Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr

8 reviews

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is another atmospheric and horrifying look at the crimes of a woman at a time when it was impossible to think of women as anything other than nurturing. It brings back the beloved characters from The Alienist, but this is narrated by a different member of the team, Stevie, a young pickpocket turned detectives’ assistant. His outlook is more knowing and his language grittier than that of the highbrow NYT reporter who narrated the first book. 

Caleb Carr is so deft with language and style that we clearly see the underside of turn of the (last) century NY through the eyes of someone all too familiar with its seediness. There are some funny bits here, especially with Mike the ferret (a literal ferret, not a criminal name) as he bonds with Stevie in preparation for a mission. All the characters are again fleshed out into real people; none is just background filler. 

I first read this when it came out in 1997, but rereading it was eye opening. Having just finished Carr’s memoir of his lifelong love of cats, beginning in his horrible childhood, I was shocked to see he dedicated this book to his parents. However, I liked the jab under the dedication: Teddy Roosevelt’s “It is not having been in the dark house, but having left it, that counts.” As I moved through the book I was delighted to see that the whole thing is a F*** You to the alcoholic parents who abused him for so long. I just wish I knew their response to it. 

Caleb Carr’s recent death is a huge loss for his readers. I’m now hoping to read or reread his books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

sappypatheticm's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Racism, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and War

Minor: Rape

frostedcelt's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Murder

peachmoni's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

myantigone's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

ticktock's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder

lilifane's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

alexdicanio's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Omg I love this book. It kept me entertained from beginning to end. I loved the new point of view in this second book. I thought that it would be from Moore’s perspective again, but I really love reading from Stevie’s. There were several funny moments, even given the dark plot. This is written so well, I felt like I was right there alongside the characters trying to solve the case. Like the first book, it does have a slow pace, but I really appreciate that. It was done so well and the build up did not feel like it was dragging the story down. I am so excited to read the third book in this series, which unfortunately doesn’t come out until September of 2022. This is definitely on my list of all time favorites. So great.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Blood, and Medical content

Minor: Animal death, Gun violence, and Infertility