THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS
by Caleb Carr
Although I have never reviewed Caleb Carr’s earlier book, The Alienist, I find myself recommending it all the time to people who want an engrossing, fast-paced and smart book. Its wide appeal is, I’m sure, why Amazon Prime made a series out of it. It took me a few years to read the sequel, The Angel of Darkness, but I was not disappointed.
In many ways Carr picks up right where he leaves off in The Alienist, as barely a year has passed. But our narrator this time is the young ruffian Stevie Taggert, and he is telling the story from some 20 years on. For those who haven’t read either book, they center on a group of social misfits in late 1800’s New York City. In each book they use their various talents, led by the alienist (psychologist) Lazlo Krietzler, to solve a series of murders and catch the perpetrators. In The Alienist they are gruesome and related to the flourishing sex trade. Angel starts with the disappearance of a little girl and goes from there.
I won't give away any more of the plot because the twists and turns are brilliant and very hard to summarize. Carr’s writing is full of historic details that bring not only the characters but their time and environment so vividly to life I promise you will not forget this book. (Lily)
