful, tightly written novel.
Excellent Read!!!
"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"
http://www.amazon.com/Through-Violet-Eyes-Stephen-Woodworth/dp/0553803379
I liked this story; it had plenty of suspense and mystery. The ending was a surprise, and a sad one and a mircle at the end.
Awesome. Kept me guessing!