Well, in many novels with such a title, there is often a central character who is haunted by their violent past. There may be a friend or a foe who knows about this past and either tries to help or exploit it. There could also be a figure of authority, like a police officer or a detective, who is involved in the story because of the main character's history of violence.
In 'A History of Violence Novel', there could be a male lead as the main character with a violent past. He might have a female partner who is initially unaware of his past but gradually discovers it. And there could be other secondary characters such as neighbors or colleagues who start to suspect something strange about the main character due to his actions that are related to his history of violence.