In one of the most critically acclaimed novels of the year, Caleb Carr-- bestselling author of The Alienist--pits Dr. Laszlo Kreizler and his colleagues against a murderer as evil as the darkest night. . . .
The Angel of Darkness (Dr. Lazlo Kreizler)
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Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Boyd Gaines skillfully delivers a wide range of voices and characterizations in narrating this potboiler (LJ 10/15/97), the sequel to Carr's The Alienist. The time is June 1897. The place is New York City. The story is narrated by 13-year-old, streetwise Stevie Taggart, who is a member of a team of detecting irregulars. The kidnapping of an 18-month-old child sets the story in motion. The ongoing investigation uncovers a sociopath named Libby Hatch, who is a suspect in the deaths of a frightening number of children, including her own. Using the relatively new fields of forensics and psychoanalysis, and calling on the assistance of some well-known "names" (Teddy Roosevelt, Franz Boaz, Cornelius Vanderbuilt), the team runs Libby Hatch to earth. But where is the child she recently abducted? The clever zigzags of this thriller finally answer this question. Well recommended.?Joanna Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Sch. of Continuing Education, Providence
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
An absorbing if overlong sequel to Carr's popular 1994 thriller, The Alienist. As in that novel, the figures of ``alienist'' (i.e., psychologist) Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, investigative journalist John Schuyler Moore, and Kreizler's assistant Stevie ``Stevepipe'' Taggert (who tells the story) figure prominently in the investigation of a peculiarly dastardly crime. The year is 1897, and Carr's plot is initiated by the kidnapping of a Spanish diplomat's baby--then thickens, quite pleasurably, as suspicion falls on Elspeth Hunter, a malevolent nurse who is actually Libby Hatch, a malevolent gang moll and the suspected murderess of her own children. The pursuit, capture, and attempted conviction of Libby involve such notable historical figures as painter Albert Pinkham Ryder, women's-rights crusader Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Libby's defense attorney Clarence Darrow (who dominates a fascinating extended courtroom scene), and (back also from The Alienist) New York City Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt, who commandeers the US Navy to aid in the story's climactic pursuit. Carr overloads his tale with digressive comments on ever-worsening political relations between the US and Cuba (though one can argue such passages' relevance to the novel's initial mystery), and disastrously slows down the otherwise absorbing courtroom scenes by including needless detailed summaries of cases of child murder offered as precedents. But these are minor blemishes. Carr has learned to plot since The Alienist, and this novel usually moves at a satisfyingly rapid pace. The ambiance is convincingly thick and period-flavorful, the murderous details satisfyingly gruesome, and even the somewhat shaky central ethical question--whether ``a woman's murdering her own kids . . . could actually be looked at as her trying to gain control over her life and her world''--is quite convincingly presented. As for the nefarious Libby--presented, with perfect appropriateness, only as others see and hear her--she rivals Lydia Gwilt of Wilkie Collins's Armadale as the pluperfect villainess, and the centerpiece of an enormously entertaining and satisfying reading experience. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Carr has done an excellent job. The story line and the characterizations were excellent.
To his credit, Carr manages to refer the reader to the protagonists' earlier adventure (see The Alienist) while at the same time providing enough information about the earlier adventure so that it stands alone. This serves both the reader familiar with the Alienist but who needs to have their recollections refreshed, and the first time Carr reader. (I am often frustrated and annoyed at authors who presume reader familiarity with their collected works.)
Carr also manages to portray early-day feminists and feminist theory in what I perceive to be an authentic fashion. In other words, I felt he accurately portrayed feminist thought in its incipient stages. Any so-called immaturity of thought on the parts of those characters seems, in historical context, appropriate.
My only complaint was the voice of the narrator, Stevie. The intonation, accent, and method of speaking may very well be accurate. However, I found it grating to see the obligatory "what" every few paragraphs. (E.G. The girl what had the burney.) I am both relieved and intrigued to hear that Carr plans to write additional Alienist volumes and put each one in a different voice. All in all, an excellent work.
