Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Death Instinct (Freud #2)

3.61 of 5 stars 3.61 · rating details · 1,386 ratings · 306 reviews

Under a clear blue September sky, America's financial center in lower Manhattan became the site of the largest, deadliest terrorist attack in the nation's history. It was September 16, 1920. Four hundred people were killed or injured. The country was appalled by the magnitude and savagery of the incomprehensible attack, which remains unsolved to this day.

The bomb that dev

...more

Hardcover, 480 pages

Published January 20th 2011 by Riverhead Hardcover (first published 2010)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin

Best Historical Mystery

310th out of 738 books — 1,608 voters

Best Mystery/Thriller/Suspense Novels Of 2011

156th out of 290 books — 965 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 2,923)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Feb 18, 2012 Natalie Foubister added it · review of another edition

Having adored Jed's first novel, 'the interpretation of murder' i had high hopes for this hotly anticipated one. i have to say that although the latter parts of the story were great, with the now signature twists, plot and characterisation, the first third of the book was a disappointment. a great deal of time was spent on war description and although i understand that this was required to a degree to set the scene for later plot points- i do feel that the author perhaps let his personal passion...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 07, 2012 Suspense Magazine added it

At noon on September 16, 1920, a horse-drawn wagon stopped in front of 23 Wall Street, the headquarters of J.P. Morgan Bank. At 12:01, a large bomb in the wagon exploded, killing thirty-eight people and wounding one hundred forty-three. It would remain the deadliest terrorist bombing in the U.S. until the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing almost seventy-five years later. Different from Oklahoma City, the Wall Street bombing case was never solved.

Jed Rubenfeld takes the bombing as the starti...more At noon on September 16, 1920, a horse-drawn wagon stopped in front of 23 Wall Street, the headquarters of J.P. Morgan Bank. At 12:01, a large bomb in the wagon exploded, killing thirty-eight people and wounding one hundred forty-three. It would remain the deadliest terrorist bombing in the U.S. until the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing almost seventy-five years later. Different from Oklahoma City, the Wall Street bombing case was never solved.

Jed Rubenfeld takes the bombing as the starting point for his historical thriller, “The Death Instinct.” Former Harvard professor and physician Stratham Younger and his friend, NYPD Captain James Littlemore, are close by when the bomb goes off. With them is Colette Rousseau, a French radio-chemist trained by Madame Curie, who met Younger in a field hospital during World War I. Waiting for Colette at her hotel is her younger brother Luc, who has not spoken since the massacre of the rest of their family by the Germans during the war. Within hours of the bombing, Colette and Luc are attacked multiple times, and only quick work by Younger and Littlemore save them. The attacks are both violent and inexplicable.

Littlemore doesn’t accept the Bureau of Investigations assumption that the bombing is the work of Italian anarchists. His investigation turns up the possible theft of gold from the nearby Federal Reserve Bank, as well as the potential involvement of foreign nationalists.
While trying to keep Collette safe, Younger and the Rousseaus embark on a trip that winds through Europe and includes spending time in Vienna with Younger’s friend and one-time mentor, Sigmund Freud. It takes all of Younger’s bravery, Rousseau’s knowledge of the new nuclear science, and Littlemore’s police instincts to unravel a mystery that involves some of the most powerful men in the United States.

Rubenfeld weaves together actual history and public figures and creates a fascinating possible solution for the bombing. The central act of terror in “The Death Instinct” mirrors our more recent history, making it quite relevant to our world today.

Reviewed by David Ingram for Suspense Magazine
(less)

like · see review

Aug 12, 2012 Alice Meloy rated it 4 of 5 stars

An action-packed adventure based on an actual event -- a major terrorist attack in Manhattan on Sept. 16, 1920, that killed 400 people. It matters not to this novel that the truth behind the deadly explosion as never been determined. The author instead imagines a convoluted chain of events which, within the historical context, might possibly have explained who was to blame. A battle-scarred surgeon who studied with Freud, a brilliant NYPD investigator, and a mysterious French woman on a secret m...more

like · see review

Jul 23, 2012 Fiona Veitch rated it 4 of 5 stars

There were times when reading this that I thought I would give it 5-stars. Rubenfeld has some wonderful characterisations and gripping plotlines. The problem is, there were too many - the investigation into the bombing of Morgan Stanley, the Sigmund Freud sub-plot linked to finding the psychological cause of one of the character's muteness, the finding of the mysterious German 'boyfriend', the potential war with Mexico, the romance, the Marie Curie angle, the radium ring, the FBI using 'visionar...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 19, 2012 Erik rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jeb Rubenfeld’s second historical novel The Death Instinct picks up about 10 years after The Interpretation of Murder left off. Freud is back in Vienna, Stratham Younger is now a war veteran only recently returned back to America, and Captain Littlemore is still a NYPD detective. As with his previous novel, Rubenfeld ties these characters together around a real event. In this case the 1920 bombing of Wall Street. And again the main protagonists Littlemore and Younger work together to solve the c...more

like · see review

Jun 07, 2012 Gloria Feit rated it 5 of 5 stars

Following the very favorably received “The Interpretation of Murder” with this ambitious novel using many of the same lead characters, including Dr. Sigmund Freud, and mixing the story with real historical personages and events, the author has created a historical piece of fiction with several mysteries intertwined. It begins with the detonation of a bomb-laden horse-drawn wagon at Broad and Wall Streets, the results of which can be seen today in the pockmarked outer wall of the House of Morgan...more

like · see review

Nov 09, 2011 June Ahern rated it 3 of 5 stars

My first time read of author, Jed Rubenfeld's books and it was with The Death Instinct. I was captured at the beginning but somewhere with the NYC police officer Jimmy Littlemore's back and forth sleuthing mixing it with a fictional account of Dr. Freud's psychoanalyst of a young mute boy, I became uninterested. Parts of the book are historically exciting and I learned more about the unrest in the environs of 1920, similar as nowadays. The romance that blooms between war veteran Satrathm Younger...more

like · see review

Aug 22, 2011 Marcus rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm typically leery of books in the 450+ range - in my experience, few authors are able to pull it off without unnecessary padding/exposition. Jeb Rubenfeld's IS NOT one of them. When the Booklist reviewer wrote "But readers should prepare to wallow in the book and take it slowly" he wasn't kidding. And using "wallow" to describe a book isn't meant as a compliment.

I have to hand it to the author, taking a little known terrorist act from the 1920's was inventive. Rubenfeld is a decent writer and...more I'm typically leery of books in the 450+ range - in my experience, few authors are able to pull it off without unnecessary padding/exposition. Jeb Rubenfeld's IS NOT one of them. When the Booklist reviewer wrote "But readers should prepare to wallow in the book and take it slowly" he wasn't kidding. And using "wallow" to describe a book isn't meant as a compliment.

I have to hand it to the author, taking a little known terrorist act from the 1920's was inventive. Rubenfeld is a decent writer and his historical research seems good; it's his storytelling I take issue with. The pacing was awful: he starts off with an explosion, followed by a kidnapping, a gallant rescue, then guts the pace by spending the better part of the first third of the book having Dr. Younger relate his meeting with the Rousseau woman to Det. Littlemore. All the momentum was bled out of the story. Add to that some superfluous interactions of the investigation and subplots (Luc's muteness, Rousseau's Hans? Please!) only served to kill the pace altogether. The tedium was so bad that I stopped short of finishing Part I to read another book. Once I finished that one, it was, "Oh well, I guess I should finish Instinct now..."

Next, Rubenfeld's characters. When Littlemore was regaling Younger & Collette with his powers of observation I thought, "What's he trying to do, a poor man's version of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson?" What's next? Describe them as Robert Downey Jr. & Jude Law? And although Ms. Collette was supposedly French, she displayed no affections of actually being French; she might as well have been Colette Rousseau of Poughkeepsie New York. I mean, for a French native her English was remarkably free of French vernacular, not even a "Mon Dieu!" when she narrowly avoids death. And I'm all for dark, edgy protagonists, but when Younger emotionlessly recalls slapping his wife around and almost forcing himself on Rousseau (to the point where she has to fend him off with a gun) I was put-off. Maybe it's my 20th century sensibilities, but I'm supposed to sympathize with this guy?

