Customer Reviews

Scarlet Women

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I do know that Christilian is not the real name of the author, as it reads on the cover "J.D. Christilian is the pseudoynm of an author of historical nonfiction and fiction, of succcessful screenplays, and international bestselling contemporary novels of suspense".

Now look what the jacket of Caleb Carr's "Angel of Darkness" reads: "In addition to fiction, Mr. Carr writes frequently on military and political affairs and is a contributing editor of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History. His previous books include "The Alienist" and "The Devil Soldier". He also worked in television, film, and the theater". Sure it could be a coincidence, but it matches pretty close.

Some might argue that the writing style is different and indeed it is, but as an author you can change that... "Scarlett Women" looks to me like a less intellectual more action-driven version of "The Alienist", playing in the same universe, with the same elements: corrupt authorities, pervert rich people, dirty violent city... Amazing, huh?

Its a good book, not as good as "The Alienist", but its a good alternative if you think that "The Alienist" is too long or too complex. I am wondering if we will read more from "Christilian" one day :)

Yes, if you liked "The Alienist" then this is the book for you! It is just as good if not better than Carr's novel. There is alot more depth to the main character, Harp, and the descriptions are not too drawn out. The book moves along and keeps you hooked from the beginning. Alot shorter than "The Alienist" and everything comes together perfectly! A must-read! If it weren't for other customer comments about "The Alienist" on Amazon, I would have never found this book! It is fantastic! I wish this author would write another.

After reading Carr's Alienist and Prince of Darkness, I went on a hunt for similar content in books. The bookstore employee recommended this book and I can't thank her enough.

In many ways, this book is more captivating than the Alienist and as another reviewer put it, much shorter and yet just as exciting.

If you like period writings about New York City, want the excitment of your imagination going back to the 1800's and getting into the story as if you were tagging along with the characters, then this is a must read.

This book has the format of a historical detective novel, complete with a Marlowesque detective and a double murder to be solved. The detail of 19th century New York life and personalities makes this a delightful work for lovers of this period.

Yet within this framework, this fictional mystery novel also takes a probing look at the status of women in 1870s New York. The title Scarlet Women refers to the depiction that women had few choices other than prostitution to earn a living at the time.

One of the reasons I read and liked the novel is that it gives an accurate and sensitive portayal of the famous 19th century feminist, spiritualist and free-thinker Victoria Woodhull. Even 130 years later, some of her ideas are still too liberal for mainstream America!

So if you like your detective novels with a strong feminist flavour and historical accuracy I recommend this book. It succeeds as a mystery, a social commentary, and a historic novel.

HEY! Since when do all good books have to be a zillion pages and super intense?This book, Scarlet Women, is a blast to read, doesn't take long and you learn some fun facts about Victorian New York along the way. So what if it's not as heavy duty as The Alienist, which I have also read and liked.This book is lots of fun and really very good. I absolutely recommend this book.

HEY! Since when do all good books have to be a zillion pages and super intense?This book, Scarlet Women, is a blast to read, doesn't take long and you learn some in fascinating things about Victorian New York along the way. So what if it's not as heavy duty as The Alienist, which I have also read and liked.This book is lots of fun and really very good. I absolutely recommend this book.

Scarlet Women is wonderful suspense mystery in the tradition of Caleb Carr's The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness. It features the vivid landscape of late 19th century New York with all of its requisite characters. There are corrupt police captains, Victorian gentlemen, and of course fallen women. There are only two real drawbacks to Scarlet Women. The main character is almost too perfect a P.I. to be believable. His connections within the vast city are multifaceted and nearly complete. This makes him just a bit unbelievable. The other drawback is that the ending leaves a couple of strings loose. As to the continuing debate on wheter or not Caleb Carr is the real author of this psedonymous work, I think that the conclusion is yes. The locales and situations are too much like The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness and the short chapters are a preview of his latest futuristic novel Killing Time. This is a great book that any fan of the genre should read!

I wrote this review awhile back but never left me e-mail address on it. It should say something that I am still thinking about this book and I am still waiting for J. D. Christilian to write another. This book was fantastic.

After reading Carr's Alienist and Prince of Darkness, I went on a hunt for similar content in books. The bookstore employee recommended this book and I can't thank her enough. In many ways, this book is more captivating than the Alienist and as another reviewer put it, much shorter and yet just as exciting.

If you like period writings about New York City, want the excitment of your imagination going back to the 1800's and getting into the story as if you were tagging along with the characters, then this is a must read.

After seeing the huge number of reviews for the books of Caleb Carr, I was surprised by the lack of reviews for "Scarlet Women". While I enjoyed "Alienist" allright, I enjoyed this one better. The story's got a bit more pizazz, and for those of you who felt the Alienist ran on a bit long, this one is half the length.

I was extremely disappointed with this novel. Caleb Carr's books are richer in detail and his writing style compliments the time period. This novel reads like a cheap thrill and it is even lacking in that category. Shorter novel, yes. Better novel, not by a long shot.