Hungry Eyes

Rating:
Summary: How can you find sympathy for a serial killer?
Review: Barry Hoffman's Hungry Eyes is a book which is going to make you question your ideas of what is right and what isn't or do we all live in some grey matter in between. You are introduced to some powerful characters in this book, Deidre, Lamar, Shara and realize you may be rooting for the wrong person to win out at the end. Then you ask yourself if any one of them actually won. This tremendously fast paced and thoroughly enjoyable work by Barry Hoffman makes you wonder how this could actually be his first novel as it is so well written compared to other weak "psychological thrillers'. He leaves you wanting to know more about these characters and releases us with his second novel, Eyes of Prey, somehow more compelling than his first with even deeper twists and an antagonist turned protaganist. He should'nt be allowed to do this, but he does and does it well. I recommend both Hungry Eyes and Eyes of Prey. Something tells me you should own the hardcover of these books if you can, this talent will not go unnoticed.

Rating:
Summary: Leaves one unfulfilled.
Review: HUNGRY EYES is a so-called thriller that is really more of a character study. Although there are a couple twists much later on, there's no mystery or suspense. And like Dean Koontz, Barry Hoffman lacks any kind of flair in his writing. The prose is often clunky and reads awkwardly. This is a short novel, but tedious to get through. Remniscent of the trashy pulp novels of yore.

Rating:
Summary: Food for thought in HUNGRY EYES
Review: Reading HUNGRY EYES is like watching your two best friends play a chess match - you want them both to win. This is because Hoffman goes beyond the "Bad Guy-Good Guy" thriller formula and gives you the motivation behind the characters' actions - the Good Guy isn't solely altruistic, and the Bad Guy just may be justifiably so. You'll come out of HUNGRY EYES with a whole new perspective of those shades of grey between good and evil.

In this novel, the interplay is between the "good" Deidre Caffrey, dogged journalist, versus her "old" adversary Shara Farris - the "Vigilante Killer", whose message NO MORE HUNGRY EYES scrawled in lipstick across a mirror sets off a cat-and-mouse game that leaves you uncertain of who will win, and even less certain who you'll WANT to win.

Every writer has her (or his) own favorite "line" in a book, one that makes us stop and catch our breath at the author's sheer skill. In HUNGRY EYES, mine was this: "She felt a rush before they died when she smelled the collapse of their resolve." Only Barry Hoffman can write like that.

I highly recommend HUNGRY EYES, a book that will keep you in suspense and leave you with food for thought - and will have you cheering for the victories and mourning the defeats of both sides. A truly well-written, well-conceived, unique horror/thriller.

Rating:
Summary: Leaves one unfulfilled.
Review: Reading HUNGRY EYES is like watching your two best friends play a chess match - you want them both to win. This is because Hoffman goes beyond the "Bad Guy-Good Guy" thriller formula and gives you the motivation behind the characters' actions - the Good Guy isn't solely altruistic, and the Bad Guy just may be justifiably so. You'll come out of HUNGRY EYES with a whole new perspective of those shades of grey between good and evil.

In this novel, the interplay is between the "good" Deidre Caffrey, dogged journalist, versus her "old" adversary Shara Farris - the "Vigilante Killer", whose message NO MORE HUNGRY EYES scrawled in lipstick across a mirror sets off a cat-and-mouse game that leaves you uncertain of who will win, and even less certain who you'll WANT to win.

Every writer has her (or his) own favorite "line" in a book, one that makes us stop and catch our breath at the author's sheer skill. In HUNGRY EYES, mine was this: "She felt a rush before they died when she smelled the collapse of their resolve." Only Barry Hoffman can write like that.

I highly recommend HUNGRY EYES, a book that will keep you in suspense and leave you with food for thought - and will have you cheering for the victories and mourning the defeats of both sides. A truly well-written, well-conceived, unique horror/thriller.

