What do you think?
Rate this book
Violet Darger #6
Night on Fire
Fire crawls up the sides of the church. The orange glow thrashes. Blackens the siding. Climbs up onto the steeple. The flames close in on the wedding party trapped inside.
When a serial arsonist terrorizes Los Angeles County, FBI profiler Violet Darger heads to California to investigate. The fires keep coming faster. The body count rises, and the threat hangs over the city as thick as the smog.
The case file is brutal -- stuffed with photographs of charred bodies, human faces melted beyond recognition. And when Darger gets up close to the crimes, the real thing, that sense of savagery only intensifies.
What kind of a person could carry out such cruelties? Understanding the warped psychology will be the key to solving the case.
The suspect seems hellbent on creating a spectacle. Bigger targets. More deaths. He treats setting fires like a Hollywood special effects sequence, like he's building up to the shocking finale.
Watch the city burn. It's entertainment.
And there's one more factor complicating the investigation: Autumn is settling in over Southern California. The leaves are changing color, and the Santa Ana winds have begun to change directions.
The Hollywood Hills are ripe for a forest fire. The arsonist means to make it the biggest one yet.
When a serial arsonist terrorizes Los Angeles County, FBI profiler Violet Darger heads to California to investigate. The fires keep coming faster. The body count rises, and the threat hangs over the city as thick as the smog.
The case file is brutal -- stuffed with photographs of charred bodies, human faces melted beyond recognition. And when Darger gets up close to the crimes, the real thing, that sense of savagery only intensifies.
What kind of a person could carry out such cruelties? Understanding the warped psychology will be the key to solving the case.
The suspect seems hellbent on creating a spectacle. Bigger targets. More deaths. He treats setting fires like a Hollywood special effects sequence, like he's building up to the shocking finale.
Watch the city burn. It's entertainment.
And there's one more factor complicating the investigation: Autumn is settling in over Southern California. The leaves are changing color, and the Santa Ana winds have begun to change directions.
The Hollywood Hills are ripe for a forest fire. The arsonist means to make it the biggest one yet.
426 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 28, 2019
3099 people are currently reading
686 people want to read
About the author
L.T. Vargus
52 books1,095 followersLex Vargus is the co-author of over 20 thriller and horror novels.
FIND LEX ON:
Amazon - Twitter - LTVargus.com
BOOKS BY LT VARGUS
The Violet Darger series
The Victor Loshak series
The Charlotte Winters series
FIND LEX ON:
Amazon - Twitter - LTVargus.com
BOOKS BY LT VARGUS
The Violet Darger series
The Victor Loshak series
The Charlotte Winters series
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews
December 18, 2021
This one takes the cake! Wow, so much has happened that I don't know where to begin. OK, Darger decides to return to her space with the FBI and is on another case, this time with her old pal Casey Luck. They need to find an arsonist who is not only setting fires but wants to kill people too. Her profile for this killer could include someone who works as a firefighter or even a policeman. Just when they believe they have their man it turns out they are wrong. This happens twice. So now they have to be very careful. As it turns out it becomes a police captain from a small town who finally figures it out because Darger and Luck are stuck trying to survive a forest fire that they get stuck in when an old wooden bridge catches fire and it's their only way out! Yikes!
December 22, 2019
This episode of the Violet Darger stories not only finds Violet back as an FBI Profiler, but working solo on an arson case in California. I was mesmerized with this story, much like watching a very disturbing event/movie that you can’t pull away from for fear of missing something. Having read all the previous Violet Darger stories, I can say without reservation this is the best of the lot, and considering all the earlier stories are awesome, this one grabs you from the start and holds you until the various parts are resolved. I received an Advance Reader Copy and chose to provide this review.
July 6, 2021
Night on fire
Loved this story. I have read all the violet Darger series to this point and I have to say this one is my favorite. Hope for many more!
Loved this story. I have read all the violet Darger series to this point and I have to say this one is my favorite. Hope for many more!
July 4, 2021
Great writer
I love the serial killer genre. This books sucks you in until the very end. I feel like these are actual people and I am just a fly on the wall listening.
