The Death Instinct

Starred review from November 8, 2010
The 1920 bombing of Wall Street, the most deadly act of terrorism in the United States until the Oklahoma blast of 1995, provides the framework for Rubenfeld's excellent follow-up to The Interpretation of Murder. The sweeping plot details the baffling hunt for those responsible for the death and injury of more than 400 New Yorkers. Numerous intriguing subplots snake out from the main story line, several of which bring such historical figures as Marie Curie, famous for her radium experiments, and Sigmund Freud, who had a significant role in the previous book, to life. Rubenfeld deftly wends his way through the shifting landscape with a historian's factual touch and a storyteller's eye for the dramatic and telling. Readers will be enthralled as Dr. Stratham Younger, the hero of The Interpretation of Murder—aided by his beautiful fiancée, scientist Colette Rousseau, and Det. James Littlemore—manages to solve the Wall Street bombing, something that the real authorities never did.

November 15, 2010

Terrorism, political conspiracies and financial shenanigans combine in the latest from Rubenfeld (The Interpretation of Murder, 2006, etc.).

The year is 1920, and it's a beautiful September day in New York City. Dr. Stratham Younger and Captain James Littlemore are escorting Colette Rousseau to lunch. Younger is a physician, a jaded veteran of the killing fields of World War I. Rousseau is a radiochemist, a technician trained by Madame Curie to use portable X-ray machines on the battlefields to diagnose the wounded. Suddenly a bomb explodes on Wall Street. Dozens are dead and hundreds are wounded. Littlemore is a police detective, and soon he and his friends are caught up in the mystery. The Federal Government blames anarchists. Thomas Lamont of J.P. Morgan Bank links the explosion to a banking embargo against Mexico. That evening Rousseau and Luc, her young brother, are mysteriously, briefly kidnapped. Rousseau then convinces Younger to sail with her to Europe to seek help from Dr. Sigmund Freud for Luc, mute since witnessing German soldiers murder his parents. There are hints of a romance between Younger and Rousseau, but Rousseau is worried about her brother, and she's also determined to find a former German soldier from her past. History buffs will enjoy Rubenfeld's introductions to assorted characters—Marie Curie, Serb assassins and movers-and-shakers from Woodrow Wilson's cabinet. Adding political and financial corruption to uncover, manipulators to expose and a war with Mexico to prevent might make the plot seem too complex, but no loose end is left untied, and only one or two insignificant anachronisms should trouble the most sophisticated reader.

An intriguing literary mystery mixing fact and fiction.

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Starred review from November 15, 2010

This action-packed historical thriller chronicles the real-life unsolved bombing of a Wall Street bank on September 16, 1920, that killed or injured more than 400 people. New York City police officer James Littlemore and World War I veteran Dr. Stratham Younger witness the explosion and get drawn into the investigation. Also present is Frenchwoman Colette Rousseau, who met Younger during the war when she had been trained by Madame Curie to operate a portable X-ray machine on the battlefields. Now she is visiting New York to raise money to buy radium for Curie's experiments, and several attempts have been made to kidnap her. Rubenfeld weaves together the story lines of the Wall Street bombing and the attacks on Rousseau, along with an extended flashback of Younger's experiences in France during the war. Sigmund Freud also makes a guest appearance, as he psychoanalyzes both Rousseau and her mute younger brother. VERDICT Rubenfeld's debut, The Interpretation of Murder, proved his skillful use of historical detail to create a compelling tale of psychological suspense. He's only gotten better. Strongly recommended for fans of Matthew Pearl, Caleb Carr, and other historical thriller authors. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 8/10.]--Laurel Bliss, San Diego State Univ. Lib., CA

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2010
The destruction of the World Trade Center was not New Yorks first terrorist attack. In 1920, a bomb blast on Wall Street sent cars tumbling and bodies flying. Rubenfelds novel, opening with the explosion, has the feel of a historical mystery. A cop and his sidekick are on the scene at once. The investigation begins. A witness to the explosion recalls seeing something that didnt belong but cant recall it. Thriller under way? Well, not exactly. Suddenly were into a 30-page World War I flashback. Then we visit Vienna for tea with Doctor Freud. We learn of Marie Curies work with radium. The sidekick has a rocky time with his love life, and we learn all about it. This fat book is heir to Caleb Carrs The Alienist, using the detective format as a chance to wander in the past. Rubenfeld ends with an explanation of the 1920 attack that finds parallels to 9/11. The leads are witty, and the prose is elegant. But readers should prepare to wallow in the book and take it slowly.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)