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    The Angel of Darkness
    The Angel of Darkness
    The Angel of Darkness
    Audiobook (abridged)4 hours

    The Angel of Darkness

    Written by Caleb Carr

    Narrated by Boyd Gaines

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    In The Angel Of Darkness, Caleb Carr brings back the vivid world of his bestselling The Alienist but with a twist: this story is told by the former street urchin Stevie Taggert, whose rough life has given him wisdom beyond his years. Thus New York City, and the groundbreaking alienist Dr. Kreizler himself, are seen anew.
    It is June 1897. A year has passed since Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a pioneer in forensic psychiatry, tracked down the brutal serial killer John Beecham with the help of a team of trusted companions and a revolutionary application of the principles of his discipline. Kreizler and his friends -- high-living crime reporter Schuyler Moore; indomitable, derringer-toting Sara Howard; the brilliant (and bickering) detective brothers Marcus and Lucius Isaacson; powerful and compassionate Cyrus Montrose; and Stevie Taggert, the boy Kreizler saved from a life of street crime -- have returned to their former pursuits and tried to forget the horror of the Beecham case.
    But when the distraught wife of a Spanish diplomat begs Sara's aid, the team reunites to help her find her kidnapped infant daughter. It is a case fraught with danger, since Spain and the United States are on the verge of war. Their investigation leads the team to a shocking suspect: a woman who appears to the world to be a heroic nurse and a loving mother, but who may in reality be a ruthless murderer of children.
    Fast-paced and chilling, The Angel Of Darkness is another tour de force from Caleb Carr, a novel of modern evil in old New York.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateNov 1, 1997
    ISBN9780743541572
    The Angel of Darkness
    Author

    Caleb Carr

    Caleb Carr is the critically acclaimed author of The Alienist, The Angel of Darkness, The Lessons of Terror, Killing Time, The Devil Soldier, The Italian Secretary, The Legend of Broken, and Surrender, New York. He has taught military history at Bard College, and worked extensively in film, television, and the theater. His military and political writings have appeared in numerous magazines and periodicals, among them The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He lives in upstate New York.

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    Reviews for The Angel of Darkness

