Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - The Interpretation of Murder

The Interpretation of Murder
The Interpretation of Murder
Author: Jed Rubenfeld
In this ingenious, suspenseful historical thriller, Sigmund Freud is drawn into the mind of a sadistic killer who is savagely attacking Manhattan’s wealthiest heiresses — — Inspired by Sigmund Freud's only visit to America, The Interpretation of Murder is an intricate tale of murder and the mind's most dangerous myster...  more »
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9780805080988
ISBN-10: 0805080988
Publication Date: 9/5/2006
Pages: 384
Rating:
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 45

3.6 stars, based on 45 ratings
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

bookaddicted avatar reviewed The Interpretation of Murder on + 128 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
A fascinating and well researched historical novel that uses Freud's only visit to America as the catalyst for a murder mystery. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing right to the end who did it and how. Fans of psychology and fans of mysteries will find enough appealing aspects to keep them riveted from page to page.
reviewed The Interpretation of Murder on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
An exciting thriller that keeps you gripped til the very end with it's clever twists and turns. Not too focused on Freud that its offputting. Clever and skilfull.
reviewed The Interpretation of Murder on + 366 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
A page turner of a murder mystery with the most unusual of "detectives". Set in NYC in 1909 it takes place when Freud visited NYC in 1909 with his disciple Carl Jung. What happened led to Freud vowing never to return to the U.S. and decribing Americans as savages!
BaileysBooks avatar reviewed The Interpretation of Murder on + 491 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This book was fantastic.

It is a very well-researched historical thriller. It perfectly balanced the facts surrounding Freud and Jung's visit to America with the fiction of a complex and mysterious murder.

This book kept me on my toes the entire time and left me guessing until the very end. Rubenfeld captured the essence of turn-of-the-century New York, the sensation and skepticism surrounding Freud's revolutionary theories, and the spirit of the detectives and victims as they wade through layers of truth and deception.

Freud and his theories are present but they are not overwhelming. This book was in the same family as Caleb Carr's 'The Alienist' and managed to pull off a really great story in a third of the pages. I consider this book to be a delightful must-read for fans of murder mysteries, psychological thrillers, and historical fiction. It is an all-around enjoyable reading experience.
Read All 12 Book Reviews of "The Interpretation of Murder"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

noisynora avatar reviewed The Interpretation of Murder on + 130 more book reviews
A little far-fetched, but interesting period piece regarding NYC.
reviewed The Interpretation of Murder on + 10 more book reviews
well written and great plot
reviewed The Interpretation of Murder on + 108 more book reviews
Well written and well researched (writer is a prof with experience in psychology history).Book is a fictional take off on actual visit to the US by Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. They and a young follower get embroiled in a series of murders/assaults on beautiful young women. This book is fascinating for its insights into early psychology, the differences between Jung and Freud as well as early 1900's NYC society. A good intelligent mystery read.


Genres: