Rating: 
Summary: You don't have to understand the in-jokes.
Review: As a graduate student in criminology, I highly recommend this book as a great read. Carr is not only brilliant at concocting an intricate story, but he presents characters that are as real and multi-dimentional as any the reader is likely to find elsewhere. Even if you know nothing about the early history of forensics and criminology, the story itself is enough to keep the reader entertained. Catching the occassional refference to a person or theory now deemed laughable in these disciplines just makes it more fun.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing and Excellent
Review: This was a great book. Some of the occurrences were alittle well sick, if you've read the book you know what I mean. The plot was great, the story was smooth and it always had you thinking what is the killer eally like. I did a book report on the Alienist for school, usually I hate doing them but for this book it was absolutly enjoyable. The only thing I did not like about the book was the last few paragraphs, after pages and pages of excellent writing it seemed alittle bland to me, but then again I hate how all books end, looking back at what happend and what has happend to the characters.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read, spellbinding, highly recommended!
Review: One of the best books I have read in a long time! It is as if you were in old New York, the attention to detail is so great!Teddy Roosevelt, one of the great statesmen of all time, makes the book even more intriguing. The characters are engrossing. You will want to read this book in one sitting, it is so hard to put down. Where is the movie version?
Rating:
Summary: A Mystery Unlike Any Other
Review: It has been several years since I read this novel (I just purchased The Angel of Darkness) but I remember it quite well. Unlike some mysteries, every thing in this novel worked. The best part is Carr's intricate research into this time period. I think this is one of the most colorful eras in American history. I love the fact that Teddy Roosevelt and other "real" people appear as characters. To any one who has not read The Alienist I say you are doing yourself and injustice - you will not want to eat sleep or breathe until you get to the end.
Rating:
Summary: This book pulls you in, in the first chapter.
Review: This book gave an insight into a killer's mind and his actions. This book is my favorite book yet. I plan to read the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: A Book That Rewards Patience
Review: I read several reviews of this book here at this website, and many claim it to be boring. Don't believe them - to these people history was last week, not last century. The Alienist is a thrilling look back at a time in America that was quite different - a time where information didn't travel at the speed of light, and a story of a killer on the fringes of the twentieth century and the people determined to bring him down. The book is very descriptive of the thoughts and the social classes of the time, and that may frustrate those of little education of the period. Caleb Carr lets these scenes develop at their own pace - he