I love the serial killer genre. This books sucks you in until the very end. I feel like these are actual people and I am just a fly on the wall listening.
January 1, 2020
3.5 stars
I enjoyed this “pulp thriller,” because it’s been a while since I’ve read a book about a serial arsonist and arson crimes. This is a mid-paced book which sometimes slows considerably. The slower pace is necessary, because the protagonist is an FBI profiler, and the psychology of the arsonist is crucial to the storyline. Internal monologues illuminate the arsonist’s thoughts, motives, history and evolution. The author gives us hair-raising glimpses into the arsonist’s freewheeling but creepy thoughts as he drives through the LA night. He talks of pimps & prostitutes; the Night Stalker; Hollywood lights & glitz; the Black Dahlia; the MS-13; pushers and pedophiles; OJ Simpson slicing off his wife’s head; violence of Compton and Watts; the Manson Family; raging infernos on the hills; the Santa Ana winds; and the Menendez brothers.
I read “Night on Fire” as a stand-alone, but reading previous books would help readers recall several named but faceless characters.
I knocked off a star, because very early in the book, I predicted the TSTL behavior of the two FBI protagonists. I did an eye roll at the oh-so-fortuitously-timed, lachrymose moment as the protagonists are holding hands during the maudlin ending in the ICU.
February 1, 2020
I love Violet Darger, she’s my hero!
I grew up watching tv shows like Cops, NCIS, Criminal Minds (my fav), and lots of others too. I’m not a big mystery fan, but I read Thrillers once in awhile. I am a Horror fan though, that’s always been my main genre along with Sci Fi & Fantasy. That said, this is my favorite “Police Procedural” because it’s so much like “Criminal Minds” except that instead of a team.. (besides Loshank..) there is Violet, and she profiles the bad guys for the FBI. I love how she thinks, how she acts.. her bravery.. so much! Also though we always get a taste of the “Unsub” from their point of view, which is interesting in contrast to the profile she presents. It’s kinda fun to guess who it is.. and I get surprised more often than not! That’s pretty hard to do, most books I can tell what’s going to happen.. even when I read “Gone Girl” I had a feeling that the woman telling the story was unreliable! Anyways another awesome journey and a sad ending but there is still hope... ❤️
I grew up watching tv shows like Cops, NCIS, Criminal Minds (my fav), and lots of others too. I’m not a big mystery fan, but I read Thrillers once in awhile. I am a Horror fan though, that’s always been my main genre along with Sci Fi & Fantasy. That said, this is my favorite “Police Procedural” because it’s so much like “Criminal Minds” except that instead of a team.. (besides Loshank..) there is Violet, and she profiles the bad guys for the FBI. I love how she thinks, how she acts.. her bravery.. so much! Also though we always get a taste of the “Unsub” from their point of view, which is interesting in contrast to the profile she presents. It’s kinda fun to guess who it is.. and I get surprised more often than not! That’s pretty hard to do, most books I can tell what’s going to happen.. even when I read “Gone Girl” I had a feeling that the woman telling the story was unreliable! Anyways another awesome journey and a sad ending but there is still hope... ❤️
December 29, 2019
I am a total true crime nerd and a huge fan of these authors. They do a great job of writing thrillers that read almost exactly like real cases, because they are able to get inside the minds of the victims, the killers, and also the people trying to solve the cases in a totally believable way. This series is for anybody who is a fan of true crime, and especially for those who are interested in the psychological aspects of these kinds of cases. I also really appreciate how these authors provide societal context for their stories. they are very good at telling stories in the context of real life, and showing how nothing ever happens without it being caused by or affecting other people and situations.
April 27, 2020
Darger's first case since returning to the FBI. She's been sent to L.A. to help track down a serial killer who's also responsible for several deaths. This book isn't for the faint of heart, there are a couple of places that are gruesome. Burning to death isn't easy to read about but don't let that stop you from reading this book. This is the best book in this series so far. The first time the authors have kept me from guessing who the killer is until they wanted me to know and that's not easy to do. I loved that! So grab a copy and get ready for a great time.
