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Author: Caleb Carr
Series: Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Book #1)
Series: Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Book #1)
Genre: Thriller / Mystery / Historical Fiction
Length: 599 pages
Published: 1994
Publisher: Bantam Books
Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) The year is 1896, the place, New York City. On a cold March night New York Times reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned to the East River by his friend and former Harvard classmate Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a psychologist, or "alienist." On the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge, they view the horribly mutilated body of an adolescent boy, a prostitute from one of Manhattan's infamous brothels.
The newly appointed police commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt, in a highly unorthodox move, enlists the two men in the murder investigation, counting on the reserved Kreizler's intellect and Moore's knowledge of New York's vast criminal underworld. They are joined by Sara Howard, a brave and determined woman who works as a secretary in the police department. Laboring in secret (for alienists, and the emerging discipline of psychology, are viewed by the public with skepticism at best), the unlikely team embarks on what is a revolutionary effort in criminology-- amassing a psychological profile of the man they're looking for based on the details of his crimes. Their dangerous quest takes them into the tortured past and twisted mind of a murderer who has killed before--and will kill again before the hunt is over.
Fast-paced and gripping, infused with a historian's exactitude, The Alienist conjures up the Gilded Age and its untarnished underside: verminous tenements and opulent mansions, corrupt cops and flamboyant gangsters, shining opera houses and seamy gin mills. Here is a New York during an age when questioning society's belief that all killers are born, not made, could have unexpected and mortal consequences.
My Review:
The newly appointed police commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt, in a highly unorthodox move, enlists the two men in the murder investigation, counting on the reserved Kreizler's intellect and Moore's knowledge of New York's vast criminal underworld. They are joined by Sara Howard, a brave and determined woman who works as a secretary in the police department. Laboring in secret (for alienists, and the emerging discipline of psychology, are viewed by the public with skepticism at best), the unlikely team embarks on what is a revolutionary effort in criminology-- amassing a psychological profile of the man they're looking for based on the details of his crimes. Their dangerous quest takes them into the tortured past and twisted mind of a murderer who has killed before--and will kill again before the hunt is over.
Fast-paced and gripping, infused with a historian's exactitude, The Alienist conjures up the Gilded Age and its untarnished underside: verminous tenements and opulent mansions, corrupt cops and flamboyant gangsters, shining opera houses and seamy gin mills. Here is a New York during an age when questioning society's belief that all killers are born, not made, could have unexpected and mortal consequences.
My Review:
I give this book a 4 out of 5.
So the plot was excellent. I enjoyed the search for the killer, the use of "new" technology to examine the bodies and the crime scenes, and the use of what we now would call profiling. There were some great little subplots by including political intrigue, sinister crime bosses, and even romance.
My main issue with the book was that it was slow to develop the story. Things didn't really pick up for awhile and it was hard to get into the book. There were a lot of philosophical type debates that went on and sometimes those would make my eyes glaze over, so I'd find myself having to put the book away for a day or so. Otherwise this was a pretty good read.
You can purchase The Alienist through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format.
So the plot was excellent. I enjoyed the search for the killer, the use of "new" technology to examine the bodies and the crime scenes, and the use of what we now would call profiling. There were some great little subplots by including political intrigue, sinister crime bosses, and even romance.
My main issue with the book was that it was slow to develop the story. Things didn't really pick up for awhile and it was hard to get into the book. There were a lot of philosophical type debates that went on and sometimes those would make my eyes glaze over, so I'd find myself having to put the book away for a day or so. Otherwise this was a pretty good read.
You can purchase The Alienist through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format.
Have you read The Alienist? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!
Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.
Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.
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