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Violation
Thea Auben has fought hard to forget about the savage attack that changed her life many years ago, and to raise her son protected from the awful truth, but when the boy disappears, she will be forced to face the past again. Reprint.
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 11, 2009
Reviewed for THC Reviews
"3.5 stars" Violation is one of those books that I randomly decided to put on my TBR list, because the synopsis sounded very interesting to me. At the time, I wasn't entirely sure what category the book fell into, but at some point between putting it on my list and actually reading it, I'm certain that I ran across a review which stated that the author was a woman and the book was a romantic suspense. Being a huge fan of romance this made the book all the more appealing to me. After reading the book though, I am still not certain if the first claim is true, but I can say unequivocally that the second is not. Internet information on Darian North is quite sparse, and I have found some sites that indicate this is a male author, while several Amazon reviewers insist this is a female author. In my opinion, the book seemed to have a slightly more masculine tone, but it wouldn't be the first time I've seen a woman write this way. Regardless of the author's gender though, this is, without a doubt, not a true romantic suspense novel. I am intimately acquainted with the world of romances, and this story is really a suspense/thriller with a very small amount of romance in it. While the hero and heroine do begin to develop feelings for one another, they never even so much as kiss. By the end of the book, I could discern the believable, though tentative, start of a relationship, but that is something I would have liked to see develop all throughout the narrative. All this said though, I still generally liked the story, in spite of feeling a bit misled by that, at least partially, erroneous review.
I thought the characterizations were very good, and I really liked all the main characters. Jack is not at all unlike the romance heroes I enjoy so much. He is an ex-cop who is haunted by things from the past and has basically shut himself off from the world, until a kid in need of a father figure gently pushes his way into Jack's life. When the boy, who he has come to think of as more than his odd tenant's son, is in danger, Jack knows he has to do something and in the course of saving the boy finds himself again. Althea is also a wounded soul who has shut herself away but for different reasons. She was brutally raped fourteen years earlier, beaten, and left for dead in a burning house. The rape resulted in a pregnancy which produced her son, David. Even though Thea still has psychological problems from the trauma she suffered, I thought it was understandable given that she never received sufficient counseling over the years. Thea may have seemed rather crazy to those around her, but in reality she was a strong woman not only to have survived the vicious attack, but also to have been able to find a way to provide for her son and most of all to love him unconditionally and not resent him or only see him as a product of her rape. I liked how her strength and confidence grew as the story progressed, which in my opinion made her the best and most well-developed character. If the author is a man, I thought he did a respectable job of capturing the female perspective especially given her history. David was very likable too. It was obvious that he was a good kid who was simply frustrated by the lies he knew his mother was telling him about his father and desperately in need of a good male role-model in his life. Even though Jack had begun to fill that role, David couldn't help but wonder about his real parentage which led him on a very dangerous quest. When David meets his internet “friend,” Orion, in person, I found him to be a pretty creepy guy, who even gave me a few chills down the spine, a sure sign of a well-written character.
There were only a couple of things that I disliked about the characterizations. One was that the events which led Jack to isolate himself, while hinted at, were not really revealed until the very end of the story and they were told to Thea by his brother, Edmond. I've never been a fan of a secondary cast member being the revealer of significant events in the life of a primary character, because in my opinion, it greatly diminishes the emotional impact. The other thing was that Jack and Thea are both extremely distrusting of the opposite sex throughout a large part of the story. While that was certainly understandable given their past histories, in my opinion, some of their thoughts came off as a little too cynical, and embodied pretty extreme stereotyping. Otherwise, I enjoyed Jack, Thea and David very much and would have liked to know more about what happened to them after the story ended.
In its cover blurb, Violation is described as combining “psychological suspense with terror on the most primal human level.” While to some extent I suppose this is true, I never felt any actual terror while reading it, nor did I find it to be as intense as I would have imagined given its subject matter and categorization as a thriller. The first 2/3 of the book move at a pretty slow pace, consisting primarily of character development and procedural investigation of David's disappearance as Jack and Thea independently look for clues as to his whereabout. When Jack and Thea are reunited and begin working together, then the pace picks up somewhat as long-held secrets are slowly revealed. Given these story characteristics, I think that Violation might be more aptly described as a drama thriller. In fact, as I was reading, it reminded me of a Lifetime movie. The pieces just fell into place a little too neatly: a computer password that was carelessly left lying around, nurses who are a little to willing to talk, etc. Also, in spite of not usually being very good at figuring out mysteries, I correctly foresaw everything that happened with the exception of the final little plot twist, and if I'd been paying closer attention, I probably could have seen that one coming too. Having the plot be so predictable, was a little disappointing, but not a complete downer for me, as I tend to be a fan of made-for-TV movies and didn't mind just going along with the characters for the ride.