Rating:
Summary: A NOVEL THAT CRACKLES WITH SUSPENSE!!!
Review: The first book in the "Eyes" series by Barry Hoffman is HUNGRY EYES. This is the story of Shara Farris (a.k.a. Renee Barrows) who was kidnapped by a neighbor, Edward Costanzo, when she was ten-years-old. Costanzo supposedly held Renee prisoner in an isolated cabin for six long days, during which time she was tortured so that the facial expressions of her torment could be photographed. When Costanzo was finally caught and Renee was freed, he ardently denied doing anything other than taking her to the cabin. He went to jail and Renee was placed with foster parents for her protection. Months later, though everything appeared to be going okay, something traumatic happened to Renee that forced her to make a vital decision regarding her life. She decided to leave her foster home by faking a suicide and then risking the dangers of living on the streets of Philadelphia as a homeless person. Everyone soon thought she was dead, and Renee felt safer than she had in years. Thirteen years have now passed, and Renee calls herself Shara Farris. The citizens of Philadelphia, however, know her as the Vigilante...a person who's been killing sexual predators left and right. There's only one person in the city, Deidre Caffrey, who actually knows the Vigilante's true identity. Deidre--a reporter who interviewed and then befriended Renee after the kidnapping--is now working for the Mayor's office and has been assigned to the Task Force that is hunting the Vigilante. When she sees the words "NO MORE HUNGRY EYES" written in lipstick on the bedroom mirror of one of the murdered predators, Deidre immediately knows whom the killer is. Though she has a hard time accepting it at first, it isn't long before she realizes that Renee is indeed alive and still haunted by the hungry eyes of the man who tortured her as a child. Deidre understands that Renee is a killer, but has no intention of turning her in. Instead, she intends on tracking Renee down and openly confronting her, hopefully before she kills again. Renee knows that Deidre is coming after her. The real question is what are Renee's intentions as she carefully lures Deidre into her tangled web by dropping clues for the ex-reporter to follow? Does our killer have a hidden agenda; and, if so, what is it? I found HUNGRY EYES to be an excellent first novel by a new author who has since proven his talent with a track record of three additional bestsellers. The story is skillfully woven with flashbacks to Renee's life as a child, her eventual kidnapping, and how Deidre first met her and developed a bond that survived the ravages of time. Both women feel an extremely strong connection to one another. Renee sees Deidre as a big sister who sincerely cares about her, and Deidre views the younger woman as someone who has never experienced love, nor been able to trust the majority of people in her life. In the creation of Renee and Deidre, Mr. Hoffman clearly demonstrates his skill and imagination at writing vivid females characters that are richly textured with complex personalities and who have suffered; yet, still manage to carry on. Not to be forgotten are the secondary characters that shine with their own uniqueness. Loretta Barrows, the mother of Renee, is realistically portrayed as a hard woman with little compassion, except for herself. The brother of Renee comes off as a real piece of slime that deserves exactly what he gets and none too soon. Jonas, Deidre's father-in-law, reminded me a lot of the actor Dennis Farina: strong, determined, realistic, and caring. The author also knows how to weave an intricately layered plot, structured with increasing levels of suspense, that quickly draws the reader in and propels him down a meandering path filled with twists and turns and subtle inclinations that something isn't quite right. This is a master craftsman at work. Barry Hoffman knows the meaning and power of the written word; but, even more so, he knows how to spin a good yarn. Not only do I look forward to reading the rest of his books, I can see that this gifted writer has a long and prosperous career ahead of him. Now, it's time to pick up a copy of EYES OF PREY and see how the rest of the series continues.