All these criticisms amount to a book & author I'd have trouble recommending. It's unfortunate because Death Instinct had the potential to be a standout novel: an unsolved crime, a great book cover, good prose...I think if someone had forced Rubenfeld to cut about 100 pages or so, it would have been a better book: more focused, less fluff. As it stands, it's overly long, has too many subplots, and meanders in too many places. I *might* (a very big might) consider another Rubenfeld book but ONLY if it's less than 350 pages. If he can show me that he can tighten up his plot, I'll put his name on my "to read" list.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 27, 2011 Michael Johnston rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a really enjoyable piece of historical fiction. I thought it was a taut and interesting melding of real events and people (the 1920 Wall Street bombing, Sigmund Freud, members of Woodrow Wilson's cabinet, etc.), psychological investigation and wonderfully creative crime story. Part Sherlock Holmes, part alienated Holden Caulfield, the duo that sets out to solve the mystery of the Wall Street bombing are fascinating, and brilliant, but at least one is psychologically damaged from his exp...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 26, 2011 Gaby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective-and-mystery, historical-fiction, mystery

Jed Rubenfeld's The Death Instinct is a detective novel set in 1920s New York. World War I is over (but the Roaring 20s haven't arrived) and factories are closing, unemployment is rampant and Prohibition has just been imposed. In this environment of desperation and dissatisfaction, Wall Street explodes. New York City suffers the most destructive and deadly terrorist attack on US soil. Enter the war veteran and wealthy Boston Brahmin Dr. Stratham Younger, his colleague NY detective Jimmy Littlemo...more

like · see review

Mar 21, 2011 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. OK, it was a little hard to get used to his style of writing. It almost felt like it was describing a movie or a scene from a movie. Police detective Jimmy Littlemore and his friend Dr. Stratham Younger & the woman he loves, Colette Rousseau are present in NY when there was a huge explosion on Wall Street. This really happened and it was never solved, but this book takes us on a merry ride with Littlemore and Younger involved trying to solve it. In the meantime there is a story about Colette...more

like · see review

Mar 08, 2011 Ana rated it 5 of 5 stars

I just finished the book which I got on Kindle. I tried to read it slowly and savor it, but it is impossible to do in the last third of the book.
I decided to buy it after I read a nice review from Susanna Meadows in the Herald Tribune a few weeks ago (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/boo...) .
It is actually unfair that some people get to tempt the gods this way. If one reads Mr. Rubenfeld’s bio, he seems like a very intelligent man (while he was getting his suma cum laude and magna cum laude...more

like · see review

Feb 16, 2011 switterbug (Betsey) rated it 4 of 5 stars

In Jed Rubenfeld's sexy, moody, Hitchcockian-cum-Freudian-cum-Jungian literary novel, The Interpretation of Murder, Dr. Stratham Younger narrates a story within the framework of a fictional journal, focusing on his experiences with Drs. Jung and Freud on their revolutionary visit to the United States in 1909. Rubenfeld braided historical fact and fiction in this Manhattan corkscrew murder mystery, centering on Freud's pioneering "talking therapy" and penning some biting dialogue between the thre...more In Jed Rubenfeld's sexy, moody, Hitchcockian-cum-Freudian-cum-Jungian literary novel, The Interpretation of Murder, Dr. Stratham Younger narrates a story within the framework of a fictional journal, focusing on his experiences with Drs. Jung and Freud on their revolutionary visit to the United States in 1909. Rubenfeld braided historical fact and fiction in this Manhattan corkscrew murder mystery, centering on Freud's pioneering "talking therapy" and penning some biting dialogue between the three psychoanalysts. Younger's skepticism and attraction to Freud's theories enhanced the mesmerizing story of his attempt to cure a damaged, neurotic, and mute woman. The novel was peopled with a sprawling cast of doctors and louche politicians, drawing the reader into a lush, dissecting mixture of cerebral scrutiny and emotional desire.

Rubenfeld's second and very ambitious novel also weaves fact and fiction, with extensive scope, while adopting some of the motifs and themes from his debut work. This time the author is tacitly paralleling events in the novel to the economic depression of contemporary times, as well as the 9/11 tragedies.

The year is now 1920, the eve of the roaring twenties, women's suffrage, and the transition from Wilson to Harding. Nobel Prize winner (twice) Madame Curie is about to tour the United States to raise funds for her research on radium. Radium is already being used in industry to paint luminous watch dials, poisoning the working women at a factory in Manhattan. Many factory workers are out of work altogether. Prohibition starts and gives rise to speakeasies, Babe Ruth has been traded to the Yankees (1919), and Freud has advanced his theory of human drives in his essay, "Beyond the Pleasure Principle," which expounds on the theory of the death instinct. The Mexican Revolution is officially over, but tensions are not.

The Treaty of Versailles had severed many of Germany's provinces from its territories (1919). J.P. Morgan & Company is the titanic leader of finance. Moreover, a billion dollars in gold is being transferred from the old Sub-Treasury to the adjacent Assay Office via overhead bridge. The author incorporates all these historical events, (and more) into a multi-faceted, sometimes brilliant, not quite numinous, but intriguing and educating story.