There were a few other things about the book that I thought could have been better. I think the slow pace was due in part to too much rumination on the part of the main characters. Jack and Thea spent quite a bit of time inside their own heads trying to answer what-if, how-could-he/she, what-was-he-thinking, and similar types of questions. Also having Jack and Thea investigating separately for a third of the book led to some repetition. Thea would discover some piece of the puzzle, and then Jack would come trailing behind to find out the same thing. I was disappointed that it was never made clear whether Thea's mother was in some way complicit in covering up certain details of the assault. In many ways it seemed like she might have been, but Thea always asserted that she didn't think her mother could do something like that. At one point the mother (in a flashback) tells Thea that one reason for them hiding is that David's biological father might sue for custody from prison, but that statement didn't make any sense to me. What judge would be idiotic enough to grant custody of a child to a convicted rapist who is in prison? Lastly, given the intense subject matter, I thought that the emotional connection to the characters should have been stronger, yet as written, I felt like the author was merely telling me about their feelings rather than demonstrating them. I believe that if more emotional demonstration had been incorporated, the story would have packed the powerful punch needed to make it the real gut-wrenching psychological thriller that it could have been. In conclusion, true aficionados of the mystery and suspense genres may not care for its somewhat low-key and predictable nature, but in spite of my criticisms, I did not feel that I wasted my time reading Violation. Anyone who likes the TV-movie style of crime writing and wants to spent some time with characters who are very easy to like and care about will probably find it to be a worthwhile read like I did. This was my first book by Darian North, and although it appears that he or she only wrote a total of four books more than a decade ago, I liked it well enough to perhaps try another at some point in the future.
"3.5 stars" Violation is one of those books that I randomly decided to put on my TBR list, because the synopsis sounded very interesting to me. At the time, I wasn't entirely sure what category the book fell into, but at some point between putting it on my list and actually reading it, I'm certain that I ran across a review which stated that the author was a woman and the book was a romantic suspense. Being a huge fan of romance this made the book all the more appealing to me. After reading the book though, I am still not certain if the first claim is true, but I can say unequivocally that the second is not. Internet information on Darian North is quite sparse, and I have found some sites that indicate this is a male author, while several Amazon reviewers insist this is a female author. In my opinion, the book seemed to have a slightly more masculine tone, but it wouldn't be the first time I've seen a woman write this way. Regardless of the author's gender though, this is, without a doubt, not a true romantic suspense novel. I am intimately acquainted with the world of romances, and this story is really a suspense/thriller with a very small amount of romance in it. While the hero and heroine do begin to develop feelings for one another, they never even so much as kiss. By the end of the book, I could discern the believable, though tentative, start of a relationship, but that is something I would have liked to see develop all throughout the narrative. All this said though, I still generally liked the story, in spite of feeling a bit misled by that, at least partially, erroneous review.
I thought the characterizations were very good, and I really liked all the main characters. Jack is not at all unlike the romance heroes I enjoy so much. He is an ex-cop who is haunted by things from the past and has basically shut himself off from the world, until a kid in need of a father figure gently pushes his way into Jack's life. When the boy, who he has come to think of as more than his odd tenant's son, is in danger, Jack knows he has to do something and in the course of saving the boy finds himself again. Althea is also a wounded soul who has shut herself away but for different reasons. She was brutally raped fourteen years earlier, beaten, and left for dead in a burning house. The rape resulted in a pregnancy which produced her son, David. Even though Thea still has psychological problems from the trauma she suffered, I thought it was understandable given that she never received sufficient counseling over the years. Thea may have seemed rather crazy to those around her, but in reality she was a strong woman not only to have survived the vicious attack, but also to have been able to find a way to provide for her son and most of all to love him unconditionally and not resent him or only see him as a product of her rape. I liked how her strength and confidence grew as the story progressed, which in my opinion made her the best and most well-developed character. If the author is a man, I thought he did a respectable job of capturing the female perspective especially given her history. David was very likable too. It was obvious that he was a good kid who was simply frustrated by the lies he knew his mother was telling him about his father and desperately in need of a good male role-model in his life. Even though Jack had begun to fill that role, David couldn't help but wonder about his real parentage which led him on a very dangerous quest. When David meets his internet “friend,” Orion, in person, I found him to be a pretty creepy guy, who even gave me a few chills down the spine, a sure sign of a well-written character.
