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Product Description
Review
'There are more twists and turns than in the average corkscrew, but it's still a book which will be reread even when you know how things work out. That's when you have the pleasure of seeing how it was done... It's difficult to recommend further reading after a big book like this - it would be far too easy to disappoint'
'Rubenfeld has taken this real-life mystery atrocity and peopled it with a rich cast of heroes and villains... a tapestry of intrigue, corruption, double-dealing and double standards on a grand scale. A must-read for conspiracy theorists.'
( The Times )'This elegant thriller mixes real events from the first years of 20th century America with Rubenfeld's fictional heroes... Superbly evocative of American society in the era of Prohibition, it will thrill Rubenfeld's fans around the world.'
( Daily Mail )'Carefully researched and energetically told, THE DEATH INSTINCT is likely to be as popular as Rubenfeld's first novel.'
( Literary Review )'A Buchanesque thriller'
( Guardian )Product Description
A spellbinding literary thriller about terror, war, greed, and the darkest secrets of the human soul, by the author of the million-copy bestseller, The Interpretation of Murder.
September 16, 1920. Under a clear blue September sky, a quarter ton of explosives is detonated in a deadly attack on Wall Street. Fear comes to the streets of
Witnessing the blast are war veteran Stratham Younger, his friend James Littlemore of the New York Police Department, and beautiful French radiochemist Colette Rousseau. A series of inexplicable attacks on Colette, a secret buried in her past, and a mysterious trail of evidence lead Younger, Littlemore, and Rousseau on a thrilling international and psychological journey - from Paris to Prague, from the Vienna home of Dr Sigmund Freud to the corridors of power in Washington, DC, and ultimately to the hidden depths of our most savage instincts. As the seemingly disjointed pieces of Younger and Littlemore's investigations come together, the two uncover the shocking truth about the bombing - a truth that threatens to shake their world to its foundations.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Whether you've read The Interpretation of Murder or not, this is sensational. It starts with the biggest terrorist attack in US History, before 9/11. Like most other people, I had never heard of the September 16th 1920 bombing in New York - a crime which to this day remains unsolved - but it makes for a fantastic backdrop to the story and pulls you in from the very first page. Jed Rubenfeld has an incredible talent for turning the pace up and down at just the right moments throughout and his characters are so believable you feel like you know them personally by the end. It's packed with twists and turns and is a truly explosive read - read it before everyone else does!
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In his last novel, The Interpretation of Murder, and in this present one, Jed Rubenfeld demonstrates a richness of characterization that few of his fellow-practitioners in the historical fiction genre can match.
Once again the reader makes the acquaintance of doctor of medicine Stratham Younger, Captain James Littlemore of the NYPD and a real-life Sigmund Freud. This trio is augmented by a love interest, Colette Rousseau, and the world-renowned scientist Madame Marie Curie.
This blend of fictional and factual characters forms the cast of an intriguing story that has as its backdrop the Wall Street bombing of 1920. It is a story with several threads:
There is high level corruption in the world of banking; an obsessive interest in the use of radium treatment as a cure for illness, encouraged by the industrial sector; and the promotion of one of Freud's major theories, the death instinct.
To say more would perhaps mar the enjoyment of a potential reader. Suffice to say that Rubenfeld's fertile imagination, incorporating historical facts in a narrative replete with action scenes, romance and intrigue - not to forget numerous twists and turns - has been a pleasure to experience..
Once again the reader makes the acquaintance of doctor of medicine Stratham Younger, Captain James Littlemore of the NYPD and a real-life Sigmund Freud. This trio is augmented by a love interest, Colette Rousseau, and the world-renowned scientist Madame Marie Curie.
This blend of fictional and factual characters forms the cast of an intriguing story that has as its backdrop the Wall Street bombing of 1920. It is a story with several threads:
There is high level corruption in the world of banking; an obsessive interest in the use of radium treatment as a cure for illness, encouraged by the industrial sector; and the promotion of one of Freud's major theories, the death instinct.
To say more would perhaps mar the enjoyment of a potential reader. Suffice to say that Rubenfeld's fertile imagination, incorporating historical facts in a narrative replete with action scenes, romance and intrigue - not to forget numerous twists and turns - has been a pleasure to experience..
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I loved the Interpretation of Murder so was really looking forward to Jed's new book and it has lived up to (and exceeded) my expectations! I think it's even better than his first book. I haven't read anything this good in ages. The characters are brilliant, the pace is so fast you practically rip through the pages - it's amazing that the historical detail adds to the writing and doesn't slow it down.
I recommend this to fans of The Interpretation of Murder and to anyone who hasn't read Jed Rubenfeld yet! Brilliant!
I recommend this to fans of The Interpretation of Murder and to anyone who hasn't read Jed Rubenfeld yet! Brilliant!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A page turner
I was drawn in by this book immediately. I found it to be a real page turner.
I liked the 3 main characters, I thought it is a well constructed story - there are... Read more
I liked the 3 main characters, I thought it is a well constructed story - there are... Read more
Published 1 month ago by G o' 'fax
Very interesting . . .
I was tempted to give this three stars as the characters, with the exception of Captain Littlemore of the NYPD, came over as frightfully dull. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Penny Waugh
well worth a read
This book surpasses his debut, with a labyrinthine plot that moves from New York, to Vienna, to Germany and back, taking in Radium, Freud, terrorism, oil, warfare and banking. Read more
Published 4 months ago by bennyben80
Disappointed!
THIS BOOK COULD HAVE BEEN GREAT! But it's not, nowhere near......
I absolutely loved The Interpretation of Murder, it was a great mystery/thriller from what appeared to... Read more
I absolutely loved The Interpretation of Murder, it was a great mystery/thriller from what appeared to... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jordan
The Death Instinct
Terrorists bombing Wall Street will be a subject that resonates with people for some time to come. As I write this review, one year after the release of the book, we have just had... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mick Read
Absolutely brilliant!
I read this book hard on the heels of the author's first novel 'The Interpretation of Murder', because I so enjoyed his elegant writing style, attention to detail and ability to... Read more
Published 8 months ago by jaehancock
Very poor
Clunky dialogue, poorly-drawn characters, ridiculous coincidences, convoluted plot, ABC of Freud... What a shame as the background to the plot was very interesting and I enjoyed... Read more
Published 9 months ago by carey r
"The Death Instinct" - Only average..
The book starts off fairly well, then diverts to a previous time that explains how the two protagonists evolved their relationship. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Ian Hampton
A worthwhile excursion
A well written and, as far as I can tell, well researched book centred on the Wall Street bombing of 1919, and drawing in a gang of historical figures, political and social themes... Read more
Published 10 months ago by anicoll5
The Dire Instinct
I enjoyed Rubenfeld's first book but this one's pretty tortuous stuff....a shame as the historical detail he loops his plot around forms an interesting backdrop. Read more
Published 11 months ago by P. G. Strachan
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