The Agony of Waiting

The inevitable result of finding any great new author that is automatically added to your "must buy" list is that you have to wait for the new releases. The only fix, finding another new author to fill the gap while you wait. In November of 2004, I got my hands on the first two Stephen Woodworth titles. One was already out on shelves and the other was an arc. Since then, he has released two more books in the series, but nothing in a while. And so I wait... But, I figure this shouldn't keep others from joining in with me and waiting too! 

Through Violet Eyes is the first in this paranormal mystery series (a psychic detective series before their newfound popularity in the past couple of years) and it totally blew me away. I know I'm not alone. I gave some of the books to a friend of mine and she loved them just as much as I did. 

In his debut, Woodworth introduces readers to the Violets, people with trademark violet eyes who can talk to the dead. They do all sorts of things, but Natalie Lindstrom, the heroine of the series, helps out with murder investigations. See, she can channel the dead and allow them to speak when their voices would otherwise go unheard. The job takes a severe toll on Natalie and the other Violets, both emotionally and physically. To make matters worse, it seems that there's a serial killer targeting the Violets. Each one of the victims "visits" Natalie to tell their tale, but something is keeping them from identifying the killer. Its up to Natalie and FBI agent Dan Atwater to try and figure it all out before she becomes the next victim. 

The concept in these books was like nothing else I had encountered in all of my reading years and I absolutely loved it. In later books, Woodworth branches out in such a way that he can really do pretty much anything with this series. According to his MySpace page, Woodworth has been working on some short fiction, but it is unclear when/if the next Violet book will come out. Readers should know, though, that although the final book definitely leaves room for more, you won't be left hanging. 

So, four books to add to your must read list especially if you are a fan of serial killer mysteries and/or paranormal mysteries and if you're in the market for some really fantastic reads. And now I'm off to discover my next Woodworth while I wait and hope for a new Violet book sometime down the line.