There were only a couple of things that I disliked about the characterizations. One was that the events which led Jack to isolate himself, while hinted at, were not really revealed until the very end of the story and they were told to Thea by his brother, Edmond. I've never been a fan of a secondary cast member being the revealer of significant events in the life of a primary character, because in my opinion, it greatly diminishes the emotional impact. The other thing was that Jack and Thea are both extremely distrusting of the opposite sex throughout a large part of the story. While that was certainly understandable given their past histories, in my opinion, some of their thoughts came off as a little too cynical, and embodied pretty extreme stereotyping. Otherwise, I enjoyed Jack, Thea and David very much and would have liked to know more about what happened to them after the story ended.
In its cover blurb, Violation is described as combining “psychological suspense with terror on the most primal human level.” While to some extent I suppose this is true, I never felt any actual terror while reading it, nor did I find it to be as intense as I would have imagined given its subject matter and categorization as a thriller. The first 2/3 of the book move at a pretty slow pace, consisting primarily of character development and procedural investigation of David's disappearance as Jack and Thea independently look for clues as to his whereabout. When Jack and Thea are reunited and begin working together, then the pace picks up somewhat as long-held secrets are slowly revealed. Given these story characteristics, I think that Violation might be more aptly described as a drama thriller. In fact, as I was reading, it reminded me of a Lifetime movie. The pieces just fell into place a little too neatly: a computer password that was carelessly left lying around, nurses who are a little to willing to talk, etc. Also, in spite of not usually being very good at figuring out mysteries, I correctly foresaw everything that happened with the exception of the final little plot twist, and if I'd been paying closer attention, I probably could have seen that one coming too. Having the plot be so predictable, was a little disappointing, but not a complete downer for me, as I tend to be a fan of made-for-TV movies and didn't mind just going along with the characters for the ride.
There were a few other things about the book that I thought could have been better. I think the slow pace was due in part to too much rumination on the part of the main characters. Jack and Thea spent quite a bit of time inside their own heads trying to answer what-if, how-could-he/she, what-was-he-thinking, and similar types of questions. Also having Jack and Thea investigating separately for a third of the book led to some repetition. Thea would discover some piece of the puzzle, and then Jack would come trailing behind to find out the same thing. I was disappointed that it was never made clear whether Thea's mother was in some way complicit in covering up certain details of the assault. In many ways it seemed like she might have been, but Thea always asserted that she didn't think her mother could do something like that. At one point the mother (in a flashback) tells Thea that one reason for them hiding is that David's biological father might sue for custody from prison, but that statement didn't make any sense to me. What judge would be idiotic enough to grant custody of a child to a convicted rapist who is in prison? Lastly, given the intense subject matter, I thought that the emotional connection to the characters should have been stronger, yet as written, I felt like the author was merely telling me about their feelings rather than demonstrating them. I believe that if more emotional demonstration had been incorporated, the story would have packed the powerful punch needed to make it the real gut-wrenching psychological thriller that it could have been. In conclusion, true aficionados of the mystery and suspense genres may not care for its somewhat low-key and predictable nature, but in spite of my criticisms, I did not feel that I wasted my time reading Violation. Anyone who likes the TV-movie style of crime writing and wants to spent some time with characters who are very easy to like and care about will probably find it to be a worthwhile read like I did. This was my first book by Darian North, and although it appears that he or she only wrote a total of four books more than a decade ago, I liked it well enough to perhaps try another at some point in the future.
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November 13, 2018I love when I discover a new good author of crime-mystery. This book was really enjoyable- although I got a little frustrated with it taking so long moving towards resolution. But it was a really good character study of both of the main characters. And there were surprising twists. Unless I missed it, one of the characters didn't have his "issue" further explained in the book.
I've been looking all over to find out more about this author, Darian North and whether it is a man or woman. Unfortunately it looks like s/he hasn't written a book in 20 years. I 'll go back and read the earlier ones and hope that another book is written.