    4/5

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    • 3/5
      This is an old-style mystery, set in a town laden with interesting characters and people with motivations they keep to themselves. The daughter of an aide to the Spanish ambassador has been kidnapped, and, strangely, her father doesn't seem to want her back. It's a chunky book, filled with lots and lots of backstories, all of them fascinating, but perhaps not suitable for late night reading as I occasionally lost sight of the focus. So well-written, though, it deserves an afternoon read in front of a fire, especially with a snifter of brandy or something harsher at your side.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      This mystery, the second in a series, deals really interesting with both the psychological aspects of a murderer, but how people's perceptions of what a murder must look like, and who murderers can and can not be. To be more clear, the book deals with people's ideas about women, women's essential nature (or what they think it is), and mothering/nuturing. It's really interesting how societal blinders both allow certain behaviors to go on because because are willfully blind to it, and also traps women into certain behaviors because that is How Things Are. Great book. Not as fast paced as the "Alienist" but still quite interesting.On a total side note, there is a point in this book where the characters leave NYC and go to the wilds of...upstate NY. They take a boat and basically travel through various parts of upstate NY where I grew up. It's interesting to see how certain areas, Ballston Spa for example, have been economically depressed for oh the last century or so.
    • 5/5
      "Angel of Darkness" is Caleb Carr's wonderful sequel to late nineteenth historical crime drama set in NYC, "The Alienist". Carr brings back all of his primary characters, but moves the narrative perspective to the eyes and voice of the young Stevie Taggart, Did I enjoy the book? I stayed up until ridiculously early into the morning, in back-to-back evenings, and basically ignored my 3 kids and dog so that I could burn through the final 350 pages."Angel of Darkness" is part CSI, part "Law & Order", with maybe a pinch of Thomas Harris thrown in for good measure. The story revolves around a woman sought for and ultimately accused of murdering her own children. Numerous subplots are seamlessly woven into and around the core mystery, crime procedural, and courtroom drama, that ultimately unravels to a satisfying suite of conclusions. I wouldn't characterize the book as full of 'action', per se. There's a lot of chasing, talking, analyzing, gathering new information, and analyzing some more. Carr dedicates a lot of ink to the exploration of the female psyche, through the eyes of many of his characters, but particularly Dr. Kreizler and Sara Howard. Each shed light on the burgeoning intellectual pursuits of feminism and modern psychology near the turn of the century.Carr does a fantastic job of building the reader's experiences in the key locations of turn-of-the-century NYC and upstate NY. He displays a mastery of bubbling up the tension of the plot while teasing out key clues, all while incorporating a few enjoyable surprise visits from key personalities from this timeframe."Angel of Darkness" is enjoyable and satisfying, and is an extremely fast read even at it's 750 pages.
    • 3/5
      The story is told by Stevie Tagett's point of view.It's 1897 and someone attacks Senora Isabella Linares, wife of a Spanish official. They hit her on the head and steal her baby.Stevie Tagett is a former street urchin and street smart. He is with a team of characters; Sara Howard, who totes a derringer and just opened a PI business, John Schuyler Moore, a crime reporter, Marcus and Lucas Isaacson, New York City detectives. They are led by the analytical Dr. Laslo Kreizler.They find the details of the kidnapping and have Isabella go to an artest to make up a sketch of the attacker. With the copies of the sketch, the Isaacsons check police files and find a match. Nurse Elspeth Hunter, aka, Libby Hatch, who was investigated for a number of deaths in a New York Hospital. The children were under Libby's care and all died of the same respiratory ailment. Libby was questioned and resigned.The group comes to her home. She lets them in but they don't find any evidence of the child. Later, Stevie breaks into the home with an acquaintance who has a dog that can smell scents. They find a hidden room but the door is steel and they can't open it. The group gets hair fibers that they identify so they know Libby is involved but that's not enough evidence. Needing more proof, they travel up the Hudson by boat and go to upstate New York to learn more of Libby's background.The book goes into such extensive detail that it becomes too long. The slow reading causes the story to stall and interest to lag but there was a satisfactory resolution. It was very historical. The characters were interesting but fairly cardboard figures. Not much character build up but much historical information.The ending was satisfactory but also a relief to get there.
    • 5/5
