A review by fjsteele
The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr

3.0

After reading the Alienist with great appreciation (it's hard to say enjoyment when the topic of the novel is so disturbing), I continued immediately to Angel of Darkness. Although it seemed much, much too long, with some fairly outrageous "deus ex machina" moments, what began to trouble me was not those features of the narrative but the sense of a substantial underlying misogyny required in order to perpetuate the logic of both novels. While "Miss Howard" is a very interesting character, whose pluck and intelligence I appreciate, I am troubled by the pattern within the two books that suggest that love and meaningful relationships are generally impossible.