Stratham Younger, now a veteran of the Great War and an ex-psychiatrist and ex-husband, is standing on Wall Street when a bomb explodes, killing and maiming many civilians. It was at that time the biggest terrorist attack ever executed on American soil. Unsolved to this day, there is insubstantial conjecture that Italian anarchists were behind it. This leaves it wide open for Rubenfeld to create a capital, confabulated truth from historical, anecdotal, documented, and apocryphal background and a florid imagination. He does it superbly, with an expansive cast that includes authentic politicians and businessmen, the FBI and Treasury kingpins, as well as fictional characters. It also alludes, by comparison, that a proper criminal investigation was never conducted for 9/11.

(Fictional) Detective Littlemore, of the New York Police Department and Younger's best friend (present in Rubenfeld's first novel), comes on board to help him try to solve the case. Accompanying Younger during the explosion are Littlemore, and an enigmatic and beautiful French scientist and student of Madame Curie, Colette Rousseau. Her relationship with Younger has a fiery chemistry with lots of obstacles. And, using a motif from his former novel, we are introduced to another mute, this time Colette's young brother, Luc.

Rubenfeld straddles the investigation into the Wall Street attack with the story of Younger's relationship with Colette and Luc via a well-paced balancing act. Freud's presence will be included to help unravel the origin of Luc's muteness and try to cure it. Someone(s) is after Colette, it seems, and she is very close to not escaping dangerous villains. She is on a serious mission to explore the medical benefits of radium and raise money for Madame Curie's research, as well as find employment as a scientist again. Prior to WW1, she was at the Sorbonne. And--love story? We have a fetching love story, too.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, but with a bit of a caveat. Rubenfeld pulls off this byzantine plot handily, but with some sacrifice of character and some crowd-pleasing tidiness where I would have liked it messy. (I liked the messier first novel.) Younger, who is no longer the narrator in this omniscient perspective, comes across as a White Knight and brooding, taciturn hottie. That was quite a switch from his younger and more self-effacing and uncertain days. The war and maturation may have had an effect, certainly, but he was too predictable here.

Jimmy Littlemore was also a caped crusader of sorts, a committed family man with flawless scruples. No equivocations to his character, as he always took the moral high ground. The villains and white hats were often too clearly delineated, except where Rubenfeld decided to bait and switch. There were more obvious contrivances at work in this novel, which lent a more mainstream adjustment. And there were some hokey types used to drive the narrative action and plot tension.

The language occasionally felt too modern and anachronistic, speaking too closely in the verse of today. The author generally pulled back before going too far with it, but it did peal at times. For example,

"Germany hates us because we beat them. England and France hate us because we saved them. Russia hates us because we're capitalist. The rest of the world hates us because we're imperialist."

Finally, the ambiguities were conspicuously ambiguous and not sufficiently nettling or beguiling. Rubenfeld did most of the work for us, although it was impressive work. It was a dazzling ride through most of the story--a little boggy in the middle, but fine and tight at the end, and worth the investment. I'd like to see Rubenfled aim his concept just a little bit smaller the next time, furthering story lines about psychiatry--his forte--and give us some main characters with a bit more incertitude and mystique.
(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 10, 2011 Luanne Ollivier rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was intrigued by the description of Jed Rubenfeld's latest book The Death Instinct:

"On Sept.16 1920, a horse-drawn wagon carrying 100 pounds of dynamite and a quarter-tone of cast-iron slugs exploded in front of the Morgan Bank and the New York Stock Exchange - in the very heart of New York's Financial district. More than 400 people were killed or injured. It was the deadliest bombing in the nation's 150-year history - and was the first terrorist attack on American soil. To this day, the reas...more I was intrigued by the description of Jed Rubenfeld's latest book The Death Instinct:

"On Sept.16 1920, a horse-drawn wagon carrying 100 pounds of dynamite and a quarter-tone of cast-iron slugs exploded in front of the Morgan Bank and the New York Stock Exchange - in the very heart of New York's Financial district. More than 400 people were killed or injured. It was the deadliest bombing in the nation's 150-year history - and was the first terrorist attack on American soil. To this day, the reason for the bombing - and its perpetrators- remain a mystery. In The Death Instinct, Jed Rubenfeld offers the thrilling story of what happened on that day."