      Sequel to The Alienist.A 14 month old baby is forcibly taken from the wife of an important member of the Spanish consulate in New York City. In 1897, tension between the United States and Spain, already high, is being ratcheted higher by the war parties of both nations. The abduction has the potential of setting off the spark that ignites a war.The mother, Se?ora Linares, appeals for help to Sara Howard, who has opened her own detective agency specializing in services for women. Sara, in turn, turns to her old colleagues for help in obtaining Ana Linares' return.The story is narrated by Stevie Taggart, writing in 1919 as part of a bet he has made with John Schuyler Moore, still an off-again, on-again journalist for The New York Times. At the time of the kidnapping, Stevie, still in his teens, was working for Dr. Lazlo Kreizler, the controversial "alienist" (psychiatrist). The old team assembles; when Kreizler and the others hear Se?ora Linares' story, they respond sympathetically and agree to search for Ana. True to Kreizler's principles, the team searches for the kidnapper's origins and motives as the way to track down Ana. What is uncovered along the way is a series of horrifying murders that both unnerve the members of the group and serve to complicate the search further.This is the foundation of the most terrifying thriller I have ever read, with a truly memorable villain. There is very little "mystery" to the story; the kidnapper's identity is known early on. The book has a deceptively slow start, but the tension builds remorselessly. At one point about 2/3 of the way through the book, I had to put it down; I was at the point where I was afraid to read further for fear of encountering the villain once more--I've never been so engaged before that I have deliberately chosen to break the tension. I give great credit to Carr's writing. In that respect, his style is deceptive because it does not depend on 4-letter words, obscenities, gory descriptions of mutilated bodies or other devices so well used and abused by other writers of the genre--the style is almost Victorian in keeping with the era--but on the subtle and extraordinary power of well-chosen words.All the old members of the investigative team are back--Moore, Howard, Kreizler himself, Cyrus, Stevie, and the Isaacson brothers. So is Theodore Roosevelt in a crucial role. In addition, in various well-written appearances, Clarence Darrow and Elizabeth Cady Stanton contribute to the twists and turns of the plot.The pace and tension never let up until the climax, which is a little far removed from the end of the book. However, this is a minor structural flaw. A word of advice: in order to fully appreciate this book, it really is necessary to read The Alienist. What is remarkable about the two books is their very different structure in terms of focus. The Alienist really concentrates on the characters of Lazlo and the others and they work against time to identify and capture a serial killer. Angel of Darkness concentrates far more on the actual search for the villain's origins--it's much more like a traditional police procedural. I think that part of the power of the book rests with the prior knowledge of the personalities involved and the complex interactions between and among them, which can only be fully appreciated from The Alienist. I find it remarkable that Carr took the risk of digressing from a best-selling approach to write a somewhat different book. In my opinion, the risk paid off spectacularly.Highly recommended. Too bad there's no rating higher than 5 stars.
    • 4/5
      Sequel to The Alienist. This time the story is told from the perspective of Stovepipe Stevie, Dr. Kreizler's adolescent charge and the investigation of fictional multi-murderess, Libby Hatch. Displays current ideas of the late 1800s, set in New York City and upstate New York, creating a feel for NY at the turn of the 20th century. Again both historical and fictitious characters are entwined convincingly, including Clarence Darrow, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
    • 5/5
      It is hard not to compare this to the Alienist even thought it is nothing like it. Same characters but a little older and more mature due to the happenings and tribulations of the first novel. Carr really fleshes out the lesser discussed characters like Stevie and Cyrus in this novel. The whole brawl at the end of the book is kind of cheesy but well done. Our little Philipino friend is kind of campy but understandable. All in all this a great book. Very suspenseful, and thought out. Our villain is a true villain. A very scary individual to say the least.
    • 4/5
      sequel to the worthwhile novel "The Alienist" i felt this book failed to live up to its predecessors potential. the cast of characters is much the same, but the intensity and charm of the first novel has been diluted and cannot be recaptured. the change of voice to a narrator that has difficulty maintaining a consistent voice was a poor choice, and the villain is both more a caricature and less interesting than the killer of the first tale.a less than stellar follow up effort.
    • 3/5
      This book is the sequel to The Alienist which I rated four stars. What I loved in that book was the sense of time and place--New York City during the "Gilded Age" of the 1890s. I loved the way Carr took us through a tour of my city through familiar streets and landmarks and loved the mix of mystery/thriller during an age when forensics, psychological and thriller was just emerging. So what went wrong here in the sequel I'd rate it so much lower? Well, first, I think the choice of narrator was a mistake. In the first book, that was John Shuyler Moore, a New York Times reporter who was an integral part of the investigative team headed by his close friend Laszlo Kreizler, an "alienist," ie a psychologist. This story is the first person account of a character much more peripheral to the investigation, Stevie Taggert, a young street smart kid employed by Kreizler. Carr tries to create a voice for Stevie of an urban Huckleberry Finn, which seems to consist mostly of replacing "that" with "what" and it grates, especially in a work of this length. And because Stevie isn't part of the investigation, Carr has him do