Born Evil [Paperback]

This is a new author I came across and although she has not written too much but will be looking out for her further books. She is very similar to how Martina Cole used to write before she went off the boil! Good grounded characters and with plenty of twists - I await your further books Kimberley!

~Story~

Debbie Dawson makes the fatal error of falling in love with Billy McDaid. When Debbie announces to her mother June that she is pregnant by the low life drug dealer Billy, June realises that life will never be the same. Debbie's brother Mickey has just come out of a stint in prison and is determined to make his life better and that includes protecting his mother and sister. When Debbie gives birth to Charlie, it seems that the little boy is pure evil. Not only is he sadistic and nasty, he is about to be the start of what tears the family apart.

~Opinion~

I have only recently discovered Kimberley Chambers having read The Betrayer which was a first class read. Born Evil was the second book Kimberley Chambers wrote and although I loved it, it wasn't as good as The Betrayer. I think this is a sign that Kimberley Chambers is getting better with each book she writes.

Probably the first thing to note is that this book is gritty realism at its best and that includes swearing and violence. If this isn't something you particularly like then maybe this isn't the book for you. Having said that, it's not something that bothers me and I think it adds to the realism of the characters and setting.

This book starts by introducing us to Debbie at a young age when she first meets Billy and we get to see just how destructive he is on her life. When she falls pregnant she decides that although young she wants to make a go of it with both Billy and the baby. I admit that although Debbie is the centre of the story I didn't really warm to her that much. By the middle of the book I wanted to strangle her for her stupidity, and by the end of it I hadn't made my mind up what sort of a person she was. The fact that I got so irritate by her can in my opinion only be a sign of good writing on the author's behalf.

The book is staggered over the years and we see Debbie move on from her life with Billy to one where she spends time with her mum June and her brother Mickey. In addition to this we have Mickey's best friend Steve who I adored. The story itself was weaker than her other book but only in the sense that I could see what was coming. Although this wasn't as good as the first I read I still thought that it could walk all over the kind of books Martina Cole is producing right now.

I am pleased that I have finally found an author who seems to be gaining a massive fan base very quickly and her work seems to get better with each book she writes. This certainly wasn't the winner out of the two for me but was still a fantastic read.

MY STAR RATING: 7/10

I don't nornally read books like these, the sort by Martina Cole etc, I think they're too depressing, but having seen the excellent reviews this got I thought I'd give it a try. I'm glad I did because it's a cracking read, easy to get into, good plot, the sort you don't want to put down. It leaves you thinking too, although Charlie is truly evil, it must be so hard to be in Debbie's position, he is her son after all, how would you cope in the same situation?