A review by kitdunsmore
The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr

5.0

Another page turner that I could not put down. Except for using the same characters and setting (and also being a good read), this story is really different from its predecessor. Again, a psychologist and his detective friends go after a serial killer, but this time they know exactly who they are after much earlier in the game. Result: a much scarier story in which we are constantly aware of the murderer and afraid for our heroes at every turn. As in the first book, the mystery is slowly unraveled over time and leads to a dramatic confrontation with lots of danger and violence along the way. Another 19th-century procedural, complete with courtroom drama, and just as satisfying as the first book was to read.
It's not however a perfect book. I got annoyed with the choice of narrator whose voice is uneven. Supposedly he grew up on the streets and got a good if informal education later, but there were plenty of times when paragraphs full of technical details and grammatically perfect first-person prose were followed by slangy and folksy language that was jarring. However, my desire to know what happens next overpowered my irritation. The level of intrusion of historical detail on the story was about the same as for The Alienist.
Overall, engrossing and well worth reading.