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Dr. Laszlo Kreizler #2
The Angel of Darkness
In The Angel of Darkness, Caleb Carr brings back the vivid world of his bestselling The Alienist but with a this story is told by the former street urchin Stevie Taggert, whose rough life has given him wisdom beyond his years. Thus New York City, and the groundbreaking alienist Dr. Kreizler himself, are seen anew.
It is June 1897. A year has passed since Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a pioneer in forensic psychiatry, tracked down the brutal serial killer John Beecham with the help of a team of trusted companions and a revolutionary application of the principles of his discipline. Kreizler and his friends -- high-living crime reporter John Schuyler Moore; indomitable, derringer-toting Sara Howard; the brilliant (and bixkering) detective brother Marcus and Lucius Isaacson; powerful and compassionate Cyrus Montrose; and Stevie Taggert, the boy Kreizler saved from a life of street crime -- have returned to their former pursuits and tried to forget the horror of the Beecham case. But when the distraught wife of a Spanish diplomat begs Sara's aid, the team reunites to help her kidnapped infant daughter. It is a case fraught with danger, since Spain and the United States are on the verge of war. Their investigation leads the team to a shocking a woman who appears to the world to be a heroic nurse and a loving mother, but who may in reality be a ruthless murderer of childre.
Once again, Caleb Carr proves his brilliant ability to re-create the past, both high life and low. As the horror unfolds, Delmonico's still serves up wowndrous meals, and a summer trip to the elegant gambling parlors of Saratoga provides precious keys to the murderer's past. At the same time, we go on revealing journeys into Stevie's New York, a place where poor and neglected children -- then as now -- turn to crime and drugs at shockingly early ages. Peppered throughout are characters taken from real life and rendered with historical vigor, including suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton; painter Albert Pinkham Pyder; and Clarence Darrow, who thunders for the defense in a tense courtroom drama during which the sanctity of American motherhood itself is put on trial. Fast-paced and chilling, The Angel of Darkness is a tour de force, a novel of modern evil in old New York.
Caleb Carr was born in Manhattan and grew up on the Lower East Side, where he still lives. He attended Kenyon College and New York University, earning a degree in history. In addition to fiction, Mr. Carr writes frequently on military and political affairs and is contributing editor of The Quarterly Journal of Military History. His previous books include The Alienist and The Devil Soldier. He has also worked in television, film, and the theater.
It is June 1897. A year has passed since Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a pioneer in forensic psychiatry, tracked down the brutal serial killer John Beecham with the help of a team of trusted companions and a revolutionary application of the principles of his discipline. Kreizler and his friends -- high-living crime reporter John Schuyler Moore; indomitable, derringer-toting Sara Howard; the brilliant (and bixkering) detective brother Marcus and Lucius Isaacson; powerful and compassionate Cyrus Montrose; and Stevie Taggert, the boy Kreizler saved from a life of street crime -- have returned to their former pursuits and tried to forget the horror of the Beecham case. But when the distraught wife of a Spanish diplomat begs Sara's aid, the team reunites to help her kidnapped infant daughter. It is a case fraught with danger, since Spain and the United States are on the verge of war. Their investigation leads the team to a shocking a woman who appears to the world to be a heroic nurse and a loving mother, but who may in reality be a ruthless murderer of childre.
Once again, Caleb Carr proves his brilliant ability to re-create the past, both high life and low. As the horror unfolds, Delmonico's still serves up wowndrous meals, and a summer trip to the elegant gambling parlors of Saratoga provides precious keys to the murderer's past. At the same time, we go on revealing journeys into Stevie's New York, a place where poor and neglected children -- then as now -- turn to crime and drugs at shockingly early ages. Peppered throughout are characters taken from real life and rendered with historical vigor, including suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton; painter Albert Pinkham Pyder; and Clarence Darrow, who thunders for the defense in a tense courtroom drama during which the sanctity of American motherhood itself is put on trial. Fast-paced and chilling, The Angel of Darkness is a tour de force, a novel of modern evil in old New York.
Caleb Carr was born in Manhattan and grew up on the Lower East Side, where he still lives. He attended Kenyon College and New York University, earning a degree in history. In addition to fiction, Mr. Carr writes frequently on military and political affairs and is contributing editor of The Quarterly Journal of Military History. His previous books include The Alienist and The Devil Soldier. He has also worked in television, film, and the theater.
629 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
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20534 people want to read
About the author
Caleb Carr
42 books3,557 followersCaleb Carr was an American novelist and military historian. The son of Lucien Carr, a former UPI editor and a key Beat generation figure, he was born in Manhattan and lived for much of his life on the Lower East Side. He attended Kenyon College and New York University, earning a B.A. in military and diplomatic history. He was a contributing editor of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History and wrote frequently on military and political affairs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,778 reviews
March 6, 2025
Caleb Carr - from Lapham's Quarterly
If we succeed in bringing Libby Hatch to trial, it won't be just the outrage of the humble citizens in town like Ballston Spa that we'll have to deal with. No, no - all the mighty weight of this sparkling society will come crashing down on our heads, too. For it's the essence of hypocrisy, isn't it, Doctor, that it requires masks to hide behind? And the masks of the idyllic home and the sanctity of motherhood are the first and most untouchable of all.Carr is looking at the female as serial killer, in late 19th century New York City. He says that although male serial killers reap the most publicity, women are no less likely to slaughter en masse. The difference is that men tend to murder strangers, while women tend to murder children, their own, or children in their care. Society has a great problem accepting this deviation from what it considers normal, maternal instinct on the part of a woman, and hushes such incidents. Carr puts forth the notion that if society was not so over-invested in defining the role of women as necessarily maternal and nurturing, some of the gentler sex mass killers might not have become the monsters they became. It is largely because these women were unable to satisfy society's demand that they fill a particular role, that they turned to darker undertakings.
Daniel Bruhl at Laszlo Kreizler, Dakota Fanning as Sara Howard, and Luke Evans as John Moore in the Series - image from IMDB
In this tale, the cast from his smash hit novel, The Alienist, is re-united. In addition, contemporary figures such as Cady Stanton, Teddy Roosevelt and Clarence Darrow are brought in to add color and periodicity. Doctor Kreizler and his pals pursue the trail of Libby Hatch, identified as the kidnapper of the daughter of the Spanish ambassador. They discover a trail of dead babies in her historical wake and in tracking down her past, discover how truly evil she is. Kreizler, of course posits that people become that way as a result of their "social context." Stevepipe Taggart, Kreizler's young adolescent driver, is the narrator this time. Not, to my mind, very convincingly, but the story rolls along nicely despite my inability to believe for one second that the uneducated Stevie would have been up the task of constructing the tale. Carr tries to make the narrator sound like Stevie by consistently substituting "what" for "that." There is much description of the gang atmosphere of the day, the political climate, local politics, police impotence. It was a fun read. Really three and a half, but I rounded up to four.
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Check out this fun fan site for Carr's work - 17th Street
Carr, so far as I can tell, does not maintain an on-line presence.
Here is a nice brief bio of Carr on Alchetron
Carr's novel, The Alienist, was developed by TNT as a series. The first episode aired in January 2018. Season 2, based on The Angel of Darkness premiered July, 2020.
June 8, 2021
The Angel of Darkness is the follow up to The Alienist, one of my favourite historical mysteries. This novel together with the first Shardlake introduced me to this genre that I now consider them among my favourites. As you can imagine, it is hard to reach the quality of its predecessor, a standard for me.