thinks such as eavesdrop on conversations and other clunky devices to allow him to tell us what happens. And there's that length. I've often noticed that the problem with successful authors, from Stephen King to Tom Clancy, is that as a result of success they gain a lot more leeway which often leads to bloat--and this is the case with The Angel of Darkness. I found The Alienist at a bit less than 500 pages a fairly taut thriller--I certainly was never bored. That wasn't the case with the sequel, at almost 750 pages, which often dragged and I wasn't half-way before I was skipping to the end to find out what happened, since I was no longer willing to wade through hundreds of pages. Yes, I get it. Woman can be violent, can be evil, and the Victorian tendency to put them on a pedestal doesn't do any one any good. But really, Libby Hatch--and we learn her identity very early in the book killing any suspense--isn't anywhere near as fascinating to me as Carr seems to feel she is.
    • 1/5
      I really loved The Alienist, so I was eager to read this one...what a disappointment! Not nearly as good - I could barely make myself finish it.
    • 5/5
      A crack team of investigators looks into an unusual kidnapping.This is the sort of book you just want to wallow in: big and detailed and evocative, and ponderous in the best way possible. It?s slow, yes, but it?s never boring. I was always more than eager to dip back into the story.THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS is that rare, wonderful thing: a book with an equal focus on plot and character. Every scene, every detail, either adds to our understanding of these characters or furthers the plot. Often, it does both. It?s beautifully done, and it made this book a joy to read. I cared about these people, and I wanted to see them bring the criminal to justice. I was glad it took them so long to do it, as it let me spend more time with them.Carr builds his world with such care that it?s tough to tell what?s real and what?s invented. Plenty of historical figures make cameos of varying lengths; Franz Boas?s brief appearance tickled me pink, and I?m sure other readers will be pleased to see the likes of Clarence Darrow and Theodore Roosevelt play their roles in the story. Their integration is seamless; these folks work very well indeed alongside Carr?s fictional protagonists. The settings, likewise, are blended into the story so nicely that this non-New Yorker found it impossible to tell what was imaginary and what really exists outside the author?s mind. I had a blast with it.And the forensics? man, did I ever love the forensics! The book is set in 1897, so sciences like fingerprinting and ballistics are brand new. I found it fascinating to watch the investigators employ these new techniques, and I shared their frustration when they found it impossible to convince others of the truth behind their findings.I did find the second half slightly less enjoyable than the first, but I think this was mostly a momentum thing. I had something of a forced break from the book. I doubt I'd have had a problem if I'd read the whole thing straight through, sans interruptions.All in all, this was a fantastic book. I enjoyed the hell out of it, and I?m looking forward to reading more of Carr?s work. I do think it?s a shame, though, that he?s only published one other book featuring these characters. There are hints, here and there, that he originally planned at least one more book. I?d love to read it.
    • 4/5
      Dragged a bit but quite readable.
    • 5/5
      Another great book by Caleb Carr. I find myself wishing there was a whole series with these characters that follows the development and use of forensic profiling. The book is well-written for the times it is set in which I gather we can thank the author and his research for. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves history, thrillers and mysteries, or the TV show "Criminal Minds". This book reminded me of that show quite a bit.
    • 4/5
      I liked this novel alot and plan on reading The Alienist in the near future. It seems as though a decade of creative energy and research produced it. Intense character development takes place as the plot unfolds with definite suprises. Teddy Roosevelt and the pygmy El Nino seem unlikely characters but one must remember that this is a crime novel with a historical setting in turn-of-the-century New York not historical fiction portraying a real series of events. Some women may not like content of this novel out of context and people of Irish ancestry may just not like it. It is a stand-alone novel although it has primary characters and setting are those of the earlier novel, The Alienist. I hope Caleb Carr writes more novels(or short stories) in the "Alienist world"8-)
    • 3/5
      Not as compelling a read as The Alienist, but still a decent story. After The Alienist, however, a bit of a let-down.
    • 5/5
      Another excellent novel by Caleb Carr. His descriptions are amazing to say the least. I felt like I was there. It wasn't quite as fulfilling, for me, as the first book, The Alienist, But still very suspenseful.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this as much as or perhaps a little more than the Alienist. I read this in 3 days - just could not stay away from the book..
    • 4/5
      The sequel to The Alienist. Not quite as good as the original, but it comes pretty close.
    • 4/5
      This book, and the Alienist, were such joys to read... historically interesting and filled with detail. I thought his move to narrarate from a different perspective in each book was brilliant. I only wish he kept writing this series!
    • 3/5
      Angel of Darkness
      3 Stars