My first thought was to wonder if this event truly happened or if it was a great fictional idea. Well, it really happened. Jed Rubenfeld has taken numerous factual historical events and combined them with his idea of what may have happened. Many significant historical figures are also 'brought to life' including Madame Curie, Sigmund Freud, and prominent politicos of the time.

The Death Instinct features the two protagonists from Rubenfeld's first novel - The Interpretation of Murder - (I hadn't read this one) - Dr Stratham Younger and NYPD Captain James Littlemore. I was initially enthusiastic about this pair - especially Littlemore- his powers of deductive observation reminded me of Holmes. As the story continued though, I felt I never really engaged with the two of them. We are privy to some of what drives them and some personal moments, but these subplots felt extraneous. I felt as though they were only the vehicle to get to the next piece of the plot.

And there were many, many parts to the plot. A few too many perhaps. I finished the book as I wanted answers to some of the more baffling occurrences put forth. At 464 pages, the story seemed too drawn out.

Rubenfeld wrote his undergrad thesis on Freud and he draws upon this knowledge to espouse many of Freud's theories. I must admit, I found them a little tedious after the first few initial analysis.

(less)

like · see review

Jan 09, 2011 Lydia Presley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, arc, fiction, historic-fiction, mystery

This is not my "normal" genre of book to read. I'm not a big detective/historical mystery type reader, but this book looked interesting so I took a chance on it - and boy did it pay off.

When I picked up the book (after procrastinating long enough, see above comment), I was immediately drawn into a world that was filled with interesting characters, strange circumstances and terse, to the point prose that had me on the edge of my seat. Every single scene was knit together so carefully that I had a...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 19, 2010 Miles rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviews

Jed Rubenfeld’s “Death Instinct” is the sequel to the critically acclaimed “The Interpretation of Murder” and takes place 10 years down the line.

Although the novel is a work of fiction, Rubenfeld does well to blend real fact based events with his own brand of intellectual fiction. The result is a magnificent concoction of enticing prose and adventurous storytelling.

The story centres around three characters namely Stratham Younger, Captain James Littlemore and Colette Rousseau and begins with the...more

like · see review

Feb 01, 2011 Paul Pessolano rated it 4 of 5 stars

"The Death Instinct" is part historical fiction, part fiction/lierature, and part mystery.

The book starts with the actual bombing of Wall Street on September 16, 1920. The bombing has never been solved.

For his purposes, Jed Rubenfeld, now weaves a story that is full of characters, (some real and some not), and one that crosses the ocean several times.

Jimmy Littlemore is the New York Detective assigned to the case. He is very savvy in solving crimes and is incorruptible.

Dr. Stratham Younger, a ve...more

like · see review

Jul 11, 2012 Tony Mac rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jeb Rubenfeld follows up his successful debut The Interpretation of Murder with an almost as good sequel, again featuring the unlikely pairing of Younger and Littlemore, society doctor and incorruptible detective respectively. The formula is pretty much the same: a New York based period thriller set around real events and featuring a large cast of fictional and real life figures. Once again Sigmund Frued plays a key part in this story, not least with Younger, now a much darker and more troubled...more

like · see review

May 25, 2012 Vanessa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Is a long, slow moving, historical mystery-slash-thriller a thing? Apparently, it is. The long, slow moving part was fine by me, but these sorts of mystery/thrillers often seem to wear a bit thin, especially during the action scenes when you just know the heroes are going to have an exciting brush with death during their ultimate showdown with the villains, and then they do, and then they turn out to be fine, and you're left never fully having gotten caught up in the action and not even complete...more

like · see review

Jun 10, 2011 Anthony Pacifico rated it 4 of 5 stars

September. The financial district of lower Manhattan. The biggest terrorist attack on US soil occurs. No, not 9/11. September 16, 1920. A massive bomb hidden inside a horse carriage goes off directly in front of the NY Stock Exchange, killing and wounding scores of people. At that time, it was the largest terrorist attack on US soil, and to this day, it goes unsolved.