I've been looking all over to find out more about this author, Darian North and whether it is a man or woman. Unfortunately it looks like s/he hasn't written a book in 20 years. I 'll go back and read the earlier ones and hope that another book is written.
January 23, 2018
I just finished reading Violation by Darian North, and I am overcome by what I just read. This book tells the story of Thea, a woman who had spent most of her life hiding the truth from her 13-year-old son: he was the result of a vicious attack at a party many years ago. When David goes missing, Thea's past comes back to haunt her as she tries to find her son, lured by the vicious monster who destroyed his mother's life so long ago.
Darian North did an incredible job writing a story that is unfortunately so real today. She brings a great deal of insight and emotion to a very disturbing subject, yet also tells a compelling story that reads like a standard crime novel. This edition also included an additional reading list for those interested in her research materials, and the publisher, New American Library, even added an interview they did with the author.
As disturbing as the subject matter was, North did the entire crime genre justice with this novel.
My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Darian North did an incredible job writing a story that is unfortunately so real today. She brings a great deal of insight and emotion to a very disturbing subject, yet also tells a compelling story that reads like a standard crime novel. This edition also included an additional reading list for those interested in her research materials, and the publisher, New American Library, even added an interview they did with the author.
As disturbing as the subject matter was, North did the entire crime genre justice with this novel.
My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
February 25, 2022
Well, first of this is amazing a lot of surprising situation, but the thing is it's kinda boring at first because there's too much talking you know, but if you read it, up until the end it's worth your time. So the story is not basically based on true story but it tells us about the situation/problems in this cruel world the we lived in especially for women and it's sad, very sad indeed.... but the end caught me off guard like is that all? I mean it's really good but I guess it's not enough. Anyway the book is good and thank you for publishing it.
October 30, 2017
Violation starts slowly, and you wonder why the "heroine" is so moody, then the story goes deeper, the plot thickens and you really start wondering "who did what". The ending is predictable, but how the author gets there with plot threads tying up is fascinating and that is the point where you don't want to put it down.
Interesting section afterwards in the paperback edition I read: the author explains reason for writing this particular book.
Interesting section afterwards in the paperback edition I read: the author explains reason for writing this particular book.
March 25, 2019
Gripping. A trip back in time when talking to people on-line was thought to be safe. Lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing and eagerly turning the page. Heartbreaking. Delves thoughtfully into the ways men and women experience the world due to the fear of sexual violence. Sometimes the pace was a little slow, but mostly the narrative kept me interested.
July 8, 2025
This book is written so nicely and carefully, it is very intentional with its characters and their backgrounds and that’s what I like most about it. You can tell the author did their research. Besides the characters, I like a dark book and the plot twists and reveals were good.4⭐️
March 21, 2021
A great read. The book is slow in the beginning but if you push through you will not be disappointed.
June 15, 2011
VIOLATION, A MASSIVE WORD FOR JUST A FLUFFY STORY
Lured by the title "Violation" I picked this book seeking to learn and to be entertained at the same time by a fictional story describing the trauma suffered by an adult woman after being raped during high school. I thought that the plot followed a consistent previous investigation by the author
The tale revolves around three main characters very well developed at the beginning, Thea the raped woman who suffers post traumatic stress disorder after such tragic event, David his estranged son, the product of that rape, and Jack and ex LAPD cop who happens to be Thea's landlord and who learns to like the kid
When David becomes a teenager, he begins to wonder about his mother weird behaviour and his own past, so one day makes the decision to find out who his father was and runs away from home with outside help, traveling to the opposite side of the country, Thea shocked, runs after him and Jack also very attached to the boy goes after Thea, hereafter the story loses realism.
