REVIEWING BARRY HOFFMAN'S BLOOD SACRIFICE
Barry Hoffman
2017
Next Century Publishing
This is easily Barry Hoffman’s most mature and polished
novel to date which isn’t to take anything away from his previous works by any
means. Barry has always been a champion of the minimalistic approach and with
this latest offering his talent for packing a wallop with so few words has
never been more evident. During the prologue alone we are taken on a journey
much akin to an emotional roller coaster as we are cast into the backseat of a
not yet practicing serial killer and the love of his life. Before the reader
has a chance to register what’s going on, we’re careening off the road as an invisible
passenger to bare witness to a scene which Barry orchestrates into something
that’s as poetically beautiful as it is gut wrenching. And that’s just the
first chapter.
Following the prologue, we hit the streets to join partners
in crime (literarily), Ariel and Thea as they arrive on scene to investigate
our killer’s first victim, a young runaway with an unspoken story to tell. From
here on in, it’s a gritty game of cat and mouse. Its notable cast of characters
and us, the invisible passenger, are soon questioning the limits of our
morality not to mention the many perceptions through which we view the world
around and within us.
Much like our primary characters, Blood Sacrifice represents
several layers that account for the whole. It’s a suspense novel; a thriller; a
supernatural; a crime noir. It could even lay claim to being an allegory for racial
and sexual identity or for social commentary for the derelicts of an urban
landscape. Barry also provides plenty of horrific elements as well. I’m not
embarrassed to admit that even this diehard horror fan enjoyed a few squeamish
moments of glee over some of the more brutal scenes along the way.
As the story unfolds, answers give way to far more questions.
Not only must detectives Ariel and Thea somehow
utilize nothing but crumbs of evidence to track down an elusive serial killer
with a penchant for the artistic side, they must do so while the top brass forces
their backs against the wall. A former Lieutenant with a sharp bone to pick
that goes way back wants nothing more than to take over the case and throw
Ariel’s career under a bus from which there is no return. Add to that the
prophecy-like inclusion of Thea’s “twin” who claims to have a supernatural
interest in the killer – and in Thea – and it becomes clear that a killer
preying upon the city’s discarded children are only the beginning of what’s in
store for our detectives and the wild ride they take us on.
Blood Sacrifice provides a masterful depiction of the human
condition and the psychology which is at the core of the choices we make and
the consequences of those choices. A former inner city school teacher in the
heart of Philadelphia, Barry has first hand knowledge of the darker effects of choices
and how they can shape one’s identity. The author bleeds what he knows on the
page without managing to be preachy about it by injecting just enough inner dialogue
to capture us as a fly on the wall while still leaving plenty for us to draw
our own conclusions. The effect is a relatable connection to the various points
of view we’re presented with.
Overall, the story fires on all cylinders, eventually
reaching a fevered pitch when it all comes together towards its final chapters. Blood Sacrifice is sure to leave most of you
feeling unsettled, maybe even disturbed or offended, but mostly searching for
more within the archives of Barry Hoffman.
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