There's much speculation as to who did it and why. In this very entertaining historical mystery thriller, Jed Rubenfield proposes...more

like · see review

Jan 02, 2012 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jeff Rubenfeld, the author of the international best seller,'The Interpretation of Murder ' has written a historical novel about the 1920 bombing of Wall Street in lower Manhattan.The Great War in Europe is over, and physician , Stratham Younger is with his friend,police captain James Littlemore, when a large bomb goes off. The damage is terrific as Younger tries to treat the wounded and Littlemore tries to gain control of the situation. There is one other key character, Colette Rousseau, a sur...more

like · see review

Jul 04, 2011 Khaya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historicalfiction, mysteriesthrillers, audiobooks, should-ve-been-shorter

Eh. This historical thriller had an interesting premise -- a bombing on Wall Street in the 1920s shocks the nation, and Captain James Littlemore wants to get to the bottom of it. Meanwhile, his good friend Dr. Younger is in the throes of apparently unrequited love for WWI survivor Colette Rousseau, a beautiful (of course) protegee of Marie Curie who is desperate to have her traumatized younger brother treated by none other than...Freud. An additional subplot involves a lot of subterfuge surround...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 16, 2011 Joanne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, didn-t-finish

Too many plots going on in this book. The most interesting one is the one about a bomb that exploded in Manhattan's financial district in September -- of 1929. The mystery of who set the bomb and why has never been solved. An honorable Irish police officer -- he doesn't take bribes, he doesn't drink on the job, he's faithful to his wife -- tackles the case.

Much much less interesting plots involve a Frenchwoman who's studied with Marie Curie and who keeps getting kidnapped, and the troubled docto...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 16, 2010 Donna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What a great story! Set in and around 1920, “The Death Instinct” is played out in both the United States and Europe. At the beginning of the novel, Dr. Younger, a WWI veteran, a French woman, Collette, and her young brother Luc, along with New York Detective Littlemore find themselves at the scene of a bombing on Wall Street. Amidst the devastation of the blast arises a mystery - who could have been responsible?

Throughout this great novel are many twists, turns and other mysteries, which quickly...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 08, 2012 Onur rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jed Rubenfeld yine harika bir iş çıkarmış. Freud'un kitaplarından biri olan "Haz İlkesinin Ötesinde" isimli kitabında anlatılan "Ölüm İçgüdüsü" teorisini kurguya oldukça güzel yedirmiş, özellikle ironik bir şekilde Stratham Younger'ın sık sık ölümle yüz yüze gelmek istemesinin sebebi, yaşanan çoğu şeyler, ufak ufak psikanalizler oldukça güzel olmuş.

Bir Cinayetin Psikanalizi gibi psikoloji ile polisiyenin dengelendiği bir kitap olmaktan daha çok, polisiye ağırlıklı, psikolojinin ise tıpkı yemek s...more

like · see review

Dec 15, 2010 Valerie Roberts rated it 5 of 5 stars

Did you know that there was a bombing on Wall Street in New York City in 1920 and that hundreds of people were injured or killed? It's a historical fact, and one I'd never heard about, but it is the premise for this book. The bombing may have been a terrorist act by Italians or Germans, or may have been an inside job by Americans. It was never solved. Jed Rubenfeld, in "The Death Instinct" tells his own fictional story about why and how the bombing happened. The principle characters in the book...more

like · see review

Jul 23, 2011 H. Shar rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who love historical fiction, people who love mysteries and complicated plot twists

Rating: 4 stars

This book is a total MAZE of plot twists and deception. It started of with a bang and the scene of the explosion at Wall Street was shown from different points of views until we reach the views of our protagonists. We have 2 main characters who are Younger (a doctor who served in World War I) and Littlemore (a captain in NYPD), who happen to be near the site of the bombing. The entire story was set in the era slightly before 1920s. To be honest, I was so excited to read this book...more Rating: 4 stars

This book is a total MAZE of plot twists and deception. It started of with a bang and the scene of the explosion at Wall Street was shown from different points of views until we reach the views of our protagonists. We have 2 main characters who are Younger (a doctor who served in World War I) and Littlemore (a captain in NYPD), who happen to be near the site of the bombing. The entire story was set in the era slightly before 1920s. To be honest, I was so excited to read this book 'cos the synopsis gave the impression of a 'Sherlock Holmes' style of novel. But it is definitely NOT. While I do get amazed at Littlemore's power of perception and how he can make correct assumptions out of seemingly ordinary things, it is not just about solving a case.

This story is SO COMPLICATED I have no idea where to even start. 'Cos one thing leads to another and another. It's revelation after revelation. And I dun wanna spoil this book for anyone. Basically, Younger is back from serving as a medic at the WWI where he brought back with him Colette and Luc (her younger brother). Colette is a french girl who was helping medics in the war field by providing them X-ray services with her Radium Van. She's a scientist who was mentored by Marie Curie herself. Her brother was thought to be a mute as he has never spoken ever since their parents died during the war when Luc was still very young. Colette wants to find ways to cure her brother and to track down a man named Hans Gruber, who was currently in prison. Younger fell in love with her during the war and devotes himself to helping her achieve what she wants. He brings her to a psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud who was his mentor at one time.