One of the elements that impressed me in The Alienist was the excellent sense of place the writer managed to capture in his novel. New York, 1890s. The sights, the beautiful and the filth, the people, the food and the smells, I saw and felt everything. I am not the most visual reader so it happens very rarely to be transported so vividly to a different place and time. New York is still very much alive in The Angel of Darkness. However the lengthy descriptions of travels from one place to another and restaurant meals started to bore me after a while. Nothing happened without the heroes to go for lunch/dinner and we had to be told about the trip every time in detail.
If the first book was narrated by John Moore, an eccentric journalist, this time the story is told by Stevie, a former street urchin now employed by Dr. Laszlo Kreizler. Stevie was absent from many parts of the investigation and for this reason we are told by other characters about important events instead of being shown by the narrator. The difference made the plot less intense than the previous book. In addition, the mystery is not really a mystery. We find out quite early who is the perpetrator and the rest of the book is employed to gathering of evidence and also a long part is reserved for the trial. One year after the events in the 1st novel, Sarah Howard is now a private investigator for women. She has a new client, the wife of the Spanish ambassador whose daughter was kidnapped. The investigation leads to a woman who appears to be a serial killer of children and under the protection of a violent NY gang. The team comes back together to investigate the woman’s past and to discover the motives behind her actions. Since we already know who the criminal is, there isn’t much of suspense and anticipation.
I liked the way historical events and real characters were introduced in the novel. The author really does prove he knows history and he seamlessly mingles it with fiction. Too bad it did not work as well this time.
One of the elements that impressed me in The Alienist was the excellent sense of place the writer managed to capture in his novel. New York, 1890s. The sights, the beautiful and the filth, the people, the food and the smells, I saw and felt everything. I am not the most visual reader so it happens very rarely to be transported so vividly to a different place and time. New York is still very much alive in The Angel of Darkness. However the lengthy descriptions of travels from one place to another and restaurant meals started to bore me after a while. Nothing happened without the heroes to go for lunch/dinner and we had to be told about the trip every time in detail.
If the first book was narrated by John Moore, an eccentric journalist, this time the story is told by Stevie, a former street urchin now employed by Dr. Laszlo Kreizler. Stevie was absent from many parts of the investigation and for this reason we are told by other characters about important events instead of being shown by the narrator. The difference made the plot less intense than the previous book. In addition, the mystery is not really a mystery. We find out quite early who is the perpetrator and the rest of the book is employed to gathering of evidence and also a long part is reserved for the trial. One year after the events in the 1st novel, Sarah Howard is now a private investigator for women. She has a new client, the wife of the Spanish ambassador whose daughter was kidnapped. The investigation leads to a woman who appears to be a serial killer of children and under the protection of a violent NY gang. The team comes back together to investigate the woman’s past and to discover the motives behind her actions. Since we already know who the criminal is, there isn’t much of suspense and anticipation.
I liked the way historical events and real characters were introduced in the novel. The author really does prove he knows history and he seamlessly mingles it with fiction. Too bad it did not work as well this time.
January 28, 2018
All those who read and loved Caleb Carr's "The Alienist" were ecstatic to once again take a carriage ride over the cobblestone streets of Old New York as a mystery is solved. This one involves the kidnapping of a woman's child which becomes a race against time when Dr. Lazlo Kreizler uses psychiatry to paint a portrait of a very dangerous woman.
Stevie tells the story this time rather than Moore, as our group of friends use Dr. Kreizler's revolutionary methods to solve this mystery. He is a pioneering Alienist, and together with John Moore, Sara Howard, the Isaacsons and Kreizler's servant, Cyrus, a riveting and at times edge-of-your-seat adventure springs forth.
Carr is so good that before you realize it you are in Old New York at the turn of the century, and so in-love with these people that you hate to leave them for sleep or work. The author does for Old New York and psychiatry what John Dunning did for old books in his Cliff Janeway series. Even at a hefty 600 pages your interest never lags, as is the case with all great books. When that last page is turned you will do so reluctantly, sad that such a great book has ended.
The characters Carr creates are all too human and real, as is the time period. There are moments of action and suspense that keep you turning pages as quickly as you can read. The historical figures are not just thrown in to evoke the time period as some writers of historical fiction do. Carr makes them come alive, just as he did with Dr. Kreizler's friend Theodore Roosevelt in "The Alienist." The solving of the prior Beechum case came at a great personal price to Dr. Kreizler, and in "The Angel of Darkness" Stevie will grow up and face tragedy of his own.
Perhaps this isn't quite as riveting or as freely-flowing as the The Alienist, as noted by others, but since we only have the two, it seems hardly fair to knock off a star for what the book isn't, rather than celebrating how good it is. I truly believe, if The Alienist did not exist, and expectations based on that so high, this one would be viewed in an entirely more favorable light by readers.
Return to Delmonico's where great food is still served and your old friends John, Sara, Stevie and Cyrus are planning their next move against a kidnapper and a murderer of children in Old New York. It is one trip where the journey itself is time well-spent.
Stevie tells the story this time rather than Moore, as our group of friends use Dr. Kreizler's revolutionary methods to solve this mystery. He is a pioneering Alienist, and together with John Moore, Sara Howard, the Isaacsons and Kreizler's servant, Cyrus, a riveting and at times edge-of-your-seat adventure springs forth.
Carr is so good that before you realize it you are in Old New York at the turn of the century, and so in-love with these people that you hate to leave them for sleep or work. The author does for Old New York and psychiatry what John Dunning did for old books in his Cliff Janeway series. Even at a hefty 600 pages your interest never lags, as is the case with all great books. When that last page is turned you will do so reluctantly, sad that such a great book has ended.
The characters Carr creates are all too human and real, as is the time period. There are moments of action and suspense that keep you turning pages as quickly as you can read. The historical figures are not just thrown in to evoke the time period as some writers of historical fiction do. Carr makes them come alive, just as he did with Dr. Kreizler's friend Theodore Roosevelt in "The Alienist." The solving of the prior Beechum case came at a great personal price to Dr. Kreizler, and in "The Angel of Darkness" Stevie will grow up and face tragedy of his own.
Perhaps this isn't quite as riveting or as freely-flowing as the The Alienist, as noted by others, but since we only have the two, it seems hardly fair to knock off a star for what the book isn't, rather than celebrating how good it is. I truly believe, if The Alienist did not exist, and expectations based on that so high, this one would be viewed in an entirely more favorable light by readers.
Return to Delmonico's where great food is still served and your old friends John, Sara, Stevie and Cyrus are planning their next move against a kidnapper and a murderer of children in Old New York. It is one trip where the journey itself is time well-spent.
June 8, 2023
I absolutely enjoyed the Netflix series The Alienist and wanted to know more details. Wasn't disappointed with this massive novel told in the way of a sensational novel of the 19th century. You'll find a different character telling the story but everything's pretty similar to the TV show. The novel is a bit more realistic and gives more background on how the team of the main characters works together. Great reading. A dark, compelling thriller of eerie child abduction in New York. To me it was like watching the series with added material inside. Highly recommended!
June 24, 2024
I loved Carr's The Alienist which is the prequel to Angel of Darkness... and if possible, I loved this installment even more.
What a literate mystery with just enough suspense to carry you through the in-depth discussion of late 19th-century forensics and psychology.
Recommended for those who love a lot of historical detail with their mysteries!
