Rating: 
Summary: Florence Nightmare-gale
Review: Turn of the Century New York City returns to life with the reunion of one of the most fascinating and bizarre crime-fighting forces in American literature: John Schuyler Moore, the hard- drinking, hard-gambling New York Times reporter; Sara Howard, a private investigator getting the jump on Sharon McCone and V.I. Warshawski by more than three generations; Detective Sergeants Marcus and Lucius Isaacson, the brightest and (thanks to their ethnicity) most abhored lights of the NYPD; soft-spoken powerhouse Cyrus Montrose and wily street arab Stevie "Stevepipe" Taggart; the last two, former criminals, now in the employ of their reformer, Dr. Laszlo Kreisler -- the Alienist who gave his name to this book's prequel. Moore narrated the first saga of the team. This time, Stevie takes over the role of narrator. Unlike the team's prior outing, its foe becomes known fairly early on. The key to this mystery is less the whodunnit and more why'd-she-do-it and how-catch-her? The villainness of the piece is one Libby Hatch, an incredibly complex and changeable woman who mixes an overwhelming desire to prove herself a loving, nurturing mother-figure with terrifying seductiveness, murderous rage, and an inability to recognize any fault in herself for leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. Rarely has a more convincing sociopath ever appeared in the pages of fiction. All the more ironic that the story, set in 1897, takes place before a term for such a moral crippling was coined.
As in "The Alienist", Carr populates his novel with an equally fascinating supporting cast and heartbreaking subplots, particularly that surrounding Stevie's love interest, Kat Devlin (a prostitute mixed up with the ruthless leader of an infamous drug gang). Carr also throws in a seasoning of famous historical figures. Clarence Darrow, spiritual godfather of Alan Dershowitz and F. Lee Bailey, puts in an appearance as Libby Hatch's lawyer, threatening to get the murderess off scot-free. Also, Theodore Roosevelt is again in evidence, though much less so than in the prequel. Carr has managed to top himself with "Angel". I am thoroughly looking forward to the next entry in the saga, however many years off that may be.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic tale of the brutality of human kind
Review: First off, I should say that Angel of Darkness is not as enthralling and engrossing as The Alienist, but that's okay. It's still one heck of an effort and I seriously doubt that Carr was *trying* to outdo The Alienist given the fact he has tentative plans to carry on the narrrative of Stevie, Cyrus, Jon Schuyler Moore, Sarah Howard and the Isaacson brothers in each of their voices (excepting Moore's and Stevie's of course) in subsequent tales and novels -- yahoo!
With that said, Angel is one wicked read. I particularly enjoyed the social commentary on the times and Carr's deliberate attempt (I think) to mirror contemporary society. I was constantly remarking to myself all along that exactly nothing has changed in the last 100 years, except perhaps scientific and popular advances in the solving and acceptance of, not to mention desensitization to, violent crime. Mass murderers always were and always will be. It's not a question of how or even if they're committing their crimes, but how justice is or is not served. In this context, I think Angel is as much a scathing commentary on the practice of putting the victim on trial rather than the accused, as it is a fantastic, historical tale.
The one test I use to measure a book is whether or not I can bear the thought of putting it down. Angel failed this test miserably. While I was at work, I wished I was reading it. I stayed up late, skipped meals and even said no to Must See TV, but it was all well worth the sacrifice. Angel of Darkness definitely deserves a spot on any history-loving, mystery-loving, thriller-loving person's top ten list for 1997. Heck, top five.
The only thing I had a bit of trouble getting used to was the narrator's voice. Stevie can be annoying at times and was just a little too keen on describing what everyone was eating (maybe just a pet peeve of mine), but you'll find he grows on you and for the last couple hundred pages it really didn't matter who was narrating the tale. Buy Angel of Darkness now (c'mon you know you want to 1-click it!) and if you haven't read The Alienist -- what are you waiting for?!? Start there and then come back. You'll thank me for it.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than The Alienist!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Although The Alienist did a better job of recreating 19th century New York City, Angel was a far better "read"! I do think it could have been about 150 pages shorter. However, the plot was engaging and well written.
Rating:
Summary: Dr. Kreizler is an esteemed collegue.
Review: The three year wait for the next D. Kreizler adventure was much too long, yet worth the wait. I read each book in one setting that put the rest of my life on hold. This is a rare and very pleasing experience. I find the Carr's two books ( The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness) to be a very solid effort in describing and showing the inner world of crime purpetrators and emotional responses they often ellicit in others. I find little sensationalism in either of the books. Yet I remained glued to the pages for days. As a practicing forensic psychiatrist I find Dr. Kreizler a worthy collegue.
The description of New York has had a strong effect on me. I never seen the city in this light before. I hope Dr. Kreizler never moves to Chicago!
Mr. Carr, please continue to write about Dr. Kreizler and his researches into the minds and contexts of the criminals among us.
