Born Bad

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 conscious, 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 g

Born Bad, by Barry Hoffman (Gauntlet Press, ...) Shanicha is probably the most diabolical villain since Cruella De Ville. Her cunning enables her to commit murder from afar--definitely a novel approach. Shanicha will make you believe that someone really could be, "Born Bad"....

BORN BAD is an absorbing, gripping look into the minds of two twisted female college students. Loaded with interesting and believable charcters, Hoffman's story flows like melted butter over a hot slice of toast. The only reason I am not giving this book 5 stars is because I consider this to be more of a "thriller" rather than a "horror" tale, something that Leisure Books has been printing much of lately. And, yes, there is a difference between the two genres. Hoffman is definitly someone to watch.

BARRY HOFFMAN TAKES THE SERIAL KILLER TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL. AT FIRST IT DID NOT APPEAR THAT I WOULD ENJOY THIS BOOK AS MUCH AS HIS "EYES" SERIES. BUT AS THE PLOT DEVELOPED I GOT MORE AND MORE INTO THIS BOOK. HIS CHARACTERS ARE REAL AND YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THEM AS THE STORY GOES ON.

Hoffman's BORN BAD, is a suspense tale detailing the evil machinations of a girl who realizes she has the power to manipulate people into committing suicide, and the detective that desperately wants to bring her to justice. Throughout BORN BAD, Hoffman takes the reader into the minds of his characters, unraveling the past that made them who they are today, and follows the thought process that rationalizes their behavior.