A review by restated
The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr

2.0

SpoilerI really enjoyed the first book in the series, but the further I got into this one the messier and more disappointing it got. Part of that is personal preference - I have never met a tense courtroom scene I didn't find excruciating, no matter how well it's handled. The other part is trickier. While the first book did an ok job of portraying the attitudes of the time while also being extremely clear about addressing the damage they cause, the second book struggled hard. I do not understand why the author made one particular ongoing unexamined character choice - it came across as both uncomfortably comedic and tremeeeeendously outdated.

The entire ending was baffling. And fridging one woman is a mistake, but twice is a pattern. UGH truly I am disappointed. There were moments when this had the same charm as the first but it couldn't make up for everything else.