Cheri reviewed The alienist by Caleb Carr
Review of 'The alienist' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
Thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Paperback, 498 pages
English language
Published March 26, 2006 by Random House Trade Paperbacks.
4 stars
(41 reviews)
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 …
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.From the Paperback edition.
Gossamerchild reviewed The Alienist by Caleb Carr
Review of 'The Alienist' on 'Storygraph'
3 stars
This had all the elements of a book that I would love-murder mystery, historical fiction, strong female character (though ultimately the role Sara plays kind of disappoints)-but in the end it simply didn't do it for me. Not enough action for a murder mystery, and way too much explanation. Not bad, just...meh.
jayvall reviewed The alienist by Caleb Carr
Review of 'The alienist' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
I stopped reading on Chapter 20 because it got gross and I'm not into gross. Which is unfortunate because aside from the mystery I was enjoying this.
Chris Aldrich reviewed The alienist by Caleb Carr
Review of 'The alienist' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
A lovely piece of historical fiction with elements of the psychological thriller.
Though the several early chapters of the book are a bit overdone with setting the historical scene of the action, it quickly becomes a page turning potboiler. I did ultimately greatly appreciate the heavy research both into the period as well as the background science underpinning much of the plot.
I'd put it easily in the realm of the works of Thomas Harris, Conan Doyle and others of the genre.
Subjects
- Serial murders -- Fiction
- New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction