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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The author’s literate style is a joy to experience, when so many books nowadays seem to be written on an elementary school level as far as vocabulary and sentence structure is concerned. Given this style, and the intensifying psychological tension that is built throughout the plot, I can heartily recommend this to readers who are eager for similar crime/police procedurals.
Wonderful book! A mystery read!!
This is a haunting mystery set in the 1890’s and it explores many twists and turns regarding a heinous child murderer. Not for the faint of heart, but very entertaining.
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Well written
Really made me feel like I knew what NYC in that time was like.
I read this some time ago. Enjoyed it very much. Looking forward to the movie.
Put you right on the streets with them. One of the best books ever.
This is about a serial killer operating in 1890’s New York.
Fascinating!!!
Love this book. Great mystery with good characters.
Did not like
At first glance, Caleb Carr’s The Alienist looks a lot like a New York version of Sherlock Holmes. The main action takes place in the 1890s (1896, specifically). There’s a Watson-like first-person narrator (John Moore, a reporter for The New York Times). And the protagonist (Dr. Laszlo Kreizler) is a brilliant—if troubled—mind with unconventional investigative methods.
But the setting isn’t the only difference. For starters, it’s not Kreizler that’s the degenerate (as Holmes was in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales); it’s Moore. He drinks and gambles, which makes him a more colorful narrator than the upright Watson. I also appreciated that Carr’s female lead (Sara Howard) has an active role in the investigation. Most intriguing, though, is that Kreizler is an alienist. “Prior to the twentieth century,” Carr notes at the book’s beginning, “persons suffering from mental illness were thought to be ‘alienated,’ not only from the rest of society but from their own true natures. Those experts who studied mental pathologies were therefore known as alienists.”
In the 19th century, the field of psychology was still in its infancy, and Kreizler’s contention that childhood experiences shape adulthood is generally regarded with extreme skepticism. “If word gets out that you’ve brought someone like Kreizler in,” Moore says at one point, “why, you’d be better off hiring an African witch doctor!” But when a killer begins executing child prostitutes in horrific fashion, Teddy Roosevelt—at that time the commissioner of the New York Police Department—involves Kreizler anyway and asks him to covertly profile the murderer. Most of the novel focuses on this endeavor, following Kreizler and his team as they research and theorize their way to a picture of their quarry.
The process requires more guesswork than I remember Holmes engaging in (although, to be fair, I haven’t read one of his cases in over twenty years). Kreizler’s colleagues analyze each clue for meaning and fill a chalkboard with possible interpretations. Many of their ideas are reaches. “It’s just speculation,” John starts at one point. “John,” Sara interrupts. “That entire board is just speculation.” I found this frustrating at times—Holmes’ rapid (and unlikely!) deductions based on observing and connecting seemingly irrelevant details are often more fun. But the grinding nature of Kreizler’s methods feels more realistic.
I also respected the historical touches. Carr has Moore write his account of the investigation from a vantage of twenty years, enough time for him to plausibly slip in details that wouldn’t fit in a contemporary account. I learned all sorts of things about turn-of-the-century New York. Much of it wasn’t strictly relevant to the story. And some bits, like the political interference Kreizler faces as he gets closer to the truth, seemed forced. But the majority was extremely well done.
The same is true of The Alienist as a whole, making it a worthy successor to—and no mere retread of—Conan Doyle’s iconic works.
(For more reviews like this one, see http://www.nickwisseman.com)
Very long but well worrh the time
One of the best books I’ve ever read
Great characters with a lot of history weaved into the story. Interesting story about the beginnings of forensics and profiling.
Wonderfully original effort. Interesting historical setting in late 19th century NYC combined with insights from the newly developed field of forensic psychology. Teddy Roosevelt and William James pop up along with other real figures. Definitely disgusting serial murders in the midst of equally disgusting surroundings, so it’s not for everyone.
Absorbing, fun, strongly convincing recreation of another era.
Warning: this book deals with the murder of children. It is also written in a point of history when children are basically seen as small adults. No one bats an eye at a ten year old sex worker and no one is rushing in to save the children. One fate of one the children John meets will break our heart.
Outside of Sherlock Holmes stories, this was the first historical crime fiction I had read. It was quite a few years prior to starting to write within the genre. What I found fascinating was how easily I fell into the time period without it being splashed in my face. Everything seemed natural as though I belonged there.