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The Violet Hour

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The Violet Hour

By: Richard Montanari
Narrated by: William Hope
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.


Johnny Angel is found brutally murdered with a dead prostitute in his bed and a needle full of heroin in his arm. It's all the more shocking because he's a priest. But when Dr Bennett Marc Crane, a prestigious plastic surgeon, is the next victim of a vicious attack of the same manner, it becomes clear that there is a serial killer on the loose...

And as this homicidal maniac exacts his vengeance upon more innocent victims, evidence of another long-buried crime is uncovered. One that starts with a Halloween celebration at an exclusive college party twenty years ago and ends with a murderous plan for delayed revenge.

For Nicky Stella, a hungry journalist, this is just the sort of sordid story that could land him a cover article. But when he digs a bit too deep, the killer's attention turns towards Nicky and he must find the killer before he becomes the next victim...


© Richard Montanari 1999 (P) Penguin Audio 2010

 Crime Fiction Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Crime Fiction Revenge

Critic reviews

Consistently surprising . . . Montanari keeps the reader deliciously off balance throughout, letting the novel accrue horrors and deft misdirections, right until its gory end
The novel is, like the nameless killer's victims, well executed. And like the killer himself, fiendishly twisted. A real page turner
Told at breakneck pace, with more than one truly frightening villain, and a protagonist whose tenacity in the face of evil makes him a hero for our times, you turn the pages as if your very life depends on it
A relentlessly suspenseful, soul-chilling thriller that hooks you instantly (Tess Gerritsen)
A no-holds-barred thriller that thrusts the reader into the black soul of the killer ... those with a taste for Thomas Harris will look forward to the sure-to-follow sequel
Be prepared to stay up all night
A specialist in serial killer tales ... a wonderfully evocative writer
Razor-sharp plotting with a powerful narrative ... thrills to its very satisfying end
Savvy and sharp ... as well-written a thriller as The Silence of the Lambs ... A winner
All stars
Most relevant

What would have made The Violet Hour better?

Too much of everything needed to make this book better

What was most disappointing about Richard Montanari’s story?

I found everything about this book disappointing

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of William Hope?

dont know

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

not really

Any additional comments?

have only read a couple of montanari's books, but have loved them so am quite surprised this was so bad will probably give one more book of his a try and if is similar to this would maybe not bother with his work again ecpected more feel let down

waste of a good credit

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