NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A TNT ORIGINAL SERIES • “A first-rate tale of crime and punishment that will keep readers guessing until the final pages.”—Entertainment Weekly “Caleb Carr’s rich period thriller takes us back to the moment in history when the modern idea of the serial killer became available to us.”—The Detroit NewsWhen The Alienist was first published in 1994, it was a major … The Alienist was first published in 1994, it was a major phenomenon, spending six months on the New York Times bestseller list, receiving critical acclaim, and selling millions of copies. This modern classic continues to be a touchstone of historical suspense fiction for readers everywhere.
The year is 1896. The city is New York. Newspaper reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned by his friend Dr. Laszlo Kreizler—a psychologist, or “alienist”—to view the horribly mutilated body of an adolescent boy abandoned on the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge. From there the two embark on a revolutionary effort in criminology: creating a psychological profile of the perpetrator based on the details of his crimes. Their dangerous quest takes them into the tortured past and twisted mind of a murderer who will kill again before their hunt is over.
Fast-paced and riveting, infused with historical detail, The Alienist conjures up Gilded Age New York, with its tenements and mansions, corrupt cops and flamboyant gangsters, shining opera houses and seamy gin mills. It is an age in which questioning society’s belief that all killers are born, not made, could have unexpected and fatal consequences.
Praise for The Alienist
“[A] delicious premise . . . Its settings and characterizations are much more sophisticated than the run-of-the-mill thrillers that line the shelves in bookstores.”—The Washington Post Book World
“Mesmerizing.”—Detroit Free Press
“The method of the hunt and the disparate team of hunters lift the tale beyond the level of a good thriller—way beyond. . . . A remarkable combination of historical novel and psychological thriller.”—The Buffalo News
“Engrossing.”—Newsweek
“Gripping, atmospheric . . . intelligent and entertaining.”—USA Today
“A high-spirited, charged-up and unfailingly smart thriller.”—Los Angeles Times
“Keeps readers turning pages well past their bedtime.”—San Francisco Chronicle
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A TNT 10-part adaptation of this novel of historical fiction was broadcast in 2018, and the next installment will air in July, based on Caleb Carr’s sequel, “The Angel of Darkness.” Here’s my look back at “The Alienist.”
Eight years after Jack the Ripper terrorized the East End of London, an equally vicious killer was loose in the slums of lower Manhattan, preying on young male prostitutes. The murderer in “The Alienist,” Caleb Carr’s elegant historical novel, is fictional, but the portrait of the Lower East Side with its “disorderly houses,” undercover “fly cops” and gangsters called “rabbits” rings true.
The “alienist” is Dr. Lazlo Kreizler, who treats the mentally ill, then thought to be merely alienated from their true natures. Part Sigmund Freud, part Sherlock Holmes, Kreizler constantly challenges the medical (and political) establishment with his radical theories that childhood experiences can influence an adult’s actions.
Enter New York City Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt, who secretly appoints the doctor to investigate the murders, exclaiming “Bully, bully” and “By thunder” at the slightest provocation. Kreizler is aided by John Schuyler Moore, an aristocratic New York Times “scribbler,” or police reporter, and Sara, a secretary who yearns to be the city’s first female cop.
A historian by background, Carr clearly knows the difference between a hansom and a calash, a landau and a barouche. The dialogue is larded with expressions of the times, as Sara demands not to be “mollycoddled” by the men, who are given to exclaiming “Hell’s Bells!” in outrage.
The long story never becomes tedious, and at the end the reader thirsts for another tale of Dr. Lazlo Kreizler, and another stein of Wurzburger as well.
One of my favorite fiction books. A lot of detail, mesmerizing characters & a real sense of place make this an outstanding crime novel. Really recommend.
Never seen the series but this book reads like the origins of CSI. The world is shocking and dark and I was completely submerged in it’s world while I read this. It may not be for everyone but it’s worthwhile to get a sample.
I haven’t reviewed The Alienist yet? Not sure how that happened. it’s got Teddy Roosevelt, serial killers, and a super colorful portrayal of turn-of-the-century NYC. it basically convinced me to be a history nerd.
I was late to read this one but found it absolutely spellbinding. The time period and the characters swept me away to a dark place where I could feel the stench and filthy streets in this twisted crime drama. Not to be missed even if you catch the series, the book is an amazing read that brings the main characters to life in a deeper way than television has the time to convey.
I have read the Alienist by Caleb Carr no less than 10 times. It is that good. Amazing characters, plot and writing. You will enjoy it.
I read this book years and years ago. It is what hooked me on Caleb Carr. I am thrilled to see it still in popular circulation and that it has made it to the screen.
I dug into this book on the recommendation of another Bookbub reviewer and was just ok about the beginnings of the story – it was a bit slow and seemed like a Sherlock Holmes-ish story. Then…it took off in a number of different directions and became really interesting. It is layered with data and analysis and is a thinking person’s delight in how it explores and challenges thoughts, patterns, and predispositions. I found the exploration of early day psychology interesting, and the development of serial killer profiling propelled the book forward. A lot here to think about and well worth reading.
The premier effort for Caleb Carr, readers were taken by surprise by a story that was marketed as a Holmsian tale. What we got was a potential new character cut from a different cloth completely. The character development takes far longer than a book of this length should risk, and I admit to seriously considering giving up. But if the reader stays with it, the payoff becomes worth the time and effort.
Sadly, the book became the author’s only memorable work and, for this reason, this story becomes a testament to talent never realized.
Love how he brings turn of 19th century NewYorkCity alive. Having grown up in the city, and also writing my own historical thrillers set there (albeit nearer in time) I always enjoy a story about my home town.
I listened to the audiobook. I did enjoy it. It was graphic at times but didn’t surprise me for I’ve seen the TNT series based on the book. One thing I was disappointed in, I believe my audiobook was the tie-in version instead of the original version which was what I wanted.
In my top ten reads of all time. Amazing characters, swift-moving story with dips and turns and all the while revealing the characters’ truth. A perfectly put together book.
Intricate Page Turner
Years ago this book introduced me to Industrial age innovations in crime methods and discoveries of all kinds.
So recently I returned to an old favorite of mine, Caleb Carr’s The Alienist. Now if you’re faint of heart, you may want to pass this up, simply put–it’s gory and downright scary! As a teen, and possibly earlier, I had a love of the bizarre, the occult, and a good ole’ detective story. This thriller had it all, as far as I was concerned. I think I’ve read this book about five times since it first came out. The characters are memorable. They’re also characters that you’d probably not going to want to hang out with. At any rate, revisiting the characters who solve a Jack the Ripper-like case in the late 1800s in New York, was refreshing and almost timely. It takes place during a time when immigrants were getting the brunt of society’s newfound lust for racism. Ironically, our country is going through that kind of nonsense again. But our protagonists, T.Roosevelt, Dr. Kreizler, and a newspaper journalist, J. Moore, are taken on a roller coaster ride of epic proportion, as they search for a serial killer with a zen for young boys who were a big part of the prostitution rings of New York. The new techniques in detective work are introduced to the reader, and it’s fascinating how far our forensics teams have come from those early days of detective work.
I know that they’re currently working on a television adaptation of the novel, and I’m keen on seeing what they’ve got planned for it. Carr wrote two more sequels to this book, and The Angel of Darkness and Surrender New York, and I’m not sure if they’re both as good as the first of these books. But I definitely recommend this and the others if you’re a fan of thrilling murder mysteries. 🙂
Love love love this book!!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed the Alienist. I recommend it to anyone who loves forensic profiling and the psychology of serial killers.
#1 Favorite Book EVER! I have read and/or listened to The Alienist too many times to count!8
Not what I would call a page turner in the beginning, but the further along I got, it just kept getting better and better. I’m glad I stuck with it and enjoyed it.
Loved it! Reading the second book and it’s just as good!