Meanwhile, Littlemore was trying to solve the case of the bombing on Wall Street which had killed hundreds of people. Several political figures and Bureau heads were blaming anarchists and terrorists from Russia and Italy. But the deeper Littlemore delves into the case, the more information and evidence he uncovers, the more complicated the case becomes. The motives of the bombing evolved from a terrorist attack to a cover-up for a robbery to a signal of war. IT WAS MINDBOGGLING. I was rooting for Littlemore the whole way and as a reader, I have so much respect for the way Littlemore plays by the rules and never got his hands dirty, even when he was given the opportunity for an easy way out. He was the pure one in a city that is infested with corruption.

I cannot summarize all the major happenings in this novel 'cos there is just too many. It is absolutely jam-packed with action. With killers hunting Colette and a radium conspiracy looming, there are alot of things happening at once. The point of view constantly switched from one person to another (usually from Younger and Littlemore) so the reader has to keep alert or else it is easy to get lost in the maze of the plot. Personally, I liked the switch in point of views. It is a great way to keep the readers guessing and wondering who are the ones telling the truth. Simply 'cos everyone is LYING. Everyone is lying and deceiving everyone else and I get suspicious of EVERYONE.

The ending was a GREAT twist. I never saw that coming (maybe 'cos I was too busy being suspicious of everyone to make a safe bet on a whodunnit) and the last few pages left me BREATHLESS as the whole case was finally busted wide open and the true criminals unveiled themselves.

The only issue I had was the relationship between Younger and Colette, which I never approved of. Honestly, I kinda hated Colette as I felt as if she was just making use of Younger and his money and connections in the medical world. Also, I felt that Younger himself knew that Colette was making use of him and despite that he LETS her take advantage of him. He comes to her rescue a billion times and has risked his life, even killed people for the sake of this GIRL. And this while I was thinking, WHY?!! They only met in the battlefield, so I assumed it was something like love at first sight. Also, Younger scared me with his darker side and the 'possessive' love that he had for her. Midway I thought Colette was evil and that Younger was evil as well. But this just shows the richness of the characterization. They are not perfect people. They are flawed and fighting their own demons as well as the demons of criminal world. There is a constant struggle between good and evil even within the characters and not just within the main plot itself. I just felt that the deepness of their love was not shown until the very end when Younger almost died trying to protect Colette (AGAIN).

Bottomline, this book freakin' ROCKS. Sometimes it gets confusing as there are so many characters to keep track of and so many conspiracies overlapping each other, you might wanna take a break and clear your head for a while, before diving back into the story. But it is SO worth it at the end, when the truth finally surfaces. I love how the entire book is in shades of gray. No one is perfectly good and perfectly evil. Everyone (as in real life) has a motive of their own and at the end, justice doesn't always prevail and sometimes, justice can come in a different form, not just a jail sentence or death. The author's writing style is objective and doesn't get too emotional so, the reader can keep a clear head on who are the culprits. (Though I did get emotionally attached to Littlemore) And it perfectly captures the mood and feel of the 1920s, which was a rather depressing time.

Fast-paced and everything is accounted for. Every single thing is a clue and is connected to something else. Mindboggling stuff!!

I CANNOT wait to read more of Jed Rubenfeld's work. (less)

like · see review

Feb 13, 2011 Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

“The Death Instinct” by Jed Rubenfeld is a fictional thriller set in the 1920’s. The book centers around the historical Wall St. bombing of 1916.

American financial center in lower Manhattan has suffered the deadliest terrorist attack in the nation’s history, an even which will change America.
The date was September 16, 1920.

World War I veteran Stratham Younger, NYPD Captain James Littlemore and French radiologist Colette Rosseau happen to be in the area. However, several inexplicable attacks on C...more “The Death Instinct” by Jed Rubenfeld is a fictional thriller set in the 1920’s. The book centers around the historical Wall St. bombing of 1916.

American financial center in lower Manhattan has suffered the deadliest terrorist attack in the nation’s history, an even which will change America.
The date was September 16, 1920.

