Rating: 
Summary: Great book, but takes a while to get into it.
Review: I first saw this book in hardback and liked the premise but didn't buy it. I saw it again and purchased it in paperback. As I started reading it started talking about Teddy Roosevelt as police commissioner I suppose to add realism but for me it was a distraction. You guessed it. I stopped reading it. Several weeks ago I picked up a second paperback copy because I still thought the premise was good and I had plenty of time to really get into the book. When I did I became fascinated with it. The book has likable characters and brings you along with them as they search for a serial killer being blocked along the way by many powerful intrests. The book is one of the better books I have read depicting what it was like to live in New York in the 1880's. I am glad I finally read this book. I am currently reading his sequel "The Angel of Darkness" and think it is good to be back with the same characters.
Rating: 
Summary: A solid first novel fo Carr...
Review: Reads like a Hollywood movie production. The pace is fast and the plot gripping and exciting. Carr has crafted an exciting movie script and fitted it in a book. However the book is somewhat too long and the characters flat and 2-D. The finish was a little anti-climatic and disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: the alienist [abridged]
Review: Edward Herrmann does yeoman service, infusing this abridgement with some dramatic life. Beyond his ear-perking interpretation, however, the audiotape text is largely a pedestrian affair. I haven't read the original, a rather thick volume, but found this version to move rather briskly to its somewhat melodramatic and letdown climax. The most interesting elements of the narrative are the deductions and inferences that are used by the "alienist" and his police staff to establish the profile of the serial killer. Carr's writing doesn't break any new ground in this genre, and he doesn't exploit the potentially fertile social context of his characters (the alienist as Central European Jew, the policeman brothers who are also Jewish, and the female (!) police investigator - not to mention NY police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt) who would have been very, VERY different personas from our period, one hundred years past, in a whole other New York City. This could have thickened and spiced the stew of his narrative mix, but was an important novelist's element left unused.
Rating:
Summary: The genesis of profiling
Review: The Alienist is a time period piece dripping with atmosphere and suspense. Dr. Kriezler uses the unheard of method of profiling to catch a viscous killer. The Alienist is a long book, but because of the gripping suspense of the chase, it moves along very quickly. Carr throws in a collection of interesting characters for good measure. If you read and like this book, be sure and check out the sequel The Angel of Darkness.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Book
Review: This is by far my favorite read. I am on my 6th time through and every time I pick up on details I missed previously. The historical setting is fully evolved leaving the reader with an understanding of the time period no history book would ever give. The language is highly developed with an air to detail that is mesmerizing. This is not an easy read and those who want an easy read should stick to Mary Higgins Clark and the like. This is a novel for the reader who wants to have to think to understand fully. An Awesome read!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Good and long
Review: ...I doubt this one will make the front page, but I will try. It took me a while to finish it but I learned a big bunch about New York in 1896 and about Theodore R. I'm not sure what happened or why to mary.
Rating:
Summary: What a pageturner!
Review: I read The Alienist with my face-to-face bookclub this month and was immediately excited for a couple of reasons. First, we needed a change, having focused on "issue" books primarily, and second, I love serial killer mysteries. There's nothing like a great thriller to keep you company on a rainy afternoon. And this was no exception. It's Spring, 1896, and the New York City police department is faced with a dilemma. Someone is murdering and mutilating young male prostitutes. Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt brings together Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a controversial profiler (aka alienist), John Moore, the police beat reporter for the Times, and an assorted cast of trustworthy detectives and friends to take the case. Can this team of unexpected investigators find the murderer before he strikes again?? Guess you'll have to buy the book to find out... Overall, I enjoyed Carr's vivid description of turn of the century NYC and his ability to write in response to the time period's needs. I don't think he missed a single detail. The ending was slightly anti-climactic though I would not hesitate to recommend the book to anyone interested in this type of novel. I'm on my way to find The Angel of Darkness for more adventures with this funny, endearing group of characters.
Rating:
Summary: The Alienist
Review: Great book. Does a great job giving you a feel for turn of the century New York. Hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: I've been converted
Review: In this story of the urgent search for a serial killer who preys upon young male prostitutes, THE ALIENIST transports you into the wretched bowels of Lower Manhattan, where you are confronted by all of the depravity imaginable. It is the late 1890s and you know you are physically present, an unacknowledged member of the investigative unit headed by alienist (psychologist) Lazlo Kriezler. Instead of John Schuyler Moore, another unit member and reporter for the New York Times, you who have the responsibility of recounting the story. You are present for the grueling autopsies. You look on in bemusement during the verbal jousts between the self-assured Kriezler and the bombastic police commissioner, Teddy Roosevelt. As forensic techniques and psychological theories now accepted as commonplace are developed, you assist in formulation. Caleb Carr has so skillfully crafted the account you tend to suspend awareness it's a period piece only written in the prevalent style of the era. Suffusion of archaic terminology only serves to enhance the impact. No less appealing are the captivating descriptions of every salient detail, from the deplorable conditions in a back alley tenement or the odorous emanations of a livery dependent society, to the opulent architecture of the burgeoning commerical district of 19th century Manhattan. At first glance, the extensive verbiage (it's addictive) seems oppressive until you recognize how integral it is to the story, meanwhile the pages fly by so quickly the length of the book becomes an afterthought. Even if you are customarily adverse to period pieces, give this one a try. Like me, you just might adjust your preferences.
Rating:
Summary: If you like Silence of the Lambs, you'll love this
Review: The Alienist is an incredibly well-crafted and detailed story - a perfect blend of both psychological horror and suspense. The story is told from the point of view of John Moore, a New York journalist in turn of the certury New York City. Moore is initially brought in by an associate of his, Laszlo Kreizler, to provide some background information on a recent grisly murder of a child prostitute. As the plot unfolds, Moore's knowledge of the seedier side of New York City, plus Kreizler's controversial theories about human behavior and learned behavior lead them on a chase for a new type of creature - New York's first serial killer. Carr's writing style may be a little stilted for some, but remind yourself that's it's told in first person, and at the turn of the century. Keeping that in mind, Carr's writing is refreshingly cultured and even ornate, according to the period. In this era of "taut, lean, prose," it's nice to read an author who can craft a sentence with one or two commas in it. The plot moves forward with each turn of a page - and turn you will. As the events get progressively more gruesome, you will find yourself anxiously anticipating each new chapter. Also, Carr's use of historical detail really serves to set the stage; further highlighting the shocking nature of the crimes described, rather than simply being backdrop. You are exposed to both sides of period New York, with all its gilded edges, bruises, and warts. I definitely recommend this book, particularly as an alternative to Thomas Harris' abysmal "Hannibal." It's a quick read, and thoroughly enjoyable. Check out Caleb Carr's other book, "Angel of Darkness," also.
| 
