The Death Instinct: A Novel [Paperback]

From the international bestselling author-"a sprawling and ambitious literary mystery" (The Seattle Times).

From a true and shocking event-the bombing of lower Manhattan in September 1920-Jed Rubenfeld weaves a twisting and thrilling work of fiction as a physician, a female radiochemist, and a police official come to believe that the inexplicable attack is only part of a larger plan. It's a conspiracy that takes them from Paris to Prague, from the Vienna home of Sigmund Freud to the corridors of power in Washington, D.C., and ultimately to the depths of our most savage human instincts where there lies the shocking truth behind that fateful day.

A deadly terrorist attack rocks downtown Manhattan in September...1920. Rubenfeld's gripping novel revolves around the real-life Wall Street bombing and will have you enthralled from page 1.
-Entertainment Weekly Must List

Brilliantly concocted and more than just a little eerie. The fictional and actual events surrounding the 1920 bombing are as relevant today as they were nearly a century ago.
-USA TODAY

This novel is great... Jed Rubenfeld's tremendous follow-up to his 2006 novel,The Interpretation of Murder, bustles with kidnapping, knife throwing, gun fighting, poisoning, bank robbery, corruption.The Death Instinctis that rare combo platter: a blast to read - you'll be counting how few pages you have left with dread, and you'll do this before you're halfway done - and hefty enough to stay with you. There's a steady beat of intrigue and confusion and explanations you wouldn't have guessed.
-The New York Times

Intelligent, absorbing and provocative.
-The Seattle Times

Rubenfeld's debut,The Interpretation of Murder(2006), proved his skillful use of historical detail to create a compelling tale of psychological suspense. He's only gotten better.
-Library Journal(starred revilĂ*