Rating:
Summary: Almost, but not quite
Review: The Alienist is probably one of my top 3 favorite books. I have rarely read a book in which the setting and characters seemed more mesmerizing than the plot. Carr did this! So with these two elements already masterfully accomplished, Carr had to rely on plot to tell his story. And a great plot it is. However, it did not have the intrigue as The Alienist. I did really enjoy it and read it in three days. I have read that Carr's next books will be told by other members of the crew. I will find that interesting, but will he be able to capture that dark, sordid New York as he did in The Alienist? Who will tell the next story and which prominent persons will play the key roles?
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but not as good as The Alienist
Review: When I first got my hands on The Alienist I stayed up all night to finish it because I couldn't stand waiting until the next day for the action to be resolved. I've subsequently reread it three times, once in a course on the American Gothic, and I still hold it up as a great example of historical fiction. I had no idea that a sequel was forthcoming, so the appearance of The Angel of Darkness was a wonderful surprise. Sadly, my anticipation was unfounded. The Angel of Darkness has some of the same magic and intrigue as its predecessor but the plot is fat with unnecessary twists and characters that flatten an already predictable novel. The Alienist yanked me into the time period and setting but with The Angel of Darkness I felt like I was watching a scene from an action TV show. There was almost no connection with the characters and while Carr developed Moore, Sara, Stevie, and Cyrus with depth and subtlety in his first novel, they seemed flat, cliched, and underexposed here.
Rating:
Summary: Now read all of Carr's books!
Review: The Alienist was pure pleasure to read. Now The Angel of Darkness is here and, although different in many ways-longer, more thought, less action, just as wonderful. In fact half way through I decided that Carr is a long term writer on the order of A. Conan Doyle and I had to have all of his books: Casing the Promised Land, The Devil's Soldier and America Unvanquished. Although not at all like his "Alienist" books, still interesting to read and hard to find. Casing the Promised Land, the author's first book, is a $150.00 for a fine condition 1st edition and more than likely a good long term investment!! Carr is excellent writing and great fun to read. Two more years till his next?...(hurry up, Caleb!)
Rating:
Summary: One More Time.......
Review: Caleb Carr has done it again.. The plot... Characterization...A rich, delightful, robust description of Old New York. I was transported by a time machine of words. Loved every minute of it. I am hungry for more. One more time, Mr. Carr. Alexia
Rating:
Summary: A period mystery that's certainly not old-fashioned.
Review: Could a woman of the 1890s, unable to fulfill her stereotypical role as nurturing mother, be capable of systematically murdering children? That's the quandary facing New York mental pathologist Dr. Lazlo Kreizler in this sequel to Caleb Carr's popular first novel, "The Alienist." Trailing a Spanish diplomat's abducted daughter, Kreizler and his eclectic team of sleuths arrive on the doorstep of a nurse in whose care several infants have recently--and most mysteriously--died. But convicting this nurse as a kidnapper, much less a murderer, will require exposing her troubled past in upstate New York and ultimately pit Kreizler against attorney Clarence Darrow in a trial guaranteed to assault the very foundations of motherhood. Like Carr's previous thriller, "The Angel of Darkness" digs enthusiastically at the roots of modern psychology and explores contemporary criminal issues in a historic setting. It is gorged with the multi-leveled life of Gay '90s Manhattan. Carr's protagonists are constantly dining at Delmonico's, consulting renowned habitues such as the suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, or trading body blows with malevolent urchin gangs like the Hudson Dusters--all scenes that allow the author to demonstrate his researching skills. Yet at the same time, Carr offers a bewitching and richly fabricated plot, dark and dangerous and as cluttered with unexpected horrors as some of the alleys down which Kreizler and company trod in pursuit of a grim justice.
Rating:
Summary: Just when you thought it was safe to walk the NYC streets...
Review: Although I was privy to the fact that Mr. Carr was working on a sequel to his best seller "The Alienist" I was not aware of its slated release date. That is...until I found myself walking past a local Greenwich Village bookstore on my way home from where I work in New York City one evening which prominently displayed what I thought at first to be a fascinating historical photograph. Hauntingly familiar it seemed and when I looked up to the top of the photograph and saw what read, "From the author of THE ALIENIST" I understood why. That was all I needed and I subsequently found myself owning "The Angel of Darkness" less than three minutes later. I've now read both books and dozens of reviews on each and folks the fact of the matter is that Caleb Carr has the knack. I said it before and I will say it once again--Do yourself a favor and read this book! I think one of the less recognized (or at least spoken of) attributes to both "The Alienist" and "The Angel of Darkness" is the locations which Mr. Carr uses. Know what? They really exist and this talented, young historian has even the finest details down to a science. Whereas I once curiously found myself visiting such locations as 23 Bank Street and 14 Washington Square I subsequently found myself at 39 Bethune Street and, of course, 808 Broadway (a truly magnificent structure in all respects which currently residences, amongst others I'm sure, antique dealerships). For any of you foreigners to NYC you simply MUST explore them. But I detract from Mr. Carr's storytelling which is on the money. Stevie Taggert may be the new "man" but the pacing, characters and historical accuracy is once again so entirely mesmorizing. I hesitate to suggest how I could recommend Mr. Carr's work more highly.
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