With Red Hands
Stephen Woodworth
Dell, Jan 2005, $6.99, 368 pp.
ISBN 0553586459

A Violet can store the spirit of a former living being so they are used in the courts when they summon the spirit of the victim and have them tell the jury who killed them. This is scientifically proven by the soul scan man which shows when the spirit enters the human violet. Natalie Lindstrom once worked for the victims under the auspices of the North American Afterlife Communication Corps, but after toiling with the dark minds of murderers, she burned out and decided to go freelance.

The NAACC wants Natalie back and also want to take her daughter Callie away from her to place the child in a special school so she can grow up to be a functioning Violet. They are waiting for Natalie to make a mistake so they can gain custody of Callie; Natalie tries to get them to lose interest in her family. She becomes interested in a murder trial where she is sure the Violet is lying; something that most people thought was impossible due to the soul scan. The spirit that inhabits the Violet is the same one that caused Natalie's mother to go insane and she is at a loss trying to get the apparition to vacate this plane permanently.

The sequel to THROUGH VIOLET EYES proves that the author is no one book wonder. This chilling thriller will keep the audience entertained as they hope that a way can be found to banish the evil spirit. Stephen Woodworth has had one of the most original ideas in decades and incorporated it into this storyline, making with RED HANDS a refreshingly unique yet well written tale that is the ultimate in speculative fiction.

Harriet Klausner