The Alienist

The Alienist, written in the mid-90s by Caleb Carr, follows a ragtag investigative team's pursuit of a sadistic serial killer stalking boy-prostitutes in New York. Set in the 1920s, Carr does an amazing job of setting up the world around the investigative team - made up of alienist (psychologist, as we would call him nowadays) Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, reporter and narrator John Schuyler Moore, police receptionist Sara Howard, and twin detectives Marcus and Lucius Isaacson - often using real-life places, people, and events to set the stage for exciting plot developments. Carr uses a very distinct writing style, among other tools, to create an extremely readable psycho-thriller. Beyond the pages, however, is where Carr strikes gold. In the shadows of the pursuit of the serial killer lie the issues of class divisions, the distrust of psychologists at the time, the implied (and sometimes direct) corruption and attempted reformation of the NYPD, and a moral conflict that exists between those who want to seize the killer for the sake of justice versus those who are morally ambivalent because of the nature of the murder victims. Overall, I'd say this book is a fascinating read, especially for those who enjoy crime/murder mystery novels as well as historical fiction.

First Line: "Theodore is in the ground."

Author: Caleb Carr

Length: 487 pages