Joint Review: Surrender, New York by Caleb Carr

Author: Caleb Carr
Publisher: Random House
Date of publication: August 2016

In the small town of Surrender in upstate New York, Trajan Jones, a psychological profiler, and Dr. Michael Li, a trace evidence expert, teach online courses in profiling and forensic science from Jones’s family farm. Once famed advisors to the New York City Police Department, Trajan and Li now work in exile, having made enemies of those in power. Protected only by farmhands and Jones’s unusual pet cheetah, the outcast pair is unexpectedly called in to consult on a disturbing case.

In rural Burgoyne County, a pattern of strange deaths has emerged: adolescent boys and girls are found murdered in gruesome fashion. Senior law enforcement officials are quick to blame a serial killer, yet their efforts to apprehend this criminal are peculiarly ineffective.

Jones and Li soon discover that the victims are all “throwaway children,” a new state classification of young people who are neither orphans, runaways, nor homeless, but who are abandoned by their families and left to fend for themselves. Two of these throwaways, Lucas Kurtz and his older sister, cross paths with Jones and Li, offering information that could blow the case wide open.

Autumn and I were eagerly waiting the release of this book. Both of us are fans of The Alienist and Angel of Darkness. I even liked Killing Time!  Unfortunately, Autumn was much more patient than I was.  This book was dreadful.  I DNF'd at about 30%.  I was so bored.  I know there is a good book in there somewhere, but I just didn't have the patience to wait for it.  I am glad Caleb Carr is writing again, but he really needs a better editor.  This book probably could have been cut in half and been a good solid mystery.


I finished it, but I think that was more out of loyalty to the author.  I think if someone else had written this book, I probably would have DNFed it.  The book wasn't terrible.  It was a good story line.  But like Kari said, it needed some serious editing.  It was SOOO long and repetitive.  It was very wordy and the dialogue was a little silly at times.  Like do people seriously talk like that??  However, I liked the characters and I could see this becoming a series.  Although, I'd much rather more books along the lines of The Alienist or Angel of Darkness.  I like the historical stuff more than the present day I guess.  BUT, I'm glad Caleb Carr put something out there.  Keep it up!