Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Stephen Woodworth

FROM BLACK ROOMS — ON SALE NOW!
The fourth novel in the exciting and inventive Violet Eyes series from author Stephen Woodworth has finally arrived. FROM BLACK ROOMS continues the adventures of Natalie Lindstrom, the ex-government operative who has fled her past in order to seek a normal life for both her and her daughter. But her link to the dead may forever keep her from the land of the living...
In every generation are born a select few souls with violet-colored eyes, and the ability to channel the dead. These Violets are used to bring forth the spirits of murder victims to allow the dead to confront their killers in court, produce new works of art by deceased masters, and even protect the secrets of the agency that controls them, the North American Afterlife Communication Corps (NAACC).
Having left behind the NAACC and the underworld for a new career in the art world, Natalie now must square off against an old foe from her past in order to protect a tortured artist she can't resist.
Click here to read an excerpt
PRAISE FOR THE VIOLET EYES SERIES
IN GOLDEN BLOOD:
"IN GOLDEN BLOOD is a fine addition to this fresh and fascinating speculative series. If you aren't already following this series, then do yourself a favor and read these books—I'm sure you'll agree that Stephen Woodworth is an author on the rise." —BookLoons.com
WITH RED HANDS:
"Fast-paced and imaginative sequel to his amazing debut, THROUGH VIOLET EYES...The separate story threads weave together seamlessly as Woodworth unveils the "Needlepoint killer," whose viciousness makes Hannibal Lecter seem like a Sunday School teacher. As with THROUGH VIOLET EYES, the violence in this book is matched by its intelligence." —Publishers Weekly
THROUGH VIOLET EYES:
"[A] gripping, taut thriller, an outstanding debut novel...a polished, power-packed supernatural thrill ride that grabs you from the start and doesn't let go." —Locus
"THROUGH VIOLET EYES has a great cast of characters, a smooth-flowing plot, and a great premise....I had a great time with this book." —Fantasy and Science Fiction
"Eerie and complelling." —Mystery Scene
"Best book I've read in years! Part Silence of the Lambs, part The Lovely Bones, THROUGH VIOLET EYES delivers a highly evocative, thrilling punch. You won't put it down." —Lisa Gardner
"THROUGH VIOLET EYES is 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
"Shades of Minority Report and The Eyes of Laura Mars color Woodworth's chilling debut novel....Woodworth turns the conventional murder mystery on its ear [and] makes for a tantalizing puzzle rife with red herrings, made all the more entertaining by brisk pacing and strong internal logic." —Publishers Weekly

FROM BLACK ROOMS
Fiction - Thrillers | Bantam
Paperback | October 2006
$6.99 | 978-0-440-24253-6

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Ed here:

One of the most disapponting movies I ever saw was Predator. Part of the disappointment was self-inflicted. I thought the premise was so old-fashioned cool and yet so unique at the same time that it just couldn't miss.

Well, it missed. Missed terribly. Depite a few excellent scenes, it was a pretty standard chase movie.

A critic of mystery novels once remarked that all mystery denouments let him down. All this--for that?

But every once in a while you do find an original notion that is enhanced by some extraordinarily good writing. The Stephen Woodworth novels about the people with violet eyes are just such books. I read four of them over six days and every one of them combines the pleasure of a nifty science fiction idea with the paciing of superb suspense fiction.

He also has a subtle way with character. He plays against the innate melodrama of the form and thus give you moments that are human rather than just theatrical. For me the good books are the ones with those little grace notes of sentiment and sorrow and irony that stay in the memory long after the rest of the book fades.

This guy is good, very good. I sure hope there are more of these books in the pipeline. And any other he cares to share with us.

1 comment:

I. Michael Koontz said...

Ed: A few comments on a few things.

Haven't seen the new Bond yet (though knew Daniel Craig was going to be terrific) but did see an Entertainment Weekly listing of the greatest Bond films, in which they got them all wrong.

They had YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE as the #2 Bond film of all time! Unreal, IMO. It's an awful, unrealistic, comic-booky film of the worst set, setting the stage for the bad Bonds to come.

Anyway, I like your appreciation of the Lazenby film, which is my second favorite behind FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. Too bad more of them couldn't be played 'straight' without the winking-remarks, super-villains on remote islands, etc. I hate that crap.

I've never understood why Bond HAS to have a girl in every film, other than to satisfy some idiotic, generally misognyistic convention. I get the idea CASINO would have been better off without her.

And, significantly, few of the recent 'Bond Women' have ever amounted to much after their Bond film! Denise Richards, Olivia d'Abo, Carey Lowell, et Co. don't seem to have been catapulted into film careers from their Bond involvement.

Maybe they should give this up entirely--frankly, I wish ol'Cubby Broccoli (is he still in charge?) would.