(Reviewed 7/33/09)
What a literate mystery with just enough suspense to carry you through the in-depth discussion of late 19th-century forensics and psychology.
Recommended for those who love a lot of historical detail with their mysteries!
(Reviewed 7/33/09)
May 9, 2023
Rough and tumble late nineteenth century New York!
In THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS, Caleb Carr returns his readers to the atmospheric, intriguing, rough and tumble world of late nineteenth century New York. The story is told through the eyes of Stevie Taggert, a former young thug rescued from a miserable life and almost certain early death as a street kid already up to his eyes in street crime and drugs by his guardian, Dr Laszlo Kreizler, the famous psychiatrist first introduced to us in THE ALIENIST.
During the politically troubled era preceding the onset of the Spanish-American War, the wife of a Spanish diplomat, whose baby has been kidnapped, frantically appeals to Sara Howard, a private detective and proud feminist who specializes in helping troubled women, for help to rescue the child before it is murdered. Sara in turn appeals to her friend, Dr Kreizler and their colleagues for their assistance in this most puzzling case - Stevie Taggert, Cyrus Montrose, Kreizler's faithful man-servant, Jonathan Moore, crime reporter for the New York Times, and Lucius and Marcus Isaacson, the brilliant yet comedic Jewish twin brothers hired as NYPD detectives by Teddy Roosevelt when he was chief of the force. When the kidnapper's identity is discovered relatively early, the tale changes from a whodunit into that more modern complicated breed of thriller that explores the "why" of the crime!
As the story is told completely through Stevie's eyes, the reader is treated to a wonderfully smooth, linear narration that is both complete and straightforward to follow from the plotting point of view. But that simple statement belies the scope and depth of this wonderful story that includes discussions of the birth of modern feminism, the ravages of cocaine and drug addiction, the growing use of modern crime-fighting tools - forensics, psychological profiling, fingerprinting, ballistics, microscopic matching of hair and fiber samples - and the psychology of that most puzzling and disturbing of criminals, the female serial killer!
For good measure, Carr also treats his readers to appearances of real-life historical figures that are substantially more than tossed off cameos - Theodore Roosevelt as pro tem head of the US Navy prior to his election as president leads a group of feisty sailors in a brawl against a brutal street gang; Clarence Darrow is observed in a thrilling courtroom drama establishing his reputation as one of the most brilliant defense lawyers that the US has ever seen and Elizabeth Cady Stanton whose early musings formed a substantial part of the basis of modern feminism is called upon as a critical witness for the defense.
Four stars and two thumbs up. Lovers of historical fiction will thoroughly enjoy THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS and cross their fingers that Carr will deliver on the rumour that there are more "alienist" novels in the works to be narrated by some of the other members of the team.
Paul Weiss
In THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS, Caleb Carr returns his readers to the atmospheric, intriguing, rough and tumble world of late nineteenth century New York. The story is told through the eyes of Stevie Taggert, a former young thug rescued from a miserable life and almost certain early death as a street kid already up to his eyes in street crime and drugs by his guardian, Dr Laszlo Kreizler, the famous psychiatrist first introduced to us in THE ALIENIST.
During the politically troubled era preceding the onset of the Spanish-American War, the wife of a Spanish diplomat, whose baby has been kidnapped, frantically appeals to Sara Howard, a private detective and proud feminist who specializes in helping troubled women, for help to rescue the child before it is murdered. Sara in turn appeals to her friend, Dr Kreizler and their colleagues for their assistance in this most puzzling case - Stevie Taggert, Cyrus Montrose, Kreizler's faithful man-servant, Jonathan Moore, crime reporter for the New York Times, and Lucius and Marcus Isaacson, the brilliant yet comedic Jewish twin brothers hired as NYPD detectives by Teddy Roosevelt when he was chief of the force. When the kidnapper's identity is discovered relatively early, the tale changes from a whodunit into that more modern complicated breed of thriller that explores the "why" of the crime!
As the story is told completely through Stevie's eyes, the reader is treated to a wonderfully smooth, linear narration that is both complete and straightforward to follow from the plotting point of view. But that simple statement belies the scope and depth of this wonderful story that includes discussions of the birth of modern feminism, the ravages of cocaine and drug addiction, the growing use of modern crime-fighting tools - forensics, psychological profiling, fingerprinting, ballistics, microscopic matching of hair and fiber samples - and the psychology of that most puzzling and disturbing of criminals, the female serial killer!
For good measure, Carr also treats his readers to appearances of real-life historical figures that are substantially more than tossed off cameos - Theodore Roosevelt as pro tem head of the US Navy prior to his election as president leads a group of feisty sailors in a brawl against a brutal street gang; Clarence Darrow is observed in a thrilling courtroom drama establishing his reputation as one of the most brilliant defense lawyers that the US has ever seen and Elizabeth Cady Stanton whose early musings formed a substantial part of the basis of modern feminism is called upon as a critical witness for the defense.
Four stars and two thumbs up. Lovers of historical fiction will thoroughly enjoy THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS and cross their fingers that Carr will deliver on the rumour that there are more "alienist" novels in the works to be narrated by some of the other members of the team.
Paul Weiss
September 30, 2022
“Fear’s nothing but common sense sometimes.”
THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS is a follow-up to Mr. Carr’s novel THE ALIENIST, which I read a few years ago. I did not have particularly strong feelings for that book. I read it, it was okay, moving on. I had exactly the same experience with this text (Although I think THE ALIENIST is a better book). I was not bored by it, it held my attention, I never dreaded picking it up, yet when I was done with it I was glad to be moving on.
The main problem with this book is that it has too many words. Coming in at 629 pages, I don’t feel the story warranted the length. Yet, I think all the words are why those who love this writer are his fans.
This text features cameo appearances by historical figures Clarence Darrow, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Teddy Roosevelt. They are plopped in to help create the period authenticity (the novel is set in 1897). It is a nice touch, it works. As in this novel’s predecessor, a great strength of the text is its sense of period and place.
There is also a lot of foreshadowing in this book. It gets a little heavy handed from time to time, but for the most part it is deftly employed. And in a book of 600 plus pages, you need a little foreshadowing!
Quotes:
• “…there’s plenty of stories that need telling what never get told, just because people can’t bear the listening.”
• “There’s times when those of us born with what you might call wise mouths just can’t control them.”
• “But hoping was a step up from worrying.”
• “But then, one can be as foolish unconsciously as consciously, eh?”
• “If things go on like this, we’ll find ourselves in some shadow world, where lawyers use the ignorance of the average citizen to manipulate justice the way priests did in the Middle Ages.”
• “…the kind of healing magic that only children can bring.”
• “I think a baby’s hand is the most beautiful thing in the world.”
• “But it never stopped him from working, from pressing ahead, and it’s that ability-to work through the self-doubts what any worthwhile human being feels- that is, so far as I can tell, the only thing what separates a meaningful life from a useless one.”
Looking at some of the above quotes, I think they demonstrate my main quibble with this text…the noneconomic use of words.
All in all, THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS is a decent book in the gothic thriller tradition. I liked it, but as it is not better than the first book in the series, if there is a third I don’t see myself reading it.
THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS is a follow-up to Mr. Carr’s novel THE ALIENIST, which I read a few years ago. I did not have particularly strong feelings for that book. I read it, it was okay, moving on. I had exactly the same experience with this text (Although I think THE ALIENIST is a better book). I was not bored by it, it held my attention, I never dreaded picking it up, yet when I was done with it I was glad to be moving on.