World War I veteran Stratham Younger, NYPD Captain James Littlemore and French radiologist Colette Rosseau happen to be in the area. However, several inexplicable attacks on Collette lead the guys on a trail for buried secrets and hidden conspiracies.

“The Death Instinct” by Jed Rubenfeld is an interesting and spellbinding book. The novel follows Stratham Younger and his friend NYPD Captain James Littlemore who are trying to find the responsible party for the 1920 Wall St. bombings.

Mr. Rubenfeld keeps mixing up the fictional Younger & Littlemore with actual historical characters such as Sigmund Freud, Marie Curie as well as captains of industry and various government figures. The author doesn’t just mix and match but uses the historical figures as well placed markers to advance the storyline and the plot. The book is meticulously researched, the post World War I era is brought to life and the shock the terror attack has caused is well described.

The author places Younger & Littlemore at the scene of the attack, as well as Collette Rosseau, a French radiologist who studied under Madame Curie, and plunges our protagonists into a maze of twisted minds and politics (OK, I’ll stop being redundant). The plot also revolves around the history of Younger and Rosseau, their first encounter and ensuing relationship and juxtaposed between the bloody World War I battlefields, war ravaged Europe and the corridors of power in Washington DC.

As you can tell, this is a very ambitious novel. Weaving fact and fiction is always tricky especially when trying to explain Freud’s theories coupled with doses of Curie’s science and some good old fashioned trivia.
It works!

What most impressed me in this book was the confidence that Mr. Rubenfeld has in the reader. He simply doesn’t write his theme but introduced ideas, some complex, while letting the reader figure out how to connect the dots.

The facts behind the Wall St. bombing of 1920 are still shrouded in mystery. At the time Italian anarchists were blamed but no facts supported that theory.

This book has recurring characters from Jed Rubenfeld’s previous book “The Interpretation of Murder” but you need not read the books in order as the story lines are independent and the characters are reintroduced.

For more book reviews please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com (less)

like · see review

Dec 23, 2010 Lea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2010, goodreads-wins, reviews

I loved this book!

I had the good fortune of winning this in a GoodReads giveaway, & I am so happy I did -- although I love history & historical fiction, I'm not a big fan of mysteries in general, so I probably wouldn't have read this otherwise.

Jed Rubenfeld is s great writer -- I liked the way he intertwined the various plots, jumping from one to another, keeping you guessing the entire time as to how things were going to work out.

I also really liked the fine line he walked with these...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 03, 2012 Biogeek rated it 2 of 5 stars

I could not wait for this book to end, and it took forever to do so. This book reminded me of The Lost Symbol. Both try to continue the success of an earlier book by repeating every gimmick from the first installment. Both happily mix fact and fiction, and both contain some of the clunkiest dialog ever written.

Rubenfield seems to have written this book hoping for a Hollywood contract. Few books have gunfights followed by explosions of the kind popularized in the Die Hard series, but before you g...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 97 98 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
I still haven't got my copy	3	19	Feb 12, 2011 04:32pm

combine
Other Editions (24)

More editions...

Genres

Historical Fiction

70 users

Mystery

41 users

Mystery > Crime

22 users

Thriller

19 users

Mystery > Historical Mystery

8 users

Suspense

7 users

Book Club

5 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

5 users

Mystery > Detective

4 users

Psychology

4 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Jed Rubenfeld

Jed Rubenfeld a summa cum laude graduate of Princeton University and magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School is the author of the hystorical and psychoanalytical novel Intepretation of Murder.

His experience in both Shakespearean Plays and his thesis on Sigmond Frued helped him to make an anlytical yet fictional work; Intepretation of Murder.

A master in the field of Law, he has proved himsel...more

More about Jed Rubenfeld...

Books by Jed Rubenfeld

The Interpretation of Murder (Freud, #1)

Freedom and Time: A Theory of Constitutional Self-Government

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Death Instinct

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Death Instinct

“All it takes is instinct.” — 2 people liked it

“Death releases the energy into air. If a true catastrophe is looming, the disturbance becomes such that a sensitive individual may become highly troubled by it. He may be aware exactly when and where it will occur. He may see an aura around people who are soon to die. Or he may see images of the disaster beforehand...” — 1 person liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Death Instinct
avg rating	preview: The Death Instinct Goodreads rating: 3.61 (1386 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8536672-the-death-instinct?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348750293l/8536672.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8536672-the-death-instinct?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Death Instinct by Jed Rubenfeld[/url]

The Death Instinct (Freud #2)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website