60 of 67 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you've already read "The Alienist" you can skip the first 100 pages of this book, it takes that long for Carr to settle into telling the story of Libby Hatch. Whereas "The Alienist" was told from the viewpoint of John Moore, a journalist for The New York Times, "The Angel of Darkness" is narrated by Stevie Taggart, one of the characters from that first book. Once the book actually gets going, however, it's first-rate, in particular the courtroom scenes with Clarence Darrow and the sections in which Stevie and Miss Howard (also from the first book) drive around upstate New York searching for information about the elusive Libby. Theodore Roosevelt makes a reappearance in this book as well although I thought his whole reason for getting involved in the case was a bit contrived. On the whole, however, it's a well-written and interesting book. Carr twice hints that the next book will be written from the perspective of the independent and energetic Sara Howard, which should be most interesting.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
"A sequel to 'The Alienist'? YES! " I actually shouted that out loud in a library when I was told about "The Angel of Darkness." Again, Caleb Carr paints an intricate portrait of Golden Age New York, and brings back all the great characters from "The Alienist," utilizing a unique twist in changing his narrator from society reporter John Moore to the street-smart Stevie Taggert, whose less-than-perfect grammar doesn't obscure his keen observations. Again, Carr utilizes real-life historical figures, most notably a young Clarence Darrow, to bring authenticity to the story of a female child-murderer and the investigation that brings her heinous crimes to light. So why only four stars? Those of you who have read Ann Rule's "Small Sacrifices" will see a lot of Diane Downs in murderer Libby Hatch--in fact, Carr cites Rule's book as an influence. Overall, though, a great sequel--can't wait for the next one!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Violent crime hidden behind a veil of femininity and charm
An imaginative and unique plot line with numerous sub-plots is presented against an extremely creative background. Read more
Published 1 month ago by A Casual Observer
A Worthy Successor to "The Alienist"
Carr strikes gold again. The returning characters have grown and changed a bit. Having Stevie Taggert narrate this book makes for an interesting, and still successful, change from... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Winsomemore
an overly long and contrived story...
'The Angel of Darkness' is a rather ambitious effort by Caleb Carr. Seven hundred plus pages of all sorts of shenanigans surrounding a kidnapping in New York circa 1895. Read more
Published 9 months ago by lazza
Intersting but too much info
Don't get me wrong, this is an interesting book!! However, it could have been more interesting if we delved into his childhood and personality as more of the basis of the book. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Frant
perfection
my dad suggested the alienist to me, and i couldn't thank him enough.
while this one might not have been as edgy, it kept the heart and flavor of the first book perfectly,... Read more
while this one might not have been as edgy, it kept the heart and flavor of the first book perfectly,... Read more
Published 11 months ago by hard-to-please
Thriller of the most fantastic kind...
The Caleb Carr novels featuring Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, the eponymous alienist (i.e., a psychologist, in the parlance of turn-of-the-century - that would be the just-about 20th... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Jill Arent
Angel of Darkness the second effort by Caleb Carr
I lovedThe Alienist, Caleb Carr's first book. I loved the group of people; the case and the way modern crime solving techniques were just being conceived and evolving. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Entertain Me
Excellent book!
This has to be one of my all-time favorite books. It is way better then The Alienist. The voice of Stevie flows so naturally and each character is alive and breathing. Read more
Published 13 months ago by G. Kimball
Decent Sequel
I was very excited to begin reading this book because I enjoyed reading the Alienist and I also really enjoyed the Italian Secretary. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Kim Maddalozzo
Tough act to follow
The Alienist is a tough act to follow, but the Angel of Darkness is a worthy effort. Carr continues to develop fascinating forensic scenarios in an age prior to technology. Read more
Published on December 31, 2009 by Michael D. Rumsey
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
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. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
murdering her own children, detective sergeants, defense table Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Miss Howard, Libby Hatch, New York, Ballston Spa, Nurse Hunter, Ding Dong, Cady Stanton, Bethune Street, Sheriff Dunning, Ana Linares, Miss Beaux, United States, Seventeenth Street, Lieutenant Kimball, Elspeth Hunter, Eli Franklin, Hudson Street, Goo Goo Knox, Hudson Dusters, Libby Fraser, Miss Devlin, Police Department, Lying-in Hospital, Central Park, Fifth Avenue New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Surprise Me!
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. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
murdering her own children, detective sergeants, defense table Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Miss Howard, Libby Hatch, New York, Ballston Spa, Nurse Hunter, Ding Dong, Cady Stanton, Bethune Street, Sheriff Dunning, Ana Linares, Miss Beaux, United States, Seventeenth Street, Lieutenant Kimball, Elspeth Hunter, Eli Franklin, Hudson Street, Goo Goo Knox, Hudson Dusters, Libby Fraser, Miss Devlin, Police Department, Lying-in Hospital, Central Park, Fifth Avenue New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
28
books
cite this book:
See all 28 books citing this book
- Levinas, Judaism, and the Feminine: The Silent Footsteps of Rebecca (Indiana Series in the Philosophy of Religion) by Claire Elise Katz in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Killing Time by Caleb Carr in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Levinas, Judaism, and the Feminine: The Silent Footsteps of Rebecca (Indiana Series in the Philosophy of Religion) by Claire Elise Katz in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Curse of Eve, the Wound of the Hero: Blood, Gender, and Medieval Literature (The Middle Ages Series) by Peggy McCracken in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Endangered Children: Neonaticide, Infanticide, and Filicide (Pacific Institute Series on Forensic Psychology) by Lita Linzer Schwartz in Front Matter, and Back Matter
See all 28 books citing this book
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