Rating:
Summary: A NOVEL THAT CRACKLES WITH SUSPENSE!!!
Review: The first book in the "Eyes" series by Barry Hoffman is HUNGRY EYES. This is the story of Shara Farris (a.k.a. Renee Barrows) who was kidnapped by a neighbor, Edward Costanzo, when she was ten-years-old. Costanzo supposedly held Renee prisoner in an isolated cabin for six long days, during which time she was tortured so that the facial expressions of her torment could be photographed. When Costanzo was finally caught and Renee was freed, he ardently denied doing anything other than taking her to the cabin. He went to jail and Renee was placed with foster parents for her protection. Months later, though everything appeared to be going okay, something traumatic happened to Renee that forced her to make a vital decision regarding her life. She decided to leave her foster home by faking a suicide and then risking the dangers of living on the streets of Philadelphia as a homeless person. Everyone soon thought she was dead, and Renee felt safer than she had in years. Thirteen years have now passed, and Renee calls herself Shara Farris. The citizens of Philadelphia, however, know her as the Vigilante...a person who's been killing sexual predators left and right. There's only one person in the city, Deidre Caffrey, who actually knows the Vigilante's true identity. Deidre--a reporter who interviewed and then befriended Renee after the kidnapping--is now working for the Mayor's office and has been assigned to the Task Force that is hunting the Vigilante. When she sees the words "NO MORE HUNGRY EYES" written in lipstick on the bedroom mirror of one of the murdered predators, Deidre immediately knows whom the killer is. Though she has a hard time accepting it at first, it isn't long before she realizes that Renee is indeed alive and still haunted by the hungry eyes of the man who tortured her as a child. Deidre understands that Renee is a killer, but has no intention of turning her in. Instead, she intends on tracking Renee down and openly confronting her, hopefully before she kills again. Renee knows that Deidre is coming after her. The real question is what are Renee's intentions as she carefully lures Deidre into her tangled web by dropping clues for the ex-reporter to follow? Does our killer have a hidden agenda; and, if so, what is it? I found HUNGRY EYES to be an excellent first novel by a new author who has since proven his talent with a track record of three additional bestsellers. The story is skillfully woven with flashbacks to Renee's life as a child, her eventual kidnapping, and how Deidre first met her and developed a bond that survived the ravages of time. Both women feel an extremely strong connection to one another. Renee sees Deidre as a big sister who sincerely cares about her, and Deidre views the younger woman as someone who has never experienced love, nor been able to trust the majority of people in her life. In the creation of Renee and Deidre, Mr. Hoffman clearly demonstrates his skill and imagination at writing vivid females characters that are richly textured with complex personalities and who have suffered; yet, still manage to carry on. Not to be forgotten are the secondary characters that shine with their own uniqueness. Loretta Barrows, the mother of Renee, is realistically portrayed as a hard woman with little compassion, except for herself. The brother of Renee comes off as a real piece of slime that deserves exactly what he gets and none too soon. Jonas, Deidre's father-in-law, reminded me a lot of the actor Dennis Farina: strong, determined, realistic, and caring. The author also knows how to weave an intricately layered plot, structured with increasing levels of suspense, that quickly draws the reader in and propels him down a meandering path filled with twists and turns and subtle inclinations that something isn't quite right. This is a master craftsman at work. Barry Hoffman knows the meaning and power of the written word; but, even more so, he knows how to spin a good yarn. Not only do I look forward to reading the rest of his books, I can see that this gifted writer has a long and prosperous career ahead of him. Now, it's time to pick up a copy of EYES OF PREY and see how the rest of the series continues.

Rating:
Summary: I was really disapppointed.
Review: The writing was good, the storyline actually started out with some suspense, even though you knew that it wasn't written in that format. The real downer to this story is the Character: Deidre Caffrey. Mr. Hoffman made her out to be a very intelligent woman, but when the clues stood out like a sore thumb (in the end - whom the Killer was actually going to kill) she missed it by a couple million miles. I thought that completely destroyed the character that he created. She should have figured it out, it was so obvious. Nevertheless, I doubt if I will read the sequel, but will look for other books by Mr. Hoffman.

Rating:
Summary: hungry eyes
Review: Very good book. Totally original concept of female/ serial killer/ victim. Barry Hoffman along with Owl Goingback are the best two new horror writers to come along in years.