New York: A Novel, Surrender

A disturbing crime and a clever plot, but the story could be told in half the time. Some passages evinced a need to sound erudite. If that sounds stilted, just read the book. Too many sixty word sentences. At least mine was short.

Caleb Carr's book, The Alienist , has been a favorite of mine. I recommend it often and have a copy. Frankly, I find it difficult to believe that he wrote this book. What a disappointment, on every level . Unnecessarily complex, to keep the reader from seeing through a misogynistic rant..spoiler alert...the "hero" becomes involved with an underage woman described as half his age. The sex scenes, meant to be what, exactly , left me cold. I had to skip over more than one detailed description . The sorrowful tale of throwaway children , suicide , duplicity at every level of government , (yet again , a woman is to blame ) was hard going. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

Having read a couple of his previous books I eagerly signed up to receive this as soon as released. Wished I had waited. The writing is stolid, the plot convoluted and improbable, and the work is marred by the inclusion of a service cheetah. You will very quickly tire of this cat. He grinds several axes in this unfortunate novel. One is the corruption of forensics by the prosecution. The reader is bludgeoned by this discussion nearly to death. Then he works over the unnamed governor of NY. I got the impression he was not a progressive and thus suspect of nefarious deefds. He even got around to implying that the war between the states was fought to free the slaves. By this logic, WW II was fought togrre the Jews. Just don't buy this book. If you want to read something by Carr, take up eithretr of his two previous novels.

Surrender, New York is an intricate and weighty book. I get the sense that some negative reviewers are turned off by the complexity of Carr's writing and might be disappointed if they are comparing this story to The Alienist. This is not a Laszo Kreizler book (to expect it to be is unfair), rather it is a look at how Kreizler's work can used in our modern age, an age in which television shows featuring forensics and crime scene investigations can be found on almost every channel. It also explores corruption in Carr's characteristically unflinching manner.

I loved the main character, Dr. Trajan Jones. I felt that his relationship with young Lucas seemed to mirror Kreizler's rescuing of Stevie in The Alienist and I found that immensely satisfying. Marcianna steals the show, though, and Carr's depiction of her is beautifully written with the respect such an elegant, yet wild, animal deserves. Carr also peppers the narrative with quite a few cinematic, musical, and literary references that were fun additions to the story. (He used a line from Medea in a particularly poignant way that resonated with me, I have to say.)

I've read several reviews that despair about the length of Carr's writing. Personally, I adore literature that challenges me and that provides the deep characterization found in each of Caleb Carr's books. If you are the type of reader that longs for a quick 'beach read' or dumbed-down plots of pure escapism, his books will not be for you. As I said before, it's a weighty book as all Caleb Carr books are. It's what I love about them. I often find myself speeding through books and I inevitably end up longing for something deliciously complicated. Long, twisted sentences that are leading deeper and deeper into the author's world. This is why my tastes usually run to the classics and this is also why I love this book. Carr fills this need. In The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness, his writing perfectly matches the tone and style of great Victorian literature. I found that I enjoyed seeing that same style in a novel set in the 21st century. Is it for everyone? Decidedly not. But if you are a reader who enjoys a challenge as well as a thought-provoking story, this is for you.

I bought this book both because I enjoyed The Alienist and because Caleb Carr is the son of one of the beat poets (Lucien Carr). Unfortunately, I think his editor must have been sick that day! I'm currently on page 451 and I still have no idea how the book will end! I need to get over buying books on the basis of his being the son of a beat poet! I'm going to try and finish the book (it's 600+ pages!) but I don't know if I'll manage to do that. It's way too long with too many digressions.

This is a thoughtful psychological thriller by the author of two prior best-sellers. Young boys and girls are murdered and their bodies are displayed in a bizarre ritualistic manner, but the purpose and meaning of the ritual, why youngsters are chosen for it, what distinguishes them from other people of their age and those who are younger and older, why it was necessary to kill them, how the youths are related to each other and their killer is obscure. An expert in psychology and in trace evidence are called in to address the issues.
The plot is intense, fascinating, interesting, and attention grabbing. It is a delightful thriller. Some readers of this 608-page volume stated in their reviews that they felt the book could have been shortened. This is certainly true. But a shortened Reader’s Digest-type version of Surrender, New York would be like cutting Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Sure, it too could have been abridged but to do so would have left out material that would diminish the depth of the subject. Carr gives his readers an in-depth analysis of characters, the difficulties involved in the of the search and how the problems were resolved, and the breadth of the psychology underlying the perpetrator and the men who attempted to penetrate his unusual mind.

I have to confess: I feel guilty writing a review about this book, because I did not read it. I couldn't. I'd get to page 4 and fall asleep. The next night, I'd make it to page 7, and fall asleep. Then I couldn't remember what I'd read, so I'd have to go back and start over. It was dry as dust and boring as hell. Buy at your own risk. I want my money back.

