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A THRILLER THAT DELVES INTO THE MIND OF A SOCIOPATH!!, 16 Aug 2001
By A Customer
Barry Hoffman, the acclaimed author of the "Eye" series, has written a rather intriguing thriller, BORN BAD, which centers on a female sociopath who literally loves to wreak havoc on others. Shanicha Wilkins was born a "crack" baby and later adopted. As a fourth-grade student and devoid of a conscience, Shanicha quickly learned the power of a lie. She found out how easily people could be manipulated when she falsely accursed her teacher of molestation in the small town of New Canaan, Pennsylvania and unintentionally brought about his suicide. Though Shanicha loved being at the center of attention, she realized-even as a child--how dangerous it could be for her and the apparent need for subterfuge. She understood the necessity for blending in and remaining anonymous so that her wicked actions could be continued. The skillful telling of lies gradually shifted to a deep fascination with fire, followed by a brief period as a murdering arsonist. Now, Shanicha is a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania and has honed her deadly talents into a fine art. She's discovered how easy it is to manipulate depressed students into committing suicide with a few choice words and thrives on this God-like power. When the first student jumps to her death, Philadelphia PD homicide detectives Ariel Dampier and her partner, Doug Thiery, are called in to investigate. It seems like an open-and-shut case, until the second and third suicides come a few weeks later. Campus cop, Lucius Jackson, ex-husband of Ariel, suspects that there's more to these unexpected deaths than meets the eye. When he's almost murdered by an unknown attacker, both the University and the police department have to accept the possibility that there might be a killer behind the scenes, pulling the strings like a master puppeteer. Ariel and Doug are assigned to flush out this mystery person. Shanicha, however, isn't worried about the police. She's been involved in the act of murder for over a decade and knows that the cops can't prove anything. What's troubling her is the fact that she's only been involved in two of the deaths and had nothing to do with the attempted murder of Lucius. It seems that there's someone else on campus with the same agenda as Shanicha and is willing to do whatever it takes to become the reigning Queen of Death. BORN BAD is one of those terrific reads that catch you by surprise. I had it on my book shelve for several months, along with Mr. Hoffman's EYES OF PREY, before I finally picked it up to read, then went through it over a period of a couple of days, while entertaining relatives from out of town. I found myself admiring and thoroughly enjoying Mr. Hoffman's articulate style of writing, along with the way he was able to create such vivid and interesting characters, especially with regards to Ariel and Shanicha. Both are intelligent, troubled, strong-willed, and highly motivated women with a pretty good idea of what they want out of life and how to go about achieving it. The fact that one is evil incarnate and the other is on the side of law and order is beside the point. These are two ladies that rock! Mr. Hoffman is able to climb into their minds and give the reader a window that opens into two very different worlds and lifestyles, allowing us a glimpse of the realities that create such diverse, yet compelling, characters. Also, the supporting characters of Lucius, Chanda, Mia, and Doug Thiery shine with equal intensity, adding structure and pace to the story, allowing the author to explore more deeply the bonds of love, friendship, and psychopathic jealousy. While not filled with page after page of action-filled excitement, there are certainly enough twists and turns to keep the reader hooked and guessing right up till the end. In BORN BAD, a person will come away with the understanding that sometimes justice prevails and sometimes an individual has to take matters into their own hands to balance the scales. One last note, when Barry Hoffman tried to do a book signing at the University of Pennsylvania for BORN BAD, he was asked to leave by the campus officials because they didn't like the subject matter of his novel. He then went off campus and stood in front of a bookstore, handing out over a hundred copies of his novel for free to anyone who wanted to read it. Way to go Barry!!! Anyway, I liked this book so much that I purchased it in a signed, numbered edition for my growing collection and now intend to read his other novels, beginning with HUNGRY EYES.
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