I was given a copy of this book for a honest review.
I was given a copy of this book for a honest review.
December 30, 2019
WOW!
Another sleepless night reading Violet Darger!
Gosh this book is thrilling! These writers Amaze me every book they write is better than the last one.
From the beginning of the book I was hooked. Now I know exactly what is like to be in the middle of a forest fire. I can feel it, smell it ,be very afraid of it. The criminal is a genuine nutcase!!
I dont want to put in any spoilers so I'll just say... Read the book! It is absolutely incredible
Another sleepless night reading Violet Darger!
Gosh this book is thrilling! These writers Amaze me every book they write is better than the last one.
From the beginning of the book I was hooked. Now I know exactly what is like to be in the middle of a forest fire. I can feel it, smell it ,be very afraid of it. The criminal is a genuine nutcase!!
I dont want to put in any spoilers so I'll just say... Read the book! It is absolutely incredible
January 1, 2020
Good
Violet returns to the FBI after a leave and her first assignment is in L.A. investing arson with casualties. And as luck would have it Casey Luck has been transferred to L.A. Now they are on the case together to bring the perpetrator to justice. This is a very interesting and intriguing storyline that kept me entertained.
I look forward to the next adventure of Violet Darger.
Violet returns to the FBI after a leave and her first assignment is in L.A. investing arson with casualties. And as luck would have it Casey Luck has been transferred to L.A. Now they are on the case together to bring the perpetrator to justice. This is a very interesting and intriguing storyline that kept me entertained.
I look forward to the next adventure of Violet Darger.
January 4, 2020
Vargus and McBain do it again
Always love me some new Darger! And she's back working with Casey Luck. Bonus! The story is satisfying and exciting, as I've come to expect from these two. No spoilers, but there is a scene with a car barreling through fire- filled roads... the description had my stomach dropping and clenching as if I was in the car with them! Visceral experience! Just terrific.
Always love me some new Darger! And she's back working with Casey Luck. Bonus! The story is satisfying and exciting, as I've come to expect from these two. No spoilers, but there is a scene with a car barreling through fire- filled roads... the description had my stomach dropping and clenching as if I was in the car with them! Visceral experience! Just terrific.
January 18, 2020
Read It In One Sitting!
I just love this series! I enjoy the characters, as they started to feel like people I know from the first book. This story deals with fire, which is something that I am terrified of, so I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but once I started, I couldn’t put it down! I honestly didn’t see the revelation of the bad guy coming, which made it more fun. I’m looking forward to book 7!
I just love this series! I enjoy the characters, as they started to feel like people I know from the first book. This story deals with fire, which is something that I am terrified of, so I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but once I started, I couldn’t put it down! I honestly didn’t see the revelation of the bad guy coming, which made it more fun. I’m looking forward to book 7!
January 7, 2020
Really good! Loved the pyro angle. Paragraphs of unnecessarily self-indulgent word salad could’ve been excised in a few spots, but otherwise, I found this book tighter than the last. I didn’t guess who it was until almost the reveal, which is good. I look forward to Darger working a case with Loshak at some point...
January 2, 2021
Back at the FBI and working with Casey Luck, Darger and Luck are in LA. Someone is starting fires and the body count is rising. Another great book in the Violet Darger series. Just saw another Darger book, Dark Passage, is coming out on 1/31/21.....preordered and looking forward to it. Happy New Year!
January 14, 2020
Another hard to put down read. It was fast paced and good to see Violet get back to where she belongs. Enjoyed the story, but missed her not being partnered up with Loshak and the banter back and forth with them. Looking forward to the next book
February 6, 2020
Good...
...to have Darger back in the fight again. These books are at their best when we're with her -- particularly when she interacts with others, but also when we're just inside her head.
...to have Darger back in the fight again. These books are at their best when we're with her -- particularly when she interacts with others, but also when we're just inside her head.
January 5, 2020
Can’t put it down!
I have read all the Darger books, and they just keep getting better! I really couldn’t put this one down.
I have read all the Darger books, and they just keep getting better! I really couldn’t put this one down.
