Born Bad Collected Stories

From a writer whose novels have been acclaimed for their unflinching exploration of evil comes a brilliant collection of short storiessome never before publishedthat distill dread back down to its essenceand inject it straight into the reader's back brain. Andrew Vachss might have scissored his characters from today's headlines: a stalker prowling around an anonymous high-rise; a serial killer whose transgressions reflect a childhood of hideous abuse; an inner-city gunman who is willing to take out a blockful of victims in order to win a moment of acceptance. Tautly written and endowed with murderous ironic spin,Born Badplunges us into the hell that lies just outside our bedroom windows.

Andrew Vachss, an attorney in private practice specializing in juvenile justice and child abuse, is the country’s best recognized and most widely sought after spokesperson on crimes against children. He is also a bestselling novelist and short story writer, whose works include <b>Flood</b> (1985), the novel which first introduced Vachss’ series character Burke, <b>Strega</b> (1987), <b>Choice of Evil</b> (1999), and <b>Dead and Gone</b> (2000). His short stories have appeared in <i>Esquire</i>, <i>Playboy</i>, and <i>The Observer</i>, and he is a contributor to <i>ABA Journal</i>, <i>Journal of Psychohistory</i>, <i>New England Law Review</i>, <i>The New York Times</i>, and <i>Parade</i>.<br><br>Vachss has worked as a federal investigator