      The first book in this duology, The Alienist is absolutely brilliant and I cannot recommend it enough. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the sequel.

      Although the basic premise of an investigation into a female serial killer in 1897 has potential and the characters both historical and fictitious are well developed and interesting, the writing is excessively descriptive and repetitious, and the endless narration completely drowns out the plot.

      With a good editor Angel of Darkness could be an exciting and fast paced read that offers some profound insight into the lives of women in the late 19th century. It is a pity that it all gets bogged down in the unrestrained word count.
    • 4/5
      Follow-up book to The Alienist. I enjoyed this one more than the first. It is less of a mystery and more of a character study of the villian in question.
    • 5/5
      Early on in the book, I thought I wouldn't like this as much as I did _The Alienist_. But what I didn't realize then was that this book has different strengths from the first of the Kreizler books. While the first was imbued with the details of period New York and the giddiness of then-revelatory new methods merging detection and the sciences, _Angel_'s strength is in drama. From the gripping highs and lows of the courtroom to Herr Doctor's internal conflict to the harsh emotional journey of Stevie Taggart, this book raked me over the coals. I want to simultaneously hug and smack Carr for what he put me through.
    • 4/5
      I was very excited to begin reading this book because I enjoyed reading the Alienist and I also really enjoyed the Italian Secretary. I was especially excited when I came across this book because it involves another case of the same group of characters as the Alienist. This time the story is told through the eyes of young Stevie Taggert, the boy that Doctor Kreizler saved from the streets. When the distraught wife of a Spanish diplomat begs the aid of Sara Howard in the search of her abducted infant baby girl, Sara realizes that she is going to have to reunite the team at 808 Broadway if she has any chance of success at finding the child. This case is especially dangerous given the fact that at this time in history the United States is on the brink of war with Spain. The investigation quickly leads them to one woman who seems on the outside to be a loving nurse and mother but is actually a ruthless murderer of children and adults. If you can get through the beginning, which can seem a little slow at times, the rest of the novel is very fast paced with some excellent plot twists. I really liked the idea of allowing this case to be told from one of the other characters perspectives. Stevie Taggert is able to give readers excellent details about the underworld street life in New York City. He is also able to gives us a different perspective on all of the other characters and their relationships with each other. I especially enjoyed his thoughts on Mr. Moore since he was the narrator of the Alienist and I love reading Stevie interpretations about Moore?s character. This book also involves a lot of details about early forensic science, and psychology. It is filled with wonderful details about how this group of people uses the new sciences to uncover the hidden life of the murderer and kidnapper. Another excellent thing about this book is that it gives us a glimpse into some major historical figures such as Theodore Roosevelt, Clarence Darrow, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Albert Pinkham Ryder. The Alienist is really a tough act to follow and I did like it better than this book, but I thought it was a worthy sequel and I can?t wait for the next book!
    • 2/5
      I found it hard to get into and generally less satisfying than the Alienist, which I enjoyed tremendously
    • 4/5
      The Angel of Darkness is easily compared to a late 1800's version of a "Criminal Minds" episode.The story is set in Manhattan and the fringe area around New York, and includes many familiar historical and political characters, as well as businesses of the era.The author does an excellent job of portraying the common "thought" of the era. At every juncture in history before the dawn of a new century (1897) there appears to be some mile-markers that resonate in the minds of the population. Some notable, some notorious. The author paints this well in his plot.The story narration, comes from one of the characters, Steve Taggert (alias- "Stevepipe", given for his adept ability with an 11 inch piece of lead pipe). With only a few months to a year left to live, he looks into the past to give us the inside facts of how the tale unfolds.Several viable characters quickly assemble themselves as a task force to apprehend an elusive and criminally manipulative villain by the name of Elspeth Hunter (alias- Libby Hatch), a ruthless mass murderer of children and black widow to a few hapless husbands.The team: Psychologist- Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, an investigative journalist- John Schuyler Moore of the NY Times, a private investigator- Sara Howard, a pair of Jewish police investigators- Lucius and Marcus Isaacson, along with Stevie and Cyrus- Dr. Kreizler's assistants.The story surrounds the detailed investigation, apprehension, and prosecution of their suspect.The story is rich in content with frequent morbid and gruesome scenes for the macabre enthusiast and fairly fast paced for 626 pages.The Angel of Darkness will seem to get off to a slow start to those which have already read part one, The Alienist, by Caleb Carr, but to those which are jumping in on this, part two, will be rewarded by a standalone sequel.
    • 5/5
      A rollicking tale, well told. I'm glad I read it again, as I'd only remembered how much I enjoyed it, but no details. A pity that the author went off the rails and is a weirdo now. Good thing his mantle has been picked up by people like Lindsay Faye (The Gods of Gotham). Whew.
    • 1/5
      I don't want to waste any more time on a long drawn out stories that move at a snails pace. If you are real familiar with New York and its history and architecture, the historical back drop of the novel will keep you interested. For me it was too much detail and not much substance. Boring
    • 5/5
      This was one of the most exciting books I've ever read. As I was reading it I felt that there was no possible way that this could get any better, that was until I turned to the next page. Bravo Mr. Carr. All I ask is that you please write more, and soon.
    • 5/5
      I love the cast of characters. Fantastic sequel!
    • 4/5
      Like most second books in a series, this novel was not quite as good as the first. (Just last month I finished Jeffrey Deaver?s The Coffin Dancer, which I felt was not nearly as good as The Bone Collector.) But The Angel of Darkness came close.I, unlike some reviewers, liked the way Mr. Carr gave this book another ?voice?, namely young Stevie. I enjoyed his unsophisticated point-of-view, which I found refreshing after John Moore?s high-strung narration in The Alienist. Stevie was one of my favorite characters in the first book, so I may be biased.If and when Mr. Carr ever writes the next story in this series, I hope he continues to let another player narrate, especially if it?s Sara Howard. I?d love to read a good thriller led by her!I didn?t think that this plot was as strong as the first book. We found out who the suspect was very early in the story, then the rest was just building a case against her. I?m not a big fan of courtroom dramas, so this part did not really appeal to me. The Alienist was all about hunting down the killer, which I think is much more exciting.As a stand-alone novel, The Angel of Darkness was great -- much better than others I have read. If I didn?t have The Alienist to compare it to, I would probably give this one 5 stars. One other complaint -- when is Caleb Carr going to write number three?!