Rating: 
Summary: excellent, a great read, a well woven plot
Review: I just finished this book and I could not put it down until the exciting finish. The lenght of this book only added value to me. The story was well written, the plot rich and exciting and the charcters moved the plot along without the usual slowness. The story told by Stevie was like being there while young Stevie told the tale. Please Mr. Carr give us more.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT THRILLER RUINED BY ANNOYING GIMMICK.
Review: I read _The_Alienist_. It was fabulous, a great mystery thriller that made you feel like you really were in 1897 New York City. The first-person narrative, from the viewpoint of a classic NY Times hard-drinking journalist, gave the novel real depth.In this sequel, the same hearty, if somewhat disparate, group of friends is off after another serial killer, with the same historical setting. Great, I'm ready. Here comes the gimmick. Also set in the first person, _Angel_of_Darkness_ chooses a different narrator. Not the brilliant psychiatrist. Not the plucky young woman fighting for respect in a chauvanist society. Not the physically imposing but intelligent and gentle black man. But the 14-year-old former street punk who speaks and writes in the most irritating Artful-Dodger-ese. He's the most illiterate of the group. It's the most frustrating experience slogging through it. I believe that Carr wrote the book normally, then ran a computer search and replace, replacing every "that" with "what." Example: Before: This is the most annoying prose that I have ever read. After: This is the most annoying prose what I have ever read. It literally ruins the novel. Other weaknesses, like the excessive 1898 celebrity appearances, and unlikely climax are forgivable. Stevie Taggert's relentless assault on English is not.
Rating: 
Summary: Who kidnapped Caleb Carr?
Review: The Angel of Darkness reads almost like a parody of The Alienist. The first book made you feel like you were breathing in the stink of the Bowery, the sweat of The Tenderloin district. Roosevelt himself was quite believable, as was the whole description of New York, its people and places. With T.A.O.D., I felt like I had returned to the modern era, and was reading a goofy send-off of the first book. The capper is that last scene, with Roosevelt and the Navy Police storming through New York beating up the gangsters. Go Teddy! Rah Kreizler! Please, save the forced-upon climax for the movie-goers, but don't insult us readers with such treacle. Bah! The reason I haven't rated this a one is because it works as a fourth leg for my beat-up sofa rather well.
Rating:
Summary: A new perspective of our favorite characters
Review: Stevie Taggert, the street urchin in the first novel, The Alienist, provides the reader with a new perspective on the continuing story of the mismatched investigation team. Carr's research and investigation into the then unknown world of female psychiatry is impecable. His well rounded and complete character development helps enhance the engrosing story. If you read The Alienist, The Angel of Darkness will not dissapoint you. If you have not, Angel stands up very well on its own, and will also be a great introduction into turn of the century New York.
Rating:
Summary: captivating
Review: Told through the eyes of young Stevie Taggert, this sequel to The Alienst, involves another murder case in which the same set of characters that were introduced in The Alienst face another set of almost impossible circumstances in which to solve this mystery. Carr has a way of enveloping the reader into the storyline, and at the same time brings the history of New York City and New York State into the reader's living room. The time is the late 1800's and one can imagine what life in that period was like just from reading the book. I felt that I had gone back in time and was actually living the story while reading the book. This book is a very enjoyable read by itself but it would be very helpful if The Alienst had been read first. A good read!
Rating:
Summary: Save your money!
Review: Caveat: I read The Alienist and loved it. I anxiously looked forward to the sequel. Thankfully, I borrowed it from a friend. This book was really horrible. First, it is far too long. Where was the editor? Second, the plot was thin at best. Where was the editor? Third, the use of an illiterate as a narrator was desperately contrived. Particularly annoying were all the instances when Stevie had to jump through hoops (or over fences) to witness events firsthand so that he could write about it in the first person. Again, where was the editor? Why in the world write in the first person narrative of the young ward when so many other interesting characters, like the female detective, could have carried the story? Fourth, the plot device of placing modern day criminology techniques in the late 19th century is getting really old to the point of being contrived. Fifth, I repeat: IT WAS TOO LONG. By the end, I was reading only the odd pages to just get through the damn thing. And in retrospect, I don't know why I made all that effort because the pay-off was meager at best. I'm sure Hollywood will snap up this book as well, but let's hope it dies in development.
Rating: 
Summary: It's a frustrating page-turner
Review: After reading this novel in TWO days, I was interested to see others' response. The plot obviously kept me interested enough to read a 600-page novel that quickly, but by the end of the book I was also very frustrated. Stevie's narration worked except for the ridiculous "what" already mentioned by many; the other intrusive word was "joint" for place. It just didn't work and the the inconsitencies were jarring. I also have a problem with Mr. Carr's pacing - what WAS that monograph on the Navy right at the climactic moment of the novel? And, I, too, had a problem with the dropping of the Ana plot - I can't believe they would allow the baby to languish that long, knowing where she was, trusting that she would not be killed simply because they were keeping an eye on Libby Hatch. Please.
That said, I cannot ignore that I read - no, inhaled - this book so quickly. Mr. Carr has a gift for an interesting plot that keeps you turning the pages, but he needs to work on characterization and pacing. Otherwise, by the end of the book, the reader is not satisfied and content, but rather irritated and frustrated.
Rating:
Summary: Shallow and long, not a good combination
Review: The book really was a diappointment. It was way too long (where was the editor?) going into endless detail that just flattened the narrative. So many of the introduced characters, mostly the villains were without depth (but also El Nino, a "good guy"-was stereotyped bordering on racist)which really put a damper on things. The narrative was also predictable, you just knew who was doomed, and who was not. Really not worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: A book to relax and enjoy - as reading should be!
Review: I really enjoyed The Alienist and I was overjoyed when I found The Angel of Darkness. It was a delight to read how a different character from the first book would describe the other characters. I was never interested in the history of 100 years ago but these books brought it so to life to keep it interesting. Whether accurate or not, (I don't know) it was still enthralling and a good story to boot. It must have taken alot of research to accomplish. My hat is off to Mr. Carr. Keep it up!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic - a must-read!!
Review: This book was absolutely wonderful! IMHO, it was even better than "The Alienist". I could not put this book down and am recommending it to everyone I know! I was thrilled to discover that Caleb Carr had written another book and I was definitely not disappointed by his newest effort. I am eagerly awaiting his next novel...
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