Rating: 
Summary: Another eye-roller from Caleb Carr - bleah
Review: SPOILER: Admittedly, I did not care from "The Alienist" either, so put off "Angel" for several years, until I ran out of everything else. I find Carr's period characterizations anachronistic, terribly inconsistent, but in "Angel" his portrayal of a child-killing female is stomach-wrenchingly awful. What a hodgepodge of ideas he frantically jumbles together! Who is this woman? We are at first to believe that she is a childless woman who has kidnapped an attractive infant and is hiding it to fulfill maternal instinct. As her history unfolds we are told she systematically killed her first child at birth and buried it (along with a dog she'd poisoned), then married, bore and shot her three preschoolers a few years down the line - ah but *this time* in a fury - her surviving child, conveniently mute for 3 years until Dr. Krietzler lays hands on her, is able to tell us that. But ow-my-head comes in the succession of Nanny Jobs this woman, who in her final scene states how she detests kids, takes for apparently no other reason that to axe the kids -poison, fire, guns - you name it! Her last couple of crimes (at least) are kidnap/murders - yeah, right. Please Caleb, show me the case histories you based this montage upon. It's like Charles Manson meets Stalin meets O.J. And the scene where she escapes from prison using her "womanly wiles" - PLEASE!! Okay, I shouldn't read books by authors I don't like, but the lovefest of previous reviews left me wondering "what's wrong with me?" (Or words to that effect!)
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but The Alienist was better
Review: The Angel of Darkness does not have the freshness and the pace of The Alienist, but it is still interesting for it's historical perspective on New York City. It was also interesting to read about the other characters in the story from Stevie Taggert's point of view. Unfortunately, it seemed difficult for Caleb Carr to appropriate Stevie's voice with much authenticity. A good editor would have struck out some of the more "90's" figures of speech. Also, TAOD is not as fast-paced or tightly written as The Alienist. I look forward, however, to seeing another book featuring the same characters, perhaps with a little more depth to their delineation -- the author could really go to town in developing Kriezler a bit more and perhaps removing some of the more broader aspects of his theatrical personality. And please, make the next book a little more tightly written and "meaty", like the Alienist. Believe it or not, I do like the gross parts, so long as they are kept within the "context" of the book. Mr. Carr could have gone a bit further in developing the Libby Hatch character -- it seemed as though there were things about her that were still unexplained. Not everyone who was deprived of privacy in their formative years turns into a baby killer -- there must have been more to her than that. I would still recommend this book -- it was good, but it didn't have the flow or the suspense of the Alienist. I hope to see more books from Mr. Carr of that quality.
Rating:
Summary: A gripping "speed read"
Review: The Angel of Darkness features the return of Dr. Lazlo Kriezler and his motley group of psychological manhunters. As with the Alienist, Caleb Carr's characters are wonderfully colorful and thoroughly New York. It is easy to remove yourself from your modern day surroundings and venture off into the Big Apple's turn-of-the century tenement culture from the first turn of the page. Pluses: 1) Fascinating character sketches from beginning to end. Carr is truly gifted in this respect. 2) Never short on suspense 3) What a villian!Minuses: the storyline toys with the boundaries of plausibility to the point where there are simply too many convenient coincidences and "wait a minute, I got its!" from the lead characters. In addition, Carr often feels compelled to explain the obvious implications of developments in cases where what has been implied is more than adequate. The tendency bespeaks Carr's excessive err on the side of explanation, rather than a more confident trust that his reader will "get it." Have faith, Caleb; we will!Overall, an enjoyable and thoroughly suspenseful read. While it ultimately falls short of The Alienist, The Angel of Darkness is a career advancing accomplishment for this rising talent.
Rating:
Summary: Gender roles, crime and psychology from an 1870s perspective
Review: This book, through an attempt to solve a kidnapping case, takes the reader through an examination of gender roles, criminology, psychology, and forensics within the socio-political culture of NY and america of the time. Unlike its prequal, The Alienist, the crime and the forensics of the crime are less of a focus than the tale itself. The tale is told from the perspective of an older Stevie, reflecting on the experiences of his younger self and his particiaption in the events of the book. The book itself is quite remarkable. It involves some of the major cultural figures of the time in their younger days, including Clarence Darrow. This book also involves the characters of the investigators more. They each come to have a personal stake in solving the crime of little Ana's kidnapping. Unlike the previous book as well, there is less of a focus on the elements of NY City culture of the time. This books definitely brings the characters more to life than the previous work. I would recommend this book for those who like strong characterizations and complex plots. If it has any shortcomiings, it is that the narrative style has some inconsistencies and that perhaps no single character or sub-plot is given much of a showcase or developed to the depth that it/they deserve.
Rating: 
Summary: absolutely amazing
Review: This sequel to The Alienist is told as a flashback by the now-adult Stevie Taggert, who, at age 11, was a former street urchin adopted by Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, the alienist (or "psychologist") to work in his Institute in exchange for education in 1890s New York City. One of their cases involves bringing to justice a woman who employs herself as a nanny and then kills her charges. In order to do this before she kills the baby she has currently nabbed -- in this case the child of a diplomat -- they will have to seek out this woman's past in upstate NY to find the patterns of her next move so they can stop her before she makes it. This book is fascinating in its depiction of 1890s New York, crime and gang warfare, and a case taking place in the early days of forensic science, ballistics, and psychological analysis as courtroom evidence. Carr has also painted a graphic portrait of the suspect and her rather violent crimes. Again, don't be put off by the length of Carr's works -- it is an amazing read that you won't want to put down!
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