My criticism toward this book points towards the lack of purpose, you do not really undestand if the author objective was to explore the feelings of the woman after the rape or write a mystery tale leaving the former on the background
In fact, characters are well drawn, but suspense and actions are not, let me elaborate some situations to clarify my point:
It is difficult to understand how Jack, with computers a layman, uses Thea's password after founding it "casually" written in a paper placed near the computer and then access to all her private recorded internet chat conversations, on top of that he prints them out, consequently it is very difficult to understand how Thea, a phobic, leaves her password written on a paper that can be found by anyone
It is difficult to understand how Thea took a cross-country flight carrying a weapon and being undetected
It is difficult to understand how Jack and Thea get face to face interviews with important secluded people of the upper crust of Long Island on arrival, without an appointment and even without mentioning their names in advance
Finally, I can also notice that the author was unable to create logical connections between events, some of them very confusing. The story loses almost all credibility
At one point, there was a ray of hope to improve what was done, with a sudden turn of events, that was when Thea learned that the jailed rapist turned out not to be the actual rapist, that situation could have been exploited far better than it was and "Violation" would have probably been a very interesting read from that section
Due to the reasons mentioned above, to rate this book two stars is too much, one
will suffice
Lured by the title "Violation" I picked this book seeking to learn and to be entertained at the same time by a fictional story describing the trauma suffered by an adult woman after being raped during high school. I thought that the plot followed a consistent previous investigation by the author
The tale revolves around three main characters very well developed at the beginning, Thea the raped woman who suffers post traumatic stress disorder after such tragic event, David his estranged son, the product of that rape, and Jack and ex LAPD cop who happens to be Thea's landlord and who learns to like the kid
When David becomes a teenager, he begins to wonder about his mother weird behaviour and his own past, so one day makes the decision to find out who his father was and runs away from home with outside help, traveling to the opposite side of the country, Thea shocked, runs after him and Jack also very attached to the boy goes after Thea, hereafter the story loses realism.
My criticism toward this book points towards the lack of purpose, you do not really undestand if the author objective was to explore the feelings of the woman after the rape or write a mystery tale leaving the former on the background
In fact, characters are well drawn, but suspense and actions are not, let me elaborate some situations to clarify my point:
It is difficult to understand how Jack, with computers a layman, uses Thea's password after founding it "casually" written in a paper placed near the computer and then access to all her private recorded internet chat conversations, on top of that he prints them out, consequently it is very difficult to understand how Thea, a phobic, leaves her password written on a paper that can be found by anyone
It is difficult to understand how Thea took a cross-country flight carrying a weapon and being undetected
It is difficult to understand how Jack and Thea get face to face interviews with important secluded people of the upper crust of Long Island on arrival, without an appointment and even without mentioning their names in advance
Finally, I can also notice that the author was unable to create logical connections between events, some of them very confusing. The story loses almost all credibility
At one point, there was a ray of hope to improve what was done, with a sudden turn of events, that was when Thea learned that the jailed rapist turned out not to be the actual rapist, that situation could have been exploited far better than it was and "Violation" would have probably been a very interesting read from that section
Due to the reasons mentioned above, to rate this book two stars is too much, one
will suffice
July 14, 2010
How does one deal with life after being brutal rapped, especially knowing your child is a result of that rape? In "Violation" we see how the character Thea Auben does that. To her, this child actually has saved her life and she'll doing anything to protect him. So when he comes up missing and appears to be finding his birth father, she goes all out to find him and protect him from the truth. Luckily, she has Jack on her side who seeks to help find the young boy who annoyed him, but finally became an uninvited friend in his life. This is a great story with great suspense. If you haven't read Darian North yet, here's a good one to start with.
December 12, 2007
A single mother hiding from her past, tries to prevent her thirteen-year-old son from learning that he is the result of a rape until he runs away to an online "friend."
Wow! Exciting. Fast-paced. Disturbing. Characters you can care about. Well-written. Very psychological with realistic situations.
Wow! Exciting. Fast-paced. Disturbing. Characters you can care about. Well-written. Very psychological with realistic situations.
May 9, 2020
До половината я влачих насила, после стана интересна. Героите носят дълбоки белези от миналото си, но въпреки това не са пълнокръвни и бледнеят. Действието се сгъстява рязко, а през останалото време като че ли нищо не се случва.
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July 23, 2008I can't even rate this book. I don't even remember it even after reading a synopsis! Must not have been that good.
January 8, 2009
I fell in love with North while reading this book. He weaves an amazing tale that pulls you in from the first page.
June 20, 2012
If you are interested in suspense with a touch of romance, give this book a read.
Read
July 9, 2012Am still hook in the memory of the story.
Read
August 11, 2012Excellent Book
Read
December 8, 2012fair
April 17, 2013
Good book but I think it got a little too twisted & far fetched at the end.
Want to read
February 3, 2011de link
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews