Reviews

Surrender, New York by Caleb Carr

anfweldon's review against another edition

5.0

I received this novel through the Goodreads Giveaway. This was an extremely long and it did take a while to finish. It did start out a bit slow, which made sense since the novel is about 600 pages. Once you get past the first hundred pages it becomes even more interesting. The relationship between the characters is extremely entertaining. It was nice to read how the characters solved each new murder and problem that occurred. While I might not recommend this novel to just anyone due to its length, I would recommend this to those whose enjoy reading.

prgchrqltma's review against another edition

3.0

This book didn't hold my interest, so I DNF'ed after a couple of tries. I think an editor should have cut out all the places where the author got on a soapbox about forensics, the decline of NYC, the decline of rural NY... The plot would no sooner get going than it would be interrupted by a digression of opinions.

lindz524's review against another edition

1.0

LT and mike are awful and Luke saved this book. Lacking the charm of the LK books and including what often felt a lot like racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, fat shaming under the guise of jokes. The whole book just made me
Cringe and it lasted way too long.

marysaandbooks's review against another edition

3.0

I think there are a lot of things wrong with this book that push people away and cause it to receive its low ratings and DNFs. Caleb Carr is an amazing writer, but he has tendencies to aggravate the crap out of me by giving way too much detail and by adding subplots into his books that simply aren't needed nor believable. He'll spend an entire page talking about four different routes to get from Surrender to Albany, eight pages babbling on about the internal complexities of his main character, and its hard to follow. Despite Carr's faults, I always come back to his books because he knows how to write a good story. The whodunit plot of Surrender, New York is truly an impressive read, with some (albeit cliche) plot twists that seriously made me want to physically attack fictional characters. I think the problem with this book was the way it was presented, not the overall story. Surrender, New York, has nothing on the Alienist, but it has promise hidden beneath it.

sculptress's review against another edition

4.0

I am so glad that after years on my book shelve I have read this book. I am sad that it has received so many 1 star reviews. I however found this book although LONG. Very thought provoking, funny, intriguing and informative. It is obvious that the author is a historian and that helps to know when reading this book. This story of throwaway teenagers and the fate of a small group of them is a real whodunit. But on the way through the investigation you met some complex charcaters who educate you in mental and physical trauma, political corruption. American history racial issues, police issues even the history of the aeroplane then is used as an office and how and why it is there. I have read the aliens and the protagonist in that and the sequel also makes an appearance in this book. This book is so much more than a thriller/whodunit but you need time to give it all your attention. There were times that I could see the twists coming but that didn't spoil my enjoyment Thank you Celeb. I have one last book of yours to read.

bretts_book_stack's review against another edition

2.0

Ultimately, what a disappointment! I loved his first two books so much, and reading that this was even partially connected to 'The Alienist' I was really interested in it. However, the association is slim at best beginning and ending with Trajan Jones as a modern day criminal psychologist who has extensively studied the work of Dr Laszlo Kreisler, the Alienist from Carr's first book. He's paired with a wisecracking partner named Mike Li, who seems vaguely like the Vince Masuka character from "dexter' in temperament. Therein was the central problem of this book for me; Everything felt like a rehash of something else. Trajan feels like he might as well have been transported from the nineteenth century in his bearing and dialogue, while he's surrounded by a group of contemporary contemporaries who swear alot and feel like they're in another story as well as another century. I'm also hardly ever this person, but I figured out a major plot reveal early enough that when it finally got revealed it just colored the last one hundred pages of the book as weakly constructed as the CSI shows Trajan rails about endlessly. That became my other beef. I really was patient for the first half with the long explanations and the minutiae regarding their jobs, but that said, there's a reason it took me nearly ten days to finish this thing. It isn't that compelling.

katiecks's review against another edition

2.0

I couldn't get into it

anneaustex's review against another edition

3.0

I've just been on an incredible journey with Caleb Carr and his characters. This forensic mystery wrapped around the deaths of 4 throwaway kids was both demanding and enticing. Each time I would put the book down I was anxious to get back to the story. I liked the characters of Trajan, Mike, Lucas and Marcianna so much that I stressed about them as much as I did about the missing children. As the profilers, Trajan and Mike faced lies and corruption they also chipped away at the facts that pointed them toward the solution to the case.

Lots of characters, twists and turns filled the pages that might have run on just a bit too long but I was in it for the long haul. Is this book the setup for a repeat appearance by these characters?

anrobe's review against another edition

1.0

could not finish ... just never connected. Letting this one go.

biblio_beth's review against another edition

2.0

I had a very hard time with this book. I think the author has taken the prose of The Alienist and tried to force it into a more contemporary backdrop. The story itself was very convoluted and the extreme use of profanity did nothing but detract from the story. The only character I liked was Marcianna, Trajan Jones' "rare African hunting dog". It just didn't work for me.