The Violet Hour

Rating:
Summary: A Intriguing, but Very Disjointed Novel
Review: "The Violet Hour" by Richard Montanari delivers everything that is written on the back cover. The story of serial killer avenging the loss of his love twenty years later. His victims all fall one by one, paying the price of there crimes, they committed on that Halloween night. Through all this carnage we find Nick Stella, a reporter looking for a big story, and finding much-much more than he bargained for. In total this story has all the qualities of being a first rate thriller, however were the idea was there, the follow through by Montanari never comes.

The novel is very disjointed. At times you lose what character is talking, or what characters are invovled. The story almost skips to much that I believe not only the reader but the author got confused. The late killings in the book added nothing to the story except to add to the body count, and Montanari never came to final conclusions for many issues in the book. Montanari has to be writer who works without an outline, it seemed he kept changing his mind as the story unfolded, which left me feeling a little ripped off.

For any lover of the genre, I do recommend the book. It is very diffucult to follow but will give the needed chills for any thriller reader. Will check "Deviant Way" to see if that is a tighter book. Maybe this was just a slip from Montanari.

Rating:
Summary: This year's THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.
Review:

Three years ago I read Richard Montanari's first novel DEVIANT WAY and made a prediction that he would be the next big thing in the thriller genre. The book was a heart-pounding, baffling, psychosexual whodunnit of the first order, one of those that keeps you guessing, literally, until the very last word on the very last page.

When I didn't see a new book from him a year after that, or even a year after that, I figured he was another one-book wonder. THE VIOLET HOUR has proven me wonderfully wrong. It truly was worth the wait.

The plot of THE VIOLET HOUR is so full of surprises that it is impossible to talk about it without spoiling something. Loosely, the story is about a group of snobby college students in 1978 who call themselves The AdVerse Society - they like to trash the greats in modern poetry, drink Algonquin Roundtable cocktails and practice suburban hedonism. The society has a Halloween party that year, a costumed soiree that turns into a demented, drug-crazed orgy. And something tragic happens.

Twenty years later, people who attended that party start dying in grisly ways. Doctors, lawyers, priests. No one responsible is safe. Nor are their loved ones.

Unlike DEVIANT WAY, there is no cop on the trail of the killer this time. Instead, there is a down on his luck freelance writer named Nicholas Stella, and a suburban housewife named Amelia Saintsbury. Amelia lives inside the mystery with her innocent little girl. Nicky Stella has to get there to save them.

At least five times during the reading of the advance copy of this book I had to rethink everything about which I thought I had been certain. Plus, the surprise ending nearly broke my heart.

The bad news, for me, is that I've already read THE VIOLET HOUR and it isn't even out yet. I hope I don't have to wait another three years.

-- Miranda Cielo

Rating:
Summary: As scary as SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. This year's big thriller.
Review:

Three years ago I read Richard Montanari's first novel DEVIANT WAY and made a prediction that he would be the next big thing in the thriller genre. The book was a heart-pounding, baffling, pyschosexual whodunnit of the first order, one of those that keeps you guessing, literally, until the very last word on the very last page.

When I didn't see a new book from him a year after that, or even a year after that, I figured he was another one-book wonder. THE VIOLET HOUR has proven me wonderfully wrong. It truly was worth the wait.

The plot of THE VIOLET HOUR is so full of surprises that it is impossible to talk about it without spoiling something. Loosely, the story is about a group of snobby college students in 1978 who call themselves The AdVerse Society - they like to trash the greats in modern poetry, drink Algonquin Roundtable cocktails and practice suburban hedonism. The society has a Halloween party that year, a costumed soiree that turns into a demented, drug-crazed orgy. And something tragic happens.

Twenty years later, people who attended that party start dying in grisly ways. Doctors, lawyers, priests. No one responsible is safe. Nor are their loved ones.

Unlike DEVIANT WAY, there is no cop on the trail of the killer this time. Instead, there is a down on his luck freelance writer named Nicholas Stella, and a suburban housewife named Amelia Saintsbury. Amelia lives inside the mystery with her innocent little girl. Nicky Stella has to get there to save them.

At least five times during the reading of the advance copy of this book I had to rethink everything about which I thought I had been certain. Plus, the surprise ending nearly broke my heart.

The bad news, for me, is that I've already read THE VIOLET HOUR and it isn't even out yet. I hope I don't have to wait another three years.

-- Miranda Cielo

Rating:
Summary: A Good Thriller
Review: I have read the other reviews and can only say that I echo their sentiments. Mr. Montanari's style is unique and I can't wait to read Deviant Way and all of his future novels. Run, don't walk, to delve into this book.

Rating:
Summary: Montanari does it again
Review: If you don't mind clasping a book with your white knuckled hand a few hours, I highly recommend this book. It opens with a real shocker, and has one shock after another until the exciting end. I didn't figure out the mystery until near the end, and even then I kept second guessing myself. The characters were intriguing, and the story moved along at break-neck pace. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: I'm Blown Away
Review: One word Awesome. I was totally blown away by this book. Richard's style is very similar to James Patterson. Fast Paced and full of suspense.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This book was a heart-stopper. It grabbed me right from the beginning. Then for a few chapters it did jump from character to character and you had to read carefully to keep them straight. But it was well worth it. My mind was working through this whole book trying to figure who was doing the murders and also who was responsible for what happened 20 years ago. Just when I thought I knew who it was I would read something that would make me go "Whoa" and I had to rethink my ideas.

I have read several books where someone is getting revenge on a group of people for something they did years ago. But none of them were written quite this way. New characters kept popping up to challenge my thinking. At times I suspected everyone. And even when you think the story is over there is still a surprise. I will be going out to buy Richard Montanari's other books. He is a great writer.

Rating:
Summary: Violets are Red
Review: Wow! This is one fantastic novel! Richard Montanari has created a complex, suspenseful and frightening look at a serial killer. "The Violet Hour" opens with a shocking beginning, and then just moves on, page to page, with one twist after another. It's almost Jeffery Deaver-like, but Montanari's twists are a little subtler and not as "unbelievable" (but don't get me wrong, Deaver is one of my favorite writers!).

The story centers around this killer getting revenge on five people who twenty years earlier did something awful to the girl he loved.

There are many good clues in this book, but he has camouflaged them so well, you only remember then once the book is read. One of the most amazing is this: you won't get one of the clues unless you say a particular word out loud to yourself. Great plot device there!

The identity of the killer is surprising, yet if you read back, you can see all the evidence pointing to them. There are also some great subplots, and an ending that floored me! I wasn't expecting it.

The characters are well-developed, and interesting. Nick Stella is a compassionate hero, who sheds his "scoop of the century" mode to assist in a bizarre series of deaths. Amelia Saintsbury is a good heroine, and her private dilemmas are intermingled well with her potential doom.

All in all, can't say too much, would not want to give anything away! But, this is a GREAT book and I eagerly await Mr. Montanari's next. Am also going to go back and read "Deviant Way." If it's half as good, it's worth the bucks!

Rating:
Summary: Violets are Red
Review: Wow! This is one fantastic novel! Richard Montanari has created a complex, suspenseful and frightening look at a serial killer. "The Violet Hour" opens with a shocking beginning, and then just moves on, page to page, with one twist after another. It's almost Jeffery Deaver-like, but Montanari's twists are a little subtler and not as "unbelievable" (but don't get me wrong, Deaver is one of my favorite writers!).

The story centers around this killer getting revenge on five people who twenty years earlier did something awful to the girl he loved.

There are many good clues in this book, but he has camouflaged them so well, you only remember then once the book is read. One of the most amazing is this: you won't get one of the clues unless you say a particular word out loud to yourself. Great plot device there!

The identity of the killer is surprising, yet if you read back, you can see all the evidence pointing to them. There are also some great subplots, and an ending that floored me! I wasn't expecting it.

The characters are well-developed, and interesting. Nick Stella is a compassionate hero, who sheds his "scoop of the century" mode to assist in a bizarre series of deaths. Amelia Saintsbury is a good heroine, and her private dilemmas are intermingled well with her potential doom.

All in all, can't say too much, would not want to give anything away! But, this is a GREAT book and I eagerly await Mr. Montanari's next. Am also going to go back and read "Deviant Way." If it's half as good, it's worth the bucks!