A review of “Night on Fire: A Gripping Serial Killer Thriller (Violet Darger FBI Thriller Book 6) By Tim McBain and L.T. Vargus

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.