L. T. Vargus Books In Order

Publication Order of Violet Darger Books

Publication Order of The Scattered and the Dead Books

Publication Order of Awake in the Dark Books

Publication Order of Victor Loshak Thriller Books

Publication Order of Charlotte Winters Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Author L. T. Vargus grew up in a town called Hell, Michigan; it is not as big, or loud, or fiery as you might think it would be. When she is not typing away on a keyboard, she is thinking about food, watching television (as her brain slowly rots), and sewing.

She lives with her writing partner and special male friend, Tim McBain. They have published some stand alone work and a few series together. They live in Kalamazoo, Michigan. By the way, the “L” in her name stands for Lex.

At first, the books were only published under this name (L. T. Vargus), and then later re-released with both of their names on the cover.

When writing, one of the two will be inspired by something, and the two will work on outlining it together. The one that is inspired takes the lead. They skip sections they get stuck on, with the knowledge that the other person will fill in those gaps. At times, simply saying something out loud can make Lex able to make things fall into place.

Her and Tim have been living with each other since the year 2003, and they started their own business in the year 2005. It has made them blend their work and non-work relationship for quite some time. They spend pretty much all their time with each other. Neither one feels like they are the boss on either side of the relationship.

Tim for one feels that rejection stripped him of a lot of ego. He feels that if the final product turns out great, then that is the only part that matters. If the work is the focus, not the ego, then it is easy to work with someone else.

“Dead End Girl” is the first novel in the “Violet Darger” series and was released in the year 2017. Violet Darger (who is a rookie agent with the FBI) is given the biggest case of her career. She goes to the Midwest to confront a killer that is unlike anything she has ever seen. Driven, aggressive, deranged, and territorial. There is one corpse found in the dumpster at a Burger King, while another is found near a roller rink. A third body is found in a gutter in a residential neighborhood.

These violence displays are bold and they shock the rural community. They also rattle the local police force. Why would someone commit such brutal acts? And who is it that is doing this? There is very little physical evidence for Agent Darger to use, and there are only unreliable witnesses. This makes the case look hopeless. More will die as he is going to kill more if she fails to catch him.

The victims have some dark secrets. The clues do not keep still, but twist and writhe. The killer tracks the investigation through nightly news reports, in glee while he relives the violent acts he has carried out. He realizes he cannot be stopped.

Fans of the novel found this fast paced, tightly woven, and quite simply a tense thrill ride. This is a page turner that made some lose sleep, as they stayed up to see what would happen next. The characters are believable, the writing is brilliant, and there is a plot that hooked readers. Those who thought they had figured out who the killer was were quite mistaken about it. Some are ready to read more by these two incredible authors.

“Image in a Cracked Mirror” is the second novel in the “Violet Darger” series and was released in the year 2017. A family gets butchered while in their home in a brutal and weird display of violence. Details are curious, because the bodies are massacred far beyond what is usually found at a usual kill scene, and each of the house’s mirrors are shattered.

It is a spectacle that stuns the peaceful island town, and the local police look to the FBI for help in the matter. Agent Violet Darger gets the case and she is investigating another horrifying crime scene. She looks, again, into the abyss of man, and the warped reflection of mankind looks back at her.

Fans of the novel found that the story in the book creeped them out and sticks in your brain. You almost want to take a shower after reading it. These books are brilliant, edgy, and dark, and fans liked the descriptions the authors were able to use. The writing was top shelf, and readers were left wanting to read more from this series. Some found that they even wanted to read more from this duo of authors,
and not necessarily just from this series.

“Killing Season” is the third novel in the “Violet Darger” series and was released in the year 2017. Atlanta is almost in panic mode by the time Violet gets there. No one is really leaving their homes, and the empty streets and vacant restaurants paint a scary image. There is a killer among them, free to roam. Just a shadow. The public is in fear, just like the killer wants them to be.

A shooter waits on I-20 and picks off eight, which causes a pileup of 36 cars. The following morning, the same guy goes into a grocery store, and kills six innocent people with a handgun in the front of the store. Then he vanishes leaving no trace.

Agent Darger has to find another killer, and has to dig deep to figure out his next move. Getting into his head could prove the only way to catch him.

Fans of the novel enjoy reading about Violet, because it is almost like spending time with one of your old friends. This is even better than that, because she tells of her fast paced and exciting life where she catches killers. Some enjoy seeing the way the relationship between Violet and Loshak is developed and grows. It makes the series feel that much more real. Readers hope to get more of this in future books. This is a tight book that is polished and does not have some of the clunkiness that the first few chapters had in the first book. Readers cannot recommend these books strongly enough.

3 Responses to “L. T. Vargus”

1. Jean L Balch: 3 years ago

   I’ve read all the Violet Darger and The Victor Loshak series and really enjoyed them. Haven’t started the other series yet, but plan to. Look forward to more great reads!

   Reply
2. Becky: 3 years ago

   I am reading “Dead End Girl.” It is the first L T Vargus/Tim McBain book for me but it won’t be the last. Dumb question – how do you pronounce Darger. When I read, my brain says the words. I keep tripping over Violet’s surname. Darger like charger? Hard g? Other? Thank you

   Reply
   • Graeme: 3 years ago

     I was curious so I listened to the audiobook samples at Amazon. If you listen to the sample for “Image in a Cracked Mirror”, the narrator says the name right away. Sounds like Charger yep. Like “Dar-jer”.

     Reply