Rating: 
Summary: Babysitter wanted
Review: This book was riveting. Mr. Carr could have done less background writing (for those who have read the Alienist), but it does help if you read this one first. What I loved most about The Angel of Darkness, was the vivid picture painted by the author-as a history buff-it brought New York alive in a time long passed. The fact that children are involved did bother me, as a mother, but the mystery reader in me-put it all aside. I reccommend this book (and the Alienist).
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as The Alienist
Review: The wonderful thing about Carr is his ability to establish a palpable and extremely interesting setting. Carr knows his history and knows old Manhattan -- after reading this (and THE ALIENIST) one feels as if they know old NY. Everything is in the details, including the smells and sights of NY, the restaurants, the people, the gangs. (For the nonfiction equivalent of this, read LOW LIFE by Luc Sante) His characters are wonderful as well, especially Kriezler and Miss Howard, and this helps the reader when at times the plot becomes bogged down and somewhat slow. The thing about THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS is that the story isn't as compelling as THE ALIENIST, and maybe that's to do with the fact that we know from the beginning who the bad guy (or girl, in this case) is. I found that the main thing about this book was waiting for her to get caught, though we do have some surprises. Overall, it's a worthy read.
Rating:
Summary: A nice departure from the original. Wish it departed more.
Review: Most of the time sequels are just rehashes of the originals with a little variation in order to keep people from wondering why they just shouldn't read/watch the original. While this is a safe bet for readers and publishers alike, it is almost too safe. You are bound to like the new work, but not love it. This book both departs and stays true to the original. Again we are in the turn of the century New York City where corruption reigns, psychology is in its early William James stages, most forensic techniques are "experimental" and the streets are just as dirty and evil as today. It's this refreshing anti-nostalgic view of Victorian America that helped make the first book so great. The departure is the narrator. Instead of the reporter, the narrative shifts to Stevie Taggert who explains in the first chapter that he's writing this book as a bet. The self-referential irony of "people don't want to read books about boy prostitutes being murdered in grisly ways" is merely cute and it does up the stakes for this book as Taggert claims to have a story that is just as intriguing but not so violent. Mr. Moore, the reporter, takes him on and we are off on another trip through the underside of New York. Caleb Carr's shift in focus makes this book a great sequel as you see these people through a totally different viewpoint and you realize how unreliable was Mr. Moore's viewpoint from the first book. Some characters are much the same, while others are completely different. Sarah is more forceful. The Isaacson brothers are funnier than the first book. Cyrus and Dr. Kreizler are pretty much the same, although you do learn more about Dr. Kreizler's childhood which is only hinted at in the first book. The main character changes are Stevie, who turns out to be much more resourceful and much more emotional in his own viewpoint than from what Mr. Moore thought and Mr. Moore, the narrator of the first book. In that book he mentioned his drinking and his gambling, but in this book from Stevie's eyes he is a sloppy obnoxious drunk. In the first book you wondered why he and Sarah never hooked up. In this book you wonder why Sarah even has anything to do with him in the first place. Ok. The story is no longer about a serial killer but is about a woman who kills children and does it deliberately. Fighting against the prevailing Victorian morality that women are "naturally" more caring and nurturing, Dr. Kreizler tracks down the killer in the first 100 pages and then finds himself trying to convince anyone else to take the charges seriously. The meat of the book happens when Clarence Darrow hits the center stage. Darrow was that much of a forceful personality that no other lawyer has had so many movies or books written about him. He doesn't disappoint in this book either. As the defense counsel he manages to take an airtight case and shred it to pieces. While most depictions of Darrow have him as the hero, he is a lawyer after all and he takes his job seriously enough to defend his client to the best of his ability even if his client isn't a teacher that teaches evolution. In this book Darrow is the "villain" in a sense, but mostly he is just a very good lawyer doing his job and while you don't like him in the context of the story, you cannot help but respect and admire him. The parallels to the O.J. trial are probably intentional. Unfortunately the courtroom drama of the book stops about 70 pages before the ending and we are off on another chase. It's not that it's a bad chase but it is just a little too much like the first book to be suspenseful. There are also characters that you know are going to die before the end and you almost want to scream at the people around these characters. I know that's the convention of mystery novels, but you really like the soon-to-be-dead characters. So this is a great book for everyone who is into mysteries. It is less violent but just as intriguing as the first book. It departs nicely from the first book, but as it became its own book for awhile there, I was disappointed when it started rehashing scenes from the original. The only caveat to reading this book before the first one is that one of the characters that dies in the first book is alluded to in this book. You might want to read the first one if you don't want that plot twist spoiled for you.