I really enjoyed "The Alienist", Carr's earlier work, from start to finish. I found this book to have a very good last 150 - 200 pages ... out of 600. Overall, I think it was a bit overwritten and laden with opinion presented as dialogue. A little too much editorializing and banter between characters that doesn't forward the plot nor deepen the character development very much. The characters are interesting and I would have enjoyed a little more back story about their relationships, especially between the Drs. Jones and Li, the protagonists. The underlying issue of the plot is compelling and there are a couple of good twists. Once I hit that last third of the book, I could hardly put it down.

Caleb Carr is an artist, a skilled practitioner of the craft of fiction. As such he writes only what intrigues him and what he passionately believes in. The manhandling and casual dispatch of children and society's willful refusal to confront it is a recurring theme. Carr places his characters in varying settings, i.e. New York City at the turn of the 19th century, upstate New York at the turn of the 20th, to lend the topic the universality it deserves. The results are his and his alone and they are results he can be proud of. This book displays his range as story-teller and expert in the field. There is little he does not master in the area of forensics that profilers and investigators face with every crime. Carr keeps the narrative bubbling while supplying a fascinating in depth study of how experts crack the code of criminal behavior. The work proves a most rewarding read as the alluring landscape of upstate New York becomes the canvass on which the complex plot of child exploitation and murder is painted in full and lively color. Trust this author; he knows what he's writing about.

Surrender NY is as organic as farm to table. That is not to say boring, but the subtle flavors and substance might not satisfy if you're in the mood for sensational fast food. The characters run deep. They don't just have reputations, they have ancestors, ever present and hovering like ghosts. They also engage in inappropriate romances that could potentially interfere with their judgement which creates waves of conflict. One of the leads keeps a very unusual pet, but true to form, the animal plays an integral and metaphorical role: the tamed savage beast, the natural intuition, the wilderness within. The dialogue doesn't just move plot forward, the conversations fuel interpersonal dynamics. This being a book about criminal profiling it makes perfect sense that psychology takes precedence over action. The disturbing story, about a string of children dying in a provincial back-water area of upstate New York, is deeply rooted in the setting. The crime is homegrown, inventive but not too far fetched, a fiction that could happen, might have happened. As the rising death count takes a toll, it serves to add texture and up the stakes while the story delves deeper into the web of conspiracy. The case roils with local law enforcement biodiversity, and the two leads step into a swamp that has attracted local police, state troupers, FBI and corrupt state officials that lead to the governor's doorstep. Trying to shed light on the truth in the face of high-level cover-up, instead of seeking evidence to prove a theory, the two leads have earned their crime solving credentials by exploring theories that place the evidence into a new context. This book depends on threads, not revelations, to unravel the tangles of evil. Solving the mystery of the dead children depends on context, not chronology, fertilized by the rich history, the colorful personalities, the twisted relationships and the corrupt politics of the area. As it happens the two leads, illustrious experts in their field, have taken up residence in this backwater after being exiled from high level positions in New York city law enforcement. Outsiders, fueled by outrage, they pursue all leads and refuse to surrender despite the consequences. Fearlessly shaking the tree, they know that every crop has a few bad apples and the ones with worms eventually rise to the top.

This frustratingly arduous exercise in excessive banal banter, ridiculous immature unnecessary profanity, with a plot and characters as shallow as a bathroom spill, needed a. Serious editing and b. Never to have been purchased by me. Reading this book was a an unretrievable time loss. One star which is undeserved....better a black spot.

I very much enjoyed this book. An intriguing story about some very nasty people. The character development was especially strong. Fascinating details in the mix of physiological and psychological forces at work. Loved the cheetah. I was hoping to see more connection with Krietzler and the Alienist era. A good read.

I have followed Caleb Carr since his first book. Each book seems to be a new departure on his journey as an author, not all of which succeeds. That said, "Surrender" is a compelling story which may dig too deep into details, but it is a great read. In this reading, his prose and character development are at the top of his game.

This book is fantastic and lives up to the expectations of being a Caleb Carr novel in the Kreizler universe. It is a very well-researched and written novel that takes its time unfolding. Do not pay attention to the reviews lambasting the length or the languid pace in which it seems to unfold. Those complaints are not warranted. Since this is not a cheap thriller churned out to be read in a single sitting, it should be savored. Allow yourself some time to become acquainted with the environment and characters that he has created. The pacing is deliberate.

This is a beautiful book with an important message. I hated for it to end! Here's hoping for a sequel.

Reading this book is like trying to decipher a complex algebraic equation. Mr. Carr seems to have never met a comma that he didn't love. The run on sentences make my head want to explode. Reading this book is my punishment for paying for it.