The main problem with this book is that it has too many words. Coming in at 629 pages, I don’t feel the story warranted the length. Yet, I think all the words are why those who love this writer are his fans.
This text features cameo appearances by historical figures Clarence Darrow, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Teddy Roosevelt. They are plopped in to help create the period authenticity (the novel is set in 1897). It is a nice touch, it works. As in this novel’s predecessor, a great strength of the text is its sense of period and place.
There is also a lot of foreshadowing in this book. It gets a little heavy handed from time to time, but for the most part it is deftly employed. And in a book of 600 plus pages, you need a little foreshadowing!
Quotes:
• “…there’s plenty of stories that need telling what never get told, just because people can’t bear the listening.”
• “There’s times when those of us born with what you might call wise mouths just can’t control them.”
• “But hoping was a step up from worrying.”
• “But then, one can be as foolish unconsciously as consciously, eh?”
• “If things go on like this, we’ll find ourselves in some shadow world, where lawyers use the ignorance of the average citizen to manipulate justice the way priests did in the Middle Ages.”
• “…the kind of healing magic that only children can bring.”
• “I think a baby’s hand is the most beautiful thing in the world.”
• “But it never stopped him from working, from pressing ahead, and it’s that ability-to work through the self-doubts what any worthwhile human being feels- that is, so far as I can tell, the only thing what separates a meaningful life from a useless one.”
Looking at some of the above quotes, I think they demonstrate my main quibble with this text…the noneconomic use of words.
All in all, THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS is a decent book in the gothic thriller tradition. I liked it, but as it is not better than the first book in the series, if there is a third I don’t see myself reading it.
March 24, 2017
Nowhere near as good as Carr's first effort - The Alienist. This just seemed like a bad clone of that book where Carr was trying to incorporate the same elements. Unfortunately the story wasn't as good and it felt forced. It has all the same characters that you loved in The Alienist but for some reason it just didn't make me swoon the way its predecessor did. Do yourself a favor and stop with The Alienist. This one was just unnecessary.
September 3, 2023
Also read a long time ago, shortly after it was released. Being told from Stevie's perspective made it all the more interesting. There were some genuinely chilling moments in the story-telling. Like its predecessor, it left an emotional impact that has not left me.
September 3, 2008
I remember thinking this book was incredible the first time around. Now, 6 years later, all I could think about was how ridiculous the narration was. You can't be all like, "I'm Stevie Taggert which means I'm all about turn of the century New York street patois even though my diction is actually really elevated and the only difference between my speaking style and that of John Moore, a Harvard-educated New York Times reporter from a high society family, is that I say "what" instead of "that" but I don't even do that all the time anyway."
Also, the villain wasn't interesting and nothing really happened. All the reviews I've read said that Carr had written another historical thriller on the same level as the Alienist but that's complete bullshit. I wouldn't even rate this book so lowly if it wasn't by the same guy. It's disappointing to read this kind of crap from someone you know can actually write.
Also, the villain wasn't interesting and nothing really happened. All the reviews I've read said that Carr had written another historical thriller on the same level as the Alienist but that's complete bullshit. I wouldn't even rate this book so lowly if it wasn't by the same guy. It's disappointing to read this kind of crap from someone you know can actually write.
May 20, 2020
Нью-Йорк, 1897 год. Недалеко от Метрополитен-музея неизвестный(-ая?) оглушает жену испанского дипломата и похищает ее малолетнюю дочь. Через несколько дней безутешная мать видит ребёнка на руках у чужой женщины в подземке, но ее собственный муж почему-то категорически запрещает ей обращаться в полицию, для особой убедительности подкрепив свою просьбу несколькими мощными ударами по голове. Матери ничего не остаётся, как обратиться к частному детективу, которая и приведёт ее к доктору Ласло Крайцлеру, знатоку преступлений и человеческих душ.
Это не книга, а восторг, особенно если вы любите процедуралы. Описаны все стадии дела: преступление, поиск подозреваемого, сбор улик, опрос свидетелей, арест, слушание, наказание. Слушала ее взахлёб, все время было интересно. (У меня есть некоторая претензия к deus ex machina в финале, ну да ладно).
Более того, роман будто бы написали вместе Конан Дойл и Диккенс — автор повсеместно кланяется то одному, то другому, а читатель с улыбкой узнавания спешит узнать, что было с героями дальше; последний раз такое удовольствие было от «Артура и Джорджа» Джулиана Барнса.
Потрясающая динамичная и мрачно-прекрасная ретро-атмосфера, добрый и храбрый юный рассказчик Стиви, расследования и приключения, никакой расчлененки, никакой вульгарщины, в общем, 752 страницы счастья.
Посвящается всем тем, кто считает, что призвание каждой женщины — варить борщ, быть женой и матерью. Некоторым это вполне подходит, а вот других уже пять минут материнства может утомить (тут я вспомнила случай корпулентной барменши из книги «Неестественные причины», привет тем, кто читал).
Планирую теперь перечитать «Алиениста», первую часть цикла, и — о, радость! — гудридз сообщает, что на сентябрь 2022 года запланирован выход третьего романа. Уже жду!
Это не книга, а восторг, особенно если вы любите процедуралы. Описаны все стадии дела: преступление, поиск подозреваемого, сбор улик, опрос свидетелей, арест, слушание, наказание. Слушала ее взахлёб, все время было интересно. (У меня есть некоторая претензия к deus ex machina в финале, ну да ладно).
Более того, роман будто бы написали вместе Конан Дойл и Диккенс — автор повсеместно кланяется то одному, то другому, а читатель с улыбкой узнавания спешит узнать, что было с героями дальше; последний раз такое удовольствие было от «Артура и Джорджа» Джулиана Барнса.
Потрясающая динамичная и мрачно-прекрасная ретро-атмосфера, добрый и храбрый юный рассказчик Стиви, расследования и приключения, никакой расчлененки, никакой вульгарщины, в общем, 752 страницы счастья.
Посвящается всем тем, кто считает, что призвание каждой женщины — варить борщ, быть женой и матерью. Некоторым это вполне подходит, а вот других уже пять минут материнства может утомить (тут я вспомнила случай корпулентной барменши из книги «Неестественные причины», привет тем, кто читал).
Планирую теперь перечитать «Алиениста», первую часть цикла, и — о, радость! — гудридз сообщает, что на сентябрь 2022 года запланирован выход третьего романа. Уже жду!
March 15, 2015
Description: In The Angel of Darkness, Caleb Carr brings back the vivid world of his bestselling The Alienist but with a twist: this story is told by the former street urchin Stevie Taggert, whose rough life has given him wisdom beyond his years. Thus New York City, and the groundbreaking alienist Dr. Kreizler himself, are seen anew.
It is June 1897. A year has passed since Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a pioneer in forensic psychiatry, tracked down the brutal serial killer John Beecham with the help of a team of trusted companions and a revolutionary application of the principles of his discipline. Kreizler and his friends--high-living crime reporter John Schuyler Moore; indomitable, derringer-toting Sara Howard; the brilliant (and bickering) detective brothers Marcus and Lucius Isaacson; powerful and compassionate Cyrus Montrose; and Stevie Taggert, the boy Kreizler saved from a life of street crime--have returned to their former pursuits and tried to forget the horror of the Beecham case. But when the distraught wife of a Spanish diplomat begs Sara's aid, the team reunites to help find her kidnapped infant daughter. It is a case fraught with danger, since Spain and the United States are on the verge of war.