Rating:
Summary: interesting and suspenful
Review: I really enjoyed the book as a wole and couldn't put it down unless i really had to go do something. I especially liked the intense atmosphere of the novel which greatly contributed to the suspense. The descriptions of old New York were great. I only have a few minor dislikes, the most important of which being the length of information it contains about its prequel, the Alienist. I haven't read that book yet and feel that a lot of the plot was given away unnecessarily. I also wish that Roosevelt and Darrow hadn't put in an appearance because those parts seemed slightly unrealistic. Other than that it was a great book and i recommend it to any suspense lover.
Rating: 
Summary: Great research
Review: The best thing about Caleb Carr's New York novels is their level of research. He recreates Gotham of the turn of the last century to a tee, with just a hint of Gothic effect to highlight his gruesome plotlines. This book, however, is not as exciting as The Alienist, as Carr tackles an important issue like women's identity in a changing world with a lot of good intention but not one smidgeon of authenticity or true compassion. The book is at its best when it departs from the main plot and its horrible Clarence Darrow tie-in and returns to the Lower East Side lives of the narrator, fourteen-year-old Stevie, and his girl Kat, where I found the truly moving drama and suspense of the novel. But sequels are seldom as good as originals, and for a Gotham-nut like me, the mere fact of Stevie's authentic voice (another Carr strong suit) was more than enough to make up for the pasted-on mystery plot.
Rating: 
Summary: Physiologically gripping
Review: ... Caleb Carr writes with even more impact then he did in 'TheAlienist' by going into what a women is capable of. The plot itself isslightly less gripping then the Alienist, but the overall physiology isn't something easily matched, It was great that we were able to view the group in a different light, Moore seems somewhat like a moron doesn't he? I hope that Caleb Carr will write another in this series if only so that we know more of the characters lives, in my opinion some this were left rather open in the end.
Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK IS WORTH IT!
Review: My completed reading of the book was a triumph over adversity. I was given a copy with the middle missing. I bought a copy, after searching all over Israel with singular lack of success, from Amazon. The pages fell out. I was sent another copy. I persevered because THIS BOOK IS WORTH IT ! In between the various intervals I acquired a copy of the Alienist. It was stolen (while I was in the middle) ! I bought another........ Excellent. It made me even more determined to acquire another copy of the Angel. Mr. Caleb Carr change your paperback publisher. The books are so badly produced - even the copy I have, from about page 400 to the end, the print is aslant on the page BUT IT IS A GREAT BOOK. I cried when Kat died. I laughed aloud at Roosevelt's "invasion". Is Stevie dying ? I feel I want to get all the answers, he has to be in "Sara's book" .....I haven't written much about the book in the review because I want to pique readers curiosity to read for themselves and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Worthy sequel to 'The Alienist'
Review: To tell you the truth,I find this book better then the first one. The story continues with the same charecters but a different host, this time a street smart Stevie and it looks more approcheble. The cast is great as before and story more fast moving.But it is the chemistry between Stieve and Kate which provides the BEAUTY of the book.The book is a perfect psycological thriller.
Rating:
Summary: Same procedure as last year?
Review: I was very pleased to rediscover my heroes from "The Alienist" in another novel, this time told from the perspective of young Taggart. While the book itself is flawless and offers the same fascinating profiling work we do know from "The Alienist", it's still not the same... I just wasnt able to get as impressed as I got with Carr's first novel... Its solid work, and I enjoyed the book, but "The Alienist" was so brilliant I guess its just too difficult to write on the same level all the time, even if you are a very talented author like Caleb Carr.
Rating:
Summary: The Angel of Darkness
Review: Absolutely gripping! Like an auto accident, you just can't look away. I had to read every word before putting it down. Very well grounded historical fiction. Exciting, heart-stopping and mortifying. Utterly intense!
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