Killing Time

by Caleb Carr

Book Overview

A thrilling journey through the underbelly of New York City to the jungles of Africa, Dr. Gideon Wolfe sets out on a quest to find the truth in this electrifying speculative novel.
Information flows freely in 2023, but is all -- or "any" -- of it accurate? Criminal profiler Dr. Gideon Wolfe investigates the murder of a friend in New York City when he is suddenly caught up in the company of a beautiful woman, her ingenious brother, and a...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 044661095X
• ISBN13: 9780446610957
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.0" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

A great book when seen for what it is

Killing Time was the first Caleb Carr book I was exposed to (although I've since read The Alienist as well), and I loved it. I saw it as a Neo-Verne adventure, with a group of intellectual idealists travelling the world in a high-tech airship, trying to change society. Sounds like Verne, doesn't it? Only Carr updates the genre for the 21st century, brilliantly extrapolating from the present a near future that seems all too familiar. Yes, the characters are occasionally wooden, but the story is compelling and the premise, that our reliance on information technology can plunge us into a new Dark Age where no one thinks for themselves, is an idea people need to hear.Most of the negative reviews I've seen complain that this book isn't like Carr's earlier novels. Too bad. Maybe the author is tired of New York in the 1890s. This is not another Alienist book, but it is a good book, and worth reading.

Pulp Genius!

Judging by some of the other reviews here I think people missed the author's intent. This book is an homage to Jules Verne, HG Wells, and other lterary science adventures of the past. Coincidentally I had read 20,000 Leagues, Master of the World, and Journey to the Center of the Earth just a few months ago. Carr captures the flavor of those books perfectly. Channeling the confident passion with which they were written. I wish I had a better understanding of the era when those Verne books were first published. I surmise the world was on the cusp of tremendous change fostered by science and technology. Times similar to our own. When I read those Verne books I didn't quite get their appeal. I was coming at them from a modern perspective. But after reading Carr's book, I understood how it must've felt to read them when they were new. Does any of this make sense? Put Killing Time in the proper context and you'll be blown away by it's brilliance.

new genre but same quality writing

Being a big fan of THE ALIENIST and ANGEL OF DARKNESS (which I actually liked better), I quickly devoured this latest novel by Caleb Carr. If you're familiar with Mr. Carr's work you'll know he usually writes period thrillers which introduce real-life people and events into a fictional tale. While I knew (from advance reviews) that this book wasn't historical (actually, it's set in the near future), I found the writing style and unique tone to be very smiliar to Mr. Carr's other novels. The book gets off to an exciting start with the main character of Dr. Gideon Wolff running from pursuing enemies in Africa - from page one I was sucked in and wanted to learn more. The story itself and it's central subject matter are fascinating - I don't want to give away any of the plot secrets, but overall the book is about how "truth" is easily manufactured by the public's willingness to believe whatever information the media and internet feed us. Even though this book is a new genre for Mr. Carr, I think you will find it an engrossing and timely read.

Caleb Carr Rules!

I just finished reading Killing Time by Caleb Carr and I can honestly say that it was time well spent. Having read Carr's two previous works it is obvious that this guy only gets better with age. The story was fascinating and the writing was, as always, crisp and to the point . Do yourself a favor......pick this one up, and while your at it check out The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness as well, you won't be disappointed. Mr. Carr, my hat is off to you!

Once again an amazing turn-out from an excellent author

It is rare for a book to grab at you with the ferocity that this book does. By the time you get to page 20, you are sucked in through the very end. This book will having you turn the pages as fast as your eyes can read, as you wander in and out of belief and disbelief of everything that you think of history and the information that the public accepts as fact every day.A departure from the old-timed style of "The Alienist" and "Angel of Darkness," the characters become real and the stories completely believable as you read. Caleb Carr proves once again that he can spin a tale with the best of them.