May 3, 2021
Excellent
Great book. No slow spots; stays lively and interesting all the way through. I can highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fast-paced thrillers.
Great book. No slow spots; stays lively and interesting all the way through. I can highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fast-paced thrillers.
March 28, 2021
Riveting!
Fire. Fascinating, mesmerizing, captivating, enchanting, fearsome, destructive, lifesaving in the cold. Romantic, even, when it's candlelight or a warmth-giving fireplace or woodstove on a chilly night.
Who hasn't been entranced by the flickering flames of a campfire, or the glow from a dozen tapers in a candleabra?
But very little is more capable of destruction than a fire out of control. The wildfires of the West Coast in the last decade have caused more death and loss than can be counted. Some of these fires have originated from natural causes...lightning, wind crushing trees into powerlines. Some have been accidentally started, some from carelessness, old wiring.
But the worst is arson. This book delves into the evil mind of an arsonist. Insight into the thinking of someone who uses fire as power over others.
Superbly written, this novel is gripping in intensity. I found my heart pounding near the end, my hand cramping from gripping my e-reader too tightly.
I would NOT recommend this book to anyone who has lived through fire, be it a house fire, brush fire or a wildfire.
Fire. Fascinating, mesmerizing, captivating, enchanting, fearsome, destructive, lifesaving in the cold. Romantic, even, when it's candlelight or a warmth-giving fireplace or woodstove on a chilly night.
Who hasn't been entranced by the flickering flames of a campfire, or the glow from a dozen tapers in a candleabra?
But very little is more capable of destruction than a fire out of control. The wildfires of the West Coast in the last decade have caused more death and loss than can be counted. Some of these fires have originated from natural causes...lightning, wind crushing trees into powerlines. Some have been accidentally started, some from carelessness, old wiring.
But the worst is arson. This book delves into the evil mind of an arsonist. Insight into the thinking of someone who uses fire as power over others.
Superbly written, this novel is gripping in intensity. I found my heart pounding near the end, my hand cramping from gripping my e-reader too tightly.
I would NOT recommend this book to anyone who has lived through fire, be it a house fire, brush fire or a wildfire.
Read
June 12, 2021Absolutely Gripping read with an ending better than a movie
Wow!!! Excellent suspense right to the last word. Had the most heart pounding ending of any book I've ever read.
Wow!!! Excellent suspense right to the last word. Had the most heart pounding ending of any book I've ever read.
July 6, 2021
Incredibly AWESOME
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this series. I read THIS BOOK until 3:00am Couldn't put it down, which is my comment on ALL of the Vargus, McBain books. Violet Darger is my "Hero" I finished this just in time to download the next new book that just came out this morning. YES YES YES !!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this series. I read THIS BOOK until 3:00am Couldn't put it down, which is my comment on ALL of the Vargus, McBain books. Violet Darger is my "Hero" I finished this just in time to download the next new book that just came out this morning. YES YES YES !!
February 26, 2021
A good read. Pretty good series as well.
April 21, 2021
So please Violet went back to the FBI but it's a shame shes not working with Loshak however nice she's working with Luck again. Brilliantly written as always.
December 9, 2020
Best book yet
I loved that the story didn’t take so long to develop and that I never suspected the arsonist until the last minute. It was gripping and I couldn’t put it down.
I loved that the story didn’t take so long to develop and that I never suspected the arsonist until the last minute. It was gripping and I couldn’t put it down.
April 18, 2021
Non stop action from star to finish leading to a very unexpected finale.
December 2, 2020
Lesson on fire
The way the authors described the fires was educating me about them. It was so scary, what a terrible way to die.
The way the authors described the fires was educating me about them. It was so scary, what a terrible way to die.
March 21, 2021
Awesome story
Edge of your seat kind of book. Definitely a must read. Hopefully the ending turns out well for one of the recurring characters.
Edge of your seat kind of book. Definitely a must read. Hopefully the ending turns out well for one of the recurring characters.
March 18, 2021
Gripping
This was amazingly written. I was engrossed from the beginning to end. I couldn't breathe when Violet was in the tunnels I felt like I was in them with her. I love reading about her.
This was amazingly written. I was engrossed from the beginning to end. I couldn't breathe when Violet was in the tunnels I felt like I was in them with her. I love reading about her.
January 18, 2020
Full disclosure - I was provided an advanced reader’s copy of this book by the authors but have voluntarily provided a review. All opinions are my own.
Violet Darger is back!
Night on Fire marks Violet Darger’s return as FBI profiler. After a brief stint in the public sector as a consultant and having a chance to face one of her darkest fears, Violet has returned to her previous life a little more battered but hopefully wiser. Not one to take things easily, Darger immediately finds herself chasing a serial arsonist in Los Angeles. With the help of an old associate, Violet seems to settle back into the groove as she develops a rapport with the local law enforcement. But, with one false lead after another, she begins to wonder if the culprit may be closer than they can even imagine. As the crimes escalate, Violet finds herself in a race against time before she becomes the next casualty.
For me, Night on Fire marks a strong return of beloved character Violet Darger back into the ranks of the FBI. While she is still without her trusty partner, Victor Loshak, we do see the return of one-time fling and fellow law enforcer Casey Luck as he has transferred out to the City of Angels to provide for his daughter. While a bit awkward at first, the duo manages to work well to coordinate the efforts of the various agencies in tracking and apprehending the criminal. Night on Fire is the 6th book in the Violet Darger series of books, but counting the shorter novellas releases it’s actually closer to the 9th. Beginning with Dead End Girl, through the detour of the consultancy and now returning back to “home base” so to speak with Night on Fire, McBain and Vargus have created a witty, relatable character that has had their ups and downs but through it, all remain true to herself. Don’t feel intimidated that this is technically the 9th book that is Violet Darger focused as all of the books are written in such a way that they can be read stand-alone or as part of a larger storyline.
Yet another strong installment in the series and after the events that transpired, I am looking forward to the next book in the series, not only for the inevitable Darger/Loshak reunion but also to see if the events of Night on Fire have rekindled any of the prior Darger/Luck chemistry.
Violet Darger is back!
Night on Fire marks Violet Darger’s return as FBI profiler. After a brief stint in the public sector as a consultant and having a chance to face one of her darkest fears, Violet has returned to her previous life a little more battered but hopefully wiser. Not one to take things easily, Darger immediately finds herself chasing a serial arsonist in Los Angeles. With the help of an old associate, Violet seems to settle back into the groove as she develops a rapport with the local law enforcement. But, with one false lead after another, she begins to wonder if the culprit may be closer than they can even imagine. As the crimes escalate, Violet finds herself in a race against time before she becomes the next casualty.
For me, Night on Fire marks a strong return of beloved character Violet Darger back into the ranks of the FBI. While she is still without her trusty partner, Victor Loshak, we do see the return of one-time fling and fellow law enforcer Casey Luck as he has transferred out to the City of Angels to provide for his daughter. While a bit awkward at first, the duo manages to work well to coordinate the efforts of the various agencies in tracking and apprehending the criminal. Night on Fire is the 6th book in the Violet Darger series of books, but counting the shorter novellas releases it’s actually closer to the 9th. Beginning with Dead End Girl, through the detour of the consultancy and now returning back to “home base” so to speak with Night on Fire, McBain and Vargus have created a witty, relatable character that has had their ups and downs but through it, all remain true to herself. Don’t feel intimidated that this is technically the 9th book that is Violet Darger focused as all of the books are written in such a way that they can be read stand-alone or as part of a larger storyline.
Yet another strong installment in the series and after the events that transpired, I am looking forward to the next book in the series, not only for the inevitable Darger/Loshak reunion but also to see if the events of Night on Fire have rekindled any of the prior Darger/Luck chemistry.
November 22, 2020
Can’t put it down
Exciting from first page. Sweeps you along down one rabbit hole into another. I am new to this author and will now retrace my steps and start at the beginning.
Exciting from first page. Sweeps you along down one rabbit hole into another. I am new to this author and will now retrace my steps and start at the beginning.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews