Rating: 
Summary: Exceptional for an early century story
Review: I've never really been into period writings, but I really enjoyed this adventure. I was on pins and needles until the culprit was caught. The groups' different personalities added to my enjoyment. Caleb Carr makes some very poignant quotes in this novem that he attributes to Roosevelt. I'm not sure who really said them but they were very memorable. You simply have to read this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: What a story, what a writer, what a novel!
Review: Caleb Carr is a great story teller with a wonderful vocabulary. His historical depictions of New York City are so accurate, I have found myself wandering the streets of the Bowery late at night feeling that I myself was tracking down this serial killer. All the characters he created, from Moore, to Kriesler right down to the brothers was right on. A true thriller and nail biter. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to loose themselves in early 1900's New York City.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: This is a great murder mystery. It takes place at the turn of the century (late 1800's). Very intriguing. It is a bit hard to get started, but I was not able to put it down once I started.
Rating:
Summary: Well written historical fiction thriller
Review: Fans of the gilded age will really get into Carr's account of NYC at the turn of the century with this page turner. From the well thought out ang engaging plot to the great characters, readers will not be disappointed. Granted it is a long read, but well worth your effort.Carr draws on the history, sociology, and emerging psychology of this pregnant era of history. This is not a thriller you can decipher--it truly is a surprise ending and will leave you hungry for the sequel--The Angel of Darkness. This book is everything I thought it would be and more.
Rating:
Summary: Forensic history made fun
Review: I read this 599 page novel in one sitting, except for falling alseep for a few hours. Its a page turner..... I even read with one hand through dinner. This is a very good story. It's a historically accurate (as far as I can tell) novel of turn-of-the-century police investigation in New York City, with an emphathis on the development of forensic science and personality profiling. Lest that sound hiddeously boring, let me assure you this is a good yarn, very well told, with terrific characters, skipping over the scientific details in favor of readability, while painting a thoroughly interesting historical snapshot. The story moves along nicely, and character development is outstanding. You will love all these very flawed cast members, from the brilliant doctor with the mommie obsession who cares more about his theories than the danger he places his friends in with it, to the fallen socialite turned dissolute police reporter/protagonist who brags up every minor contribution he makes to the case, while recalling every detail of every free meal he is treated to at Delmonico's. They are all believable and human, they all drink too much, and there isn't an old fashioned know-it-all hero in the bunch. The flaws are presented with charming understatement, and provide form to the plot as it developes, but never dominates the story. Rather it provides a backdrop for the story, and interacts with it, just like the real thing. The story follows, with almost comicly blithe detachment. the course of a secret investigation of an organized serial killer stalking and butchering teenage male prostitutes. The team of new-order experts secretly assembled by Teddy Roosevelt to find the monster all have their own unresolved personality issues, and have to battle those AND the forces of organized crime, High Society, and social change, all of which eventually conspire to try to kill them at one point or another in the story. They eventually deduce, mostly from a letter the killer writes, enough useful and specific information about him to identify him, track him down, and be present at his final ritual murder scene. Interwoven with this is enough history, action, romance (all quite prim), hideous violence, mystery, and name-dropping to keep the book moving along nicely and make you love the characters and even sympathize with the monster killer himself. My main criticism of the book, which I do not believe detracts from its value as a great read, is that it reports (though it doesn't advocate) the notion that psychotic serial murder cases can be solved by identifying the emotional malformation of the killer, and by deductive logic. The police professional does not doubt the value of personality profiling in passion murder cases, and certainly wouldn't question the value of physical evidence, but the role given these processes by Carr, while appropriate to the story as told, is just not how its done, even 105 years later. A final critique.... The book ends two chapters too late. No harm done, in fact its rather nice how Carr lets you know what happens afterwards to the various characters. But the last image presented, of an empty water tank as a methophor for a holow society, is just too trite. That having been said, I am off to the bookstore to find more Carr titles. This guy can write!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: This book is truely one of the most well-written, well-researched books I have ever read. No one could read it without feeling extreme respect for the author's psychological perspective.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible, Captivating, Fascinating.
Review: The Alienist, Caleb Carr's first book, is awesome! The history of 1896 in NY is fascinating and the plot keeps you guessing as to the outcome which does not disappoint the reader. This book is one of the best books I have ever read. I really think it is more a piece of literature than a novel. It's so well written I could read it over and over again. Enjoy, you will not be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Contains far more history than is good for it
Review: Author Carr is an historian first and a novelist second. He packs his story with far too many fascinating facts and digressions, which work against maintaining the tension so crucial to a mystery. It's as if, having done all that research, he can't bear to leave out a single fact. For example, a chapter involving Theodore Roosevelt and his family seems to serve no other purpose than to demonstrate that Carr has indeed read about them. Also, I would agree with other readers when they say the characters are flat.
Rating:
Summary: Historical Thrill Seeking
Review: I picked up the Alienist knowing very little besides its status as a long-time best-seller and that it described the investgation of a serial killer in NYC in 1896. These facts gave me high hopes, and for the most part I was not disappointed. The major characters are all very well developed and have good interplays (though some of the minor characters such as the thug, Paul Kelly, should have been drawn a little more fully), the historical aspects are clever and very accurate, and the story moves along quite quickly. I am not a regular reader of mysteries, but the main characteristic I look for in them is suspence that makes me want to keep reading whenever I come to the end of a chapter (if I lack sleep because of a book it is a good sign), and this book certainly did so. In addition, as one reviewer wrote, this book rewards patience, and that is very true as there are some terrific plot twists near the end. The only problem I had with the book, were some periods when Caleb Carr addes some pointless tangents and details (a needless aside about the narrator's brother sticks out in my mind), which takes away from the action and slows the pace, but that is really a minor quibble. I would highly recommend thius book to fans of mysteries, historical fiction, or really anyone who likes a well written, quick read.
Rating:
Summary: Dark, Crafty, and Provoking
Review: I originally picked up a copy of The Alienist on a recommendation from my spouse. I have to admit, at the beginning I was a little turned off by what I perceived to be a hack and slash horror story about a serial killer who stalks young male prostitutes. I gave it a shot, and two chapters into the book, I was hooked and pleased to find that there was more than just shock value from the crimes Caleb Carr describes. Carr has done his homework for this novel. The detail he includes in describing criminal methods of investigation and advances made in psychological study is astounding. The characters use these and other methods in order to formulate a portrait of their suspect, and then to track him down. Some of the best scenes in the book come when the team assembled to track down the criminal are bouncing ideas and theories off each other. That may sound dry, but its not. During the course of their research, Dr. Lazlo Kreizler and Jon Moore (the chief protagonists of the story) stumble upon a consipiracy to cover up the murders by a source that will be shocking to many. Carr manages to elicit a wide range of emotions from his readers as well from the horror that comes with the discovery of each new body to the sympathy felt for his victims at the revelation of their pasts. One of my favorites elements of the entire novel was Carr's inclusion of Teddy Roosevelt as a character. Although a minor character, Roosevelt as the Commissioner of Police was fantastic. Carr successfully captured Roosevelt's enthusiasm and gung ho attitude. I can't say enough good things about the Alienist. It is a first rate suspense/mystery.
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