Once again, Caleb Carr proves his brilliant ability to re-create the past, both high life and low. As the horror unfolds, Delmonico's still serves up wondrous meals, and a summer trip to the elegant gambling parlors of Saratoga provides precious keys to the murderer's past. At the same time, we go on revealing journeys into Stevie's New York, a place where poor and neglected children--then as now--turn to crime and drugs at shockingly early ages. Peppered throughout are characters taken from real life and rendered with historical vigor, including suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton; painter Albert Pinkham Ryder; and Clarence Darrow, who thunders for the defense in a tense courtroom drama during which the sanctity of American motherhood itself is put on trial. Fast-paced and chilling, The Angel of Darkness is a tour de force, a novel of modern evil in old New York.
June 19th 1919
There's likely some polished way of starting a story like this, a clever bit of gaming that'd sucker people in surer than the best banco feeler in town.
A juicy, fat weekend read. Light in touch, grim in storyline.
3.5* rounded up because it kept me glued.
4* The Alienist
3.5* The Angel of Darkness
1* Killing Time
It is June 1897. A year has passed since Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a pioneer in forensic psychiatry, tracked down the brutal serial killer John Beecham with the help of a team of trusted companions and a revolutionary application of the principles of his discipline. Kreizler and his friends--high-living crime reporter John Schuyler Moore; indomitable, derringer-toting Sara Howard; the brilliant (and bickering) detective brothers Marcus and Lucius Isaacson; powerful and compassionate Cyrus Montrose; and Stevie Taggert, the boy Kreizler saved from a life of street crime--have returned to their former pursuits and tried to forget the horror of the Beecham case. But when the distraught wife of a Spanish diplomat begs Sara's aid, the team reunites to help find her kidnapped infant daughter. It is a case fraught with danger, since Spain and the United States are on the verge of war.
Once again, Caleb Carr proves his brilliant ability to re-create the past, both high life and low. As the horror unfolds, Delmonico's still serves up wondrous meals, and a summer trip to the elegant gambling parlors of Saratoga provides precious keys to the murderer's past. At the same time, we go on revealing journeys into Stevie's New York, a place where poor and neglected children--then as now--turn to crime and drugs at shockingly early ages. Peppered throughout are characters taken from real life and rendered with historical vigor, including suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton; painter Albert Pinkham Ryder; and Clarence Darrow, who thunders for the defense in a tense courtroom drama during which the sanctity of American motherhood itself is put on trial. Fast-paced and chilling, The Angel of Darkness is a tour de force, a novel of modern evil in old New York.
June 19th 1919
There's likely some polished way of starting a story like this, a clever bit of gaming that'd sucker people in surer than the best banco feeler in town.
A juicy, fat weekend read. Light in touch, grim in storyline.
3.5* rounded up because it kept me glued.
4* The Alienist
3.5* The Angel of Darkness
1* Killing Time
December 14, 2018
El alienista, la primera de las novelas protagonizadas por el psicólogo Laszlo Kreizler, me pareció muy entretenida, plantea un tema atrayente, la ambientación en el Nueva York de finales del s. XIX es atractiva, y la mezcla de personajes reales e imaginarios resulta interesante.
De esta, El ángel de la oscuridad, esperaba lo mismo y me ha decepcionado mucho. El misterio comienza con el rapto de la hija de 14 meses del señor Linares, secretario del cónsul español. El padre, poco afligido, en una de las numerosas reacciones incomprensibles de los personajes de esta historia, prefiere que no se investigue, no vaya a ser que el suceso afecte a las ya maltrechas relaciones entre Estados Unidos y España a causa de la Guerra de Cuba. Será la madre la que ponga en conocimiento de nuestros protagonistas el secuestro.
El narrador es ahora el joven ayudante de Kreizler, Stevie Target, que ya adulto rememora los hechos. En palabras del señor Moore –narrador de la primera novela– el manuscrito, cualquiera que fuese el espíritu de la narrativa, quedaba lamentablemente deslucido por una vergonzosa carencia de estilo. Y el señor Moore tiene toda la razón.
Los protagonistas no parecen los mismos que los del libro anterior, y los diálogos son artificiales. Pero lo que menos me ha gustado es la mezcla entre realidad y ficción, mal llevada, incluso ridícula en ocasiones (mención especial a la aparición de Roosevelt), un batiburrillo de personajes reales que el autor quiso meter en la novela sí o sí, pero que no sirven a la trama: el retrato de Cecilia Beaux, el casino de Richard Canfield en Saratoga Springs, las bandas neoyorquinas, Cornelius Vanderbilt, los rebeldes cubanos, Clarence Darrow, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Candy Stanton, J.P. Morgan... metidos con calzador, no hay en ningún momento esa sensación de duda de qué personajes son reales y cuáles no. Los reales molestan y están señalados con luces de neón.
De esta, El ángel de la oscuridad, esperaba lo mismo y me ha decepcionado mucho. El misterio comienza con el rapto de la hija de 14 meses del señor Linares, secretario del cónsul español. El padre, poco afligido, en una de las numerosas reacciones incomprensibles de los personajes de esta historia, prefiere que no se investigue, no vaya a ser que el suceso afecte a las ya maltrechas relaciones entre Estados Unidos y España a causa de la Guerra de Cuba. Será la madre la que ponga en conocimiento de nuestros protagonistas el secuestro.
El narrador es ahora el joven ayudante de Kreizler, Stevie Target, que ya adulto rememora los hechos. En palabras del señor Moore –narrador de la primera novela– el manuscrito, cualquiera que fuese el espíritu de la narrativa, quedaba lamentablemente deslucido por una vergonzosa carencia de estilo. Y el señor Moore tiene toda la razón.
Los protagonistas no parecen los mismos que los del libro anterior, y los diálogos son artificiales. Pero lo que menos me ha gustado es la mezcla entre realidad y ficción, mal llevada, incluso ridícula en ocasiones (mención especial a la aparición de Roosevelt), un batiburrillo de personajes reales que el autor quiso meter en la novela sí o sí, pero que no sirven a la trama: el retrato de Cecilia Beaux, el casino de Richard Canfield en Saratoga Springs, las bandas neoyorquinas, Cornelius Vanderbilt, los rebeldes cubanos, Clarence Darrow, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Candy Stanton, J.P. Morgan... metidos con calzador, no hay en ningún momento esa sensación de duda de qué personajes son reales y cuáles no. Los reales molestan y están señalados con luces de neón.
September 18, 2021
Excellent story! It is a real pleasure to meet the team again, Dr Kreizler, Mr Moore and miss Howard, Cyrus, Marcus, Lucius and Stevie. The book starts with the kidnapping of a baby. And not any baby, the Spanish dignitary. It's not going to be an easy case.
I love the author style, the book is well written and the characters are great.
I love the author style, the book is well written and the characters are great.
August 16, 2011
It took me two years after I read The Alienist to pick up its sequel. It was a challenge that prompted me to read this gargantuan. But it was the challenge that gave me a chance to reacquaint myself with some of my favorite characters.
Unlike The Alienist, which was told in Charles Schuyler Moore’s point of view; The Angel of Darkness was told by the former street urchin, Stevie Taggert, ward of renowned alienist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler. It was narrated in a lighter, fresher and a more witty tone. In spite the fact that this involves him more personally than the previous case.
What seemed to be a case of political child abduction turned out to be a serial killing. Carr did a very good job in giving this sequel the proper twist. Gradually, the story tackles the thought-provoking perceptions on mothers and women in general. Finding the criminal was only a third of the story, the rest was the challenge of putting the criminal into justice - a slow painful methodical procedure was essential every step of the way.
Yes, there are plenty of distressful historical materials, being a Carr book. The story was a process, but it was never boring. Plowing through was like reading a very long letter from a dear friend. Each detail wonderfully adds understanding to every character and builds the plot. I adore this lot, and to them I will have to add the Aeta El Niño, an aboriginal from my country. I salute Carr for writing the first decent character of a Filipino in fiction that I have read so far.
There are two amazing characteristics of this series that I love most since The Alienist. First was the application of forensic science in its infancy. It was fascinating to witness the Isaacson brothers during their practice. The second was the seamless integration of historical figures into the story. Here, Carr did not limit himself with Theodore Roosevelt; there were cameo roles by Clarence Darrow, Cornelius Vanderbilt II, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Cecilia Beaux. Everyone was nicely blended in, it was delicious.
In closing, let me simply say that this book was enjoyable. It might have taken me quite a time to read it, but I don’t regret it. I’ll be one of the many readers who’ll be hoping and waiting for the next book.
You may also find this review here.
Unlike The Alienist, which was told in Charles Schuyler Moore’s point of view; The Angel of Darkness was told by the former street urchin, Stevie Taggert, ward of renowned alienist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler. It was narrated in a lighter, fresher and a more witty tone. In spite the fact that this involves him more personally than the previous case.
“There's nothing truly natural or unnatural under the sun.”
What seemed to be a case of political child abduction turned out to be a serial killing. Carr did a very good job in giving this sequel the proper twist. Gradually, the story tackles the thought-provoking perceptions on mothers and women in general. Finding the criminal was only a third of the story, the rest was the challenge of putting the criminal into justice - a slow painful methodical procedure was essential every step of the way.
“The normal, ordinary woman is defined as nurturing and loving, docile and compliant. Any female who defies that categorization must be so completely evil that she’s got to be feared, feared even more than the average criminal—she’s got to be invested with the powers of the Devil himself.”
Yes, there are plenty of distressful historical materials, being a Carr book. The story was a process, but it was never boring. Plowing through was like reading a very long letter from a dear friend. Each detail wonderfully adds understanding to every character and builds the plot. I adore this lot, and to them I will have to add the Aeta El Niño, an aboriginal from my country. I salute Carr for writing the first decent character of a Filipino in fiction that I have read so far.
There are two amazing characteristics of this series that I love most since The Alienist. First was the application of forensic science in its infancy. It was fascinating to witness the Isaacson brothers during their practice. The second was the seamless integration of historical figures into the story. Here, Carr did not limit himself with Theodore Roosevelt; there were cameo roles by Clarence Darrow, Cornelius Vanderbilt II, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Cecilia Beaux. Everyone was nicely blended in, it was delicious.
In closing, let me simply say that this book was enjoyable. It might have taken me quite a time to read it, but I don’t regret it. I’ll be one of the many readers who’ll be hoping and waiting for the next book.
You may also find this review here.
June 3, 2010
I've always had a personal law that requires I finish any book I start. Lately, I've been reconsidering. It all started when I tried to read The Devil Wears Prada and was forced to throw it out the window in horror and disgust after 25 pages. That's when I realized I needed to amend the law to specify that I don't have to finish books so poorly written that I end up holding them out away from myself with two fingers while cringing as if they reek of garbage while I read. This allowed me to leave a few Costco bestsellers from my mom's pile out on the stoop for passersby with lower standards of literature, without going past that 25 page mark. It's like my life is my own again!
I'm about 25 pages into The Angel of Darkness here. The writing doesn't suck so much as the whole ye olden days o' yore olde timey detective situation. This may have titillated my paternal grandmother a bit. She was known to turn down "curiously strong" peppermints, worried about their effects. Alas she died in 1996 and frankly, wasn't much of a reader when she was alive either. Anyway, I've got better things to do. My one word summary of this book is this: yawnsters.
I'm about 25 pages into The Angel of Darkness here. The writing doesn't suck so much as the whole ye olden days o' yore olde timey detective situation. This may have titillated my paternal grandmother a bit. She was known to turn down "curiously strong" peppermints, worried about their effects. Alas she died in 1996 and frankly, wasn't much of a reader when she was alive either. Anyway, I've got better things to do. My one word summary of this book is this: yawnsters.
October 14, 2020
Not as good as the first one, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable! This book takes you on a detailed exploration of a female serial killer's mind, delving deeper into her psyche to assess the reasons that converted an otherwise nurturing woman capable of love into the angel of darkness. The plot is sensational and thrilling, the writing is gripping and the criminal is more cunning and smarter than the one in the first book. A perfect mix for a good book!
The best part of the book is the reasoning that women, just like men, are capable of heinous crimes, when forced into similar situations. Women can be killers too - merciless killers, they could plan a kill with no loop-holes just as smartly as men. A lot of this book is about discovering the power of the female mind and equating it with the male. I found myself invested in this concept because not a lot of books, or even cinema, care to show women in a shadowy-darker area; they are projected as villains, sure! but not as monstrous people killing children and justifying the same because the weaker sex can only nurture, love and forgive, nothing more! Or yes, they could be sexy vamps plotting against other women to earn the love of a man, obviously! But this book is so much more!
Not to forget, the court trial is intense and well represented! Also, the writer does complete justice to the historical figures he has brought back from their graves to play pivotal roles in the book- big names like Clarence Darrow, Cady Stanton & Theodore Roosevelt and pioneer artists like Albert Pinkham Ryder, Cecilia Beaux. Made me spend a lot of time on Wiki but hey, no regrets! :)
The reason I don't rate this 5/5 is my dissatisfaction with the climax and the lame description plus insensitive handling of an Asian tribe. Caleb Carr, you can do better!
3.75/5🌟 (rounding up).
The best part of the book is the reasoning that women, just like men, are capable of heinous crimes, when forced into similar situations. Women can be killers too - merciless killers, they could plan a kill with no loop-holes just as smartly as men. A lot of this book is about discovering the power of the female mind and equating it with the male. I found myself invested in this concept because not a lot of books, or even cinema, care to show women in a shadowy-darker area; they are projected as villains, sure! but not as monstrous people killing children and justifying the same because the weaker sex can only nurture, love and forgive, nothing more! Or yes, they could be sexy vamps plotting against other women to earn the love of a man, obviously! But this book is so much more!
Not to forget, the court trial is intense and well represented! Also, the writer does complete justice to the historical figures he has brought back from their graves to play pivotal roles in the book- big names like Clarence Darrow, Cady Stanton & Theodore Roosevelt and pioneer artists like Albert Pinkham Ryder, Cecilia Beaux. Made me spend a lot of time on Wiki but hey, no regrets! :)
The reason I don't rate this 5/5 is my dissatisfaction with the climax and the lame description plus insensitive handling of an Asian tribe. Caleb Carr, you can do better!
3.75/5🌟 (rounding up).
July 5, 2008
I really enjoyed The Alienist, the first book by Caleb Carr about Dr. Laszlo Kreizler and his "colleagues". When I finished that story, I was very curious for more details. Angel of Darkness picks up soon after the previous case, and the action begins almost immediately. This story is narrated by the teenage Stevie Taggert, the street kid that Dr. Kriezler has taken in, and saved from a life of crime. A Spanish diplomat's child is kidnapped in public, and the mother sees her daughter a few days later on a train. She is not able to confront the woman, and soon enlists the services of Sarah Howard, who has started an investigation service. In a short amount of time, Sarah reassumbles the group and they pinpoint the suspect as Elsbeth Hunter. Yet, the deeper they dig into the woman's past, the more they discover of the hideousness nature of her crimes. With her many aliases, Elsbeth has traveled around New York kidnapping, and killing children.
Like the previous book, there were some cameos with great historical figures. Teddy Roosevelt makes a special appearance, this time as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Another historical figure that plays a small part in the story is Clarence Darrow (pre-Monkey Trial) when he defends Mrs. Hunter (or Hatch, or Frasier, Franklin... whichever name she decides to use!).
Carr is a gifted storyteller, and his books are hard to put down. I love the glimpses of early 20th century New York life. Stevie's narration of the story was a nice touch, and I appreciated seeing it from his vantage point. Other readers have said that this does not compare to The Alienist, but personally I thought it was a very good follow-up.
Like the previous book, there were some cameos with great historical figures. Teddy Roosevelt makes a special appearance, this time as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Another historical figure that plays a small part in the story is Clarence Darrow (pre-Monkey Trial) when he defends Mrs. Hunter (or Hatch, or Frasier, Franklin... whichever name she decides to use!).
Carr is a gifted storyteller, and his books are hard to put down. I love the glimpses of early 20th century New York life. Stevie's narration of the story was a nice touch, and I appreciated seeing it from his vantage point. Other readers have said that this does not compare to The Alienist, but personally I thought it was a very good follow-up.
August 3, 2007
This is one the worst books that I've actually read all the way through...though I'm not sure why I even bothered. The author's point is that if you really believe in women's equality, you have to believe that women are as capable of evil as men. I don't disagree, but I do have some problems with the way the author attempted to prove this idea, which I think he considers more controversial than it really is. First of all, the characters in the novel who espouse the author's view are preachy, preachy, preachy. Or maybe he (Carr) just has the doctor character repeat the point so many times because he doesn't trust the readers to get it if it isn't spelled out over and over. Second, the female character who supposedly demonstrates how women can do bad things is so inconsistent! I don't remember all the specifics (and trust me, I wish I remembered even less about this book), but it's something like she kidnaps babies to make herself appear like a respectable mother...but then if she's so interested in appearing to conform to society's expectations of women, why is she openly living in sin with a mob boss? Also, another annoyance I had with the book was the frequent introduction of historic persons from the era as fictionalized characters. Let's see if I can remember all the dead celebrities who made cameos: Teddy Roosevelt, Jim Brady, Clarence Darrow, Elizabeth Cady Stanton...I'm sure there are more I'm forgetting. Maybe some people like name-dropping in their fiction, but I find it tiresome.
February 5, 2012
Just arrived from USA trough BM.
Even if I haven't read the first book of this series, The Alienist, it didn't compromise this reading.
The plot starts with the kidnapping of a Spanish diplomat's baby but then the main story switched to the suspect of this crime, Libby Hatch, a nurse who is the suspect murderess of her own children.
Dr. Lazlo Kreizler, a psychologist or “the alienist” who tries to help the only surviving child to testimony against her own mother, leads the investigation team.
It should be pointed out that, by the end of the 19th century, many of the actual forensic tools were not available at that time, such as recognition of fingerprints, bullet's tests and so on.
During Libby's prosecution, her defendant attorney, Dr. Clarence Darrow was a master of legal argumentation, even if I'm not an expert on legal matters, on the contrary.
Another great character is "Teddy Roosevelt", the New York Police Commissioner who led the US Navy in order to settle the final persecution of the suspect!
What else should be said about this book? In order to avoid spoilers, just READ this book, you won't regret.
Even if I haven't read the first book of this series, The Alienist, it didn't compromise this reading.
The plot starts with the kidnapping of a Spanish diplomat's baby but then the main story switched to the suspect of this crime, Libby Hatch, a nurse who is the suspect murderess of her own children.
Dr. Lazlo Kreizler, a psychologist or “the alienist” who tries to help the only surviving child to testimony against her own mother, leads the investigation team.
It should be pointed out that, by the end of the 19th century, many of the actual forensic tools were not available at that time, such as recognition of fingerprints, bullet's tests and so on.
During Libby's prosecution, her defendant attorney, Dr. Clarence Darrow was a master of legal argumentation, even if I'm not an expert on legal matters, on the contrary.
Another great character is "Teddy Roosevelt", the New York Police Commissioner who led the US Navy in order to settle the final persecution of the suspect!
What else should be said about this book? In order to avoid spoilers, just READ this book, you won't regret.
July 23, 2014
It had all of the flaws of the first, and none of the charm.
The Flaws:
1) Female characters killed off to advance a man's character development, no matter how gratuitous.
2) Said female character was a coke fiend who didn't notice her coke was laced with arsenic. Right after spending time with a notorious murderer. Really? REALLY? She didn't notice her own cocaine was, shall we say, OFF?
3) Only one female character with lines, who represents everything of the Strong Female Character.
4) Everyone else was a dude. The most gratuitous historical sausagefest I've ever seen.
5) Only neurotypical characters get to live. Anyone whose brain chemistry or function might be remotely different dies.
The Charms:
1) No inclusion of the higher moral, political, and ideological battle of Old School vs. Progressive.
2) Inclusion of historical figures turns gratuitous and insulting to my intelligence.
3) No actual profiling of the serial killer. Whereas Carr jumped through hoops to show how Beecham was understandable and occasionally sympathetic, Libby Hatch gets no such courtesies. Possibly because she's a woman.
4) All the side mysteries are dull, flat, and unsolved.
The Flaws:
1) Female characters killed off to advance a man's character development, no matter how gratuitous.
2) Said female character was a coke fiend who didn't notice her coke was laced with arsenic. Right after spending time with a notorious murderer. Really? REALLY? She didn't notice her own cocaine was, shall we say, OFF?
3) Only one female character with lines, who represents everything of the Strong Female Character.
4) Everyone else was a dude. The most gratuitous historical sausagefest I've ever seen.
5) Only neurotypical characters get to live. Anyone whose brain chemistry or function might be remotely different dies.
The Charms:
1) No inclusion of the higher moral, political, and ideological battle of Old School vs. Progressive.
2) Inclusion of historical figures turns gratuitous and insulting to my intelligence.
3) No actual profiling of the serial killer. Whereas Carr jumped through hoops to show how Beecham was understandable and occasionally sympathetic, Libby Hatch gets no such courtesies. Possibly because she's a woman.
4) All the side mysteries are dull, flat, and unsolved.
May 31, 2023
Mr. Carr oh my, oh my! That's who I thought, it would be, that kidnapped the little ones. That's not the reason, I had in mind. Here I was thinking a Ransom was comming. The grands wanted visitation. Anything but this! So sad! Heart breaking! Postpartum at it's finest.
But to see the issues of this past cobblestone world. Was a past not that far away. Revisited present issues.
How complicated. Yet the solution is so simple. No one is better than the next person. Just because you can. Doesn't mean you should! Yet optimistic people walk these streets. Their to help, cause it's the correct action to take.
But to see the issues of this past cobblestone world. Was a past not that far away. Revisited present issues.
How complicated. Yet the solution is so simple. No one is better than the next person. Just because you can. Doesn't mean you should! Yet optimistic people walk these streets. Their to help, cause it's the correct action to take.
June 14, 2014
Fans of historical detectives and even the television show Criminal Minds will enjoy the sequel to The Alienist. The first 1/4 of this book started slow and had me worried that what I liked so much about the Alienist would not be present in this sequel. It took a bit for the story to build but then I thoroughly enjoyed the story.
Set in the 19th century when crime fighting techniques were at their infancy I enjoyed hearing the theories behind fingerprinting, ballistics and using sketches of possible suspects. Many terms that fans of Law & Order will be familiar with are just hinted at here as they had no name in this time ( like Munchausen by Proxy).
Told from the point of view of Stevie the Stovetop most of the gang from the Alienist is back to solve the case of a kidnapped baby girl. I thought a particular strength of this book was the development of the side characters. Stevie's love interest is a cocaine addicted whore who has hooked up with a particularly nasty gang member ( what could go wrong?) I also enjoyed the bickering brothers who were the police detectives helping with this case but my favorite side character is a new one called El Niño who brings a sense of mystery and humor to the story.
As with The Alienist many historical figures make an appearance and for the most part enhance my enjoyment of the story. The one exception, for me, was when Teddy Roosevelt showed up during the last 100 pages or so. A stronger editor might have eliminated that entire section which would have made for a better story. So despite a slow start and an ending that should have occurred 100 pages earlier I really enjoyed this book. I wish Caleb Carr had written more books with these characters because I miss them already.
January 1, 2012
This review was written in the late nineties (just for myself), and it was buried in amongst my things until today, when I uncovered the journal it was written in. I have transcribed it verbatim from all those years ago (although square brackets indicate some additional information for the sake of readability). It is one of my lost reviews.
I thought Japheth Drury was bad, but I hadn't met Libby Hatch. She was pure, nasty evil, which was a lot of fun to read, but the best parts of the tale came in other forms.
Same author, same setting and same characters as The Alienist, but John Schuyler Moore is no longer our narrator; due to a bet, Stevie, our favourite chain-smoking teen, has taken over the reins and written the story of the group's second case. Stevepipe's perspective keeps the series fresh and gives us a nicely detached view of Mr. Moore's friend, Mr. Picton -- the hyper-jovial Assistant District Attorney.
And once again we've got history: Roosevelt's Spanish War, post-Civil War incapacity, and the famous Clarence Darrow.
My favourite moment requires note: Teddy squaring off against Goo Goo Knox. The Irishman swings his axe handle, Teddy catches it, tears it free, and smacks Goo Goo across the skull. Down goes Goo Goo. Carry a big stick, indeed! I can't wait to see that fight on-screen. [Ummmm ... yeah. Some year maybe.]
I thought Japheth Drury was bad, but I hadn't met Libby Hatch. She was pure, nasty evil, which was a lot of fun to read, but the best parts of the tale came in other forms.
Same author, same setting and same characters as The Alienist, but John Schuyler Moore is no longer our narrator; due to a bet, Stevie, our favourite chain-smoking teen, has taken over the reins and written the story of the group's second case. Stevepipe's perspective keeps the series fresh and gives us a nicely detached view of Mr. Moore's friend, Mr. Picton -- the hyper-jovial Assistant District Attorney.
And once again we've got history: Roosevelt's Spanish War, post-Civil War incapacity, and the famous Clarence Darrow.
My favourite moment requires note: Teddy squaring off against Goo Goo Knox. The Irishman swings his axe handle, Teddy catches it, tears it free, and smacks Goo Goo across the skull. Down goes Goo Goo. Carry a big stick, indeed! I can't wait to see that fight on-screen. [Ummmm ... yeah. Some year maybe.]
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2017
While the Alienist seem to be the classic of the two Dr. Kriezler books (it's ranked near the top of the 'best of' fictional crime book lists), I think Angel of Darkness was a far better book in both quality of writing and storytelling. While AOD is longer than the Alienist, the added length is justified with a more satisfying complicated plot and better character development. I just hope there will be at least a third book, taking place towards the end of Kriezler's career in some final epic case, written from his point of view.
May 3, 2019
2018: I really enjoyed this sequel. It being told by Stevie originally worried me. I didn't want the narrative style to change. But I had nothing to worry about. I enjoyed the frame narrative of the novel and how the different pov made me reevaluate characters I was familiar with. I enjoyed this mystery, though I wish the focus had not narrowed so much in the second half of the book. If another book is published and narrated by George Guidall, I'll for sure be listening to it!
2019: I loved this upon rereading. Though this mystery was less straightforward than the first novel, I appreciated all the moving parts this time around and came to care about Stevie quite a bit. I hope we get another novel in this series narrated by another member of the team.
2019: I loved this upon rereading. Though this mystery was less straightforward than the first novel, I appreciated all the moving parts this time around and came to care about Stevie quite a bit. I hope we get another novel in this series narrated by another member of the team.
January 7, 2018
3.5 stars
An exciting story which has you alternately sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for what is coming next and sitting back enjoying the descriptive (background) passages. Sometimes it did feel like Carr was dwelling too long on certain past incidents or backgrounds that, at least to me, were not that interesting, though not often. I really grew to like the main characters, felt a connection, even to the more secondary characters. All in all a very good read that made me curious about the first book in this series (this one was given to me as a gift). Definitely want to read that one as well!
An exciting story which has you alternately sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for what is coming next and sitting back enjoying the descriptive (background) passages. Sometimes it did feel like Carr was dwelling too long on certain past incidents or backgrounds that, at least to me, were not that interesting, though not often. I really grew to like the main characters, felt a connection, even to the more secondary characters. All in all a very good read that made me curious about the first book in this series (this one was given to me as a gift). Definitely want to read that one as well!
October 11, 2020
I liked this book better than I did The Alienist. I think mainly because there was less blood, guts, and gore. But also due to the subject matter. Carr is excellent at blending historical data with the story arc. And can he ever create suspense! This was more complex and relatable for me than the first book. Perhaps because I am female? There was much psychology, politics, and sociology in this second installment and I didn't get all that so much in the first book. I would definitely read another installment!
January 24, 2021
The group is back to investigate another crime.
This book read the same as the first so all that charmed me before lost its luster.
The top two things I have to say:
Slow start and monotonous middle and end.
Predictable formula.
The endless amounts of side story that delayed the finish still haunts me. I had a chant going in my head as I read: get to the point, get to the point, get to the point. It didn’t help matters that I tried to watch the television series at the same time which was as dry as the scorched earth in the heat of a Midwest summer.
This reader needs more so in the middle rating bin it goes.
This book read the same as the first so all that charmed me before lost its luster.
The top two things I have to say:
Slow start and monotonous middle and end.
Predictable formula.
The endless amounts of side story that delayed the finish still haunts me. I had a chant going in my head as I read: get to the point, get to the point, get to the point. It didn’t help matters that I tried to watch the television series at the same time which was as dry as the scorched earth in the heat of a Midwest summer.
This reader needs more so in the middle rating bin it goes.
May 18, 2008
Love these two books. This is the sequel to The Alienist and is a turn of the century (more or less) historical mystery, set in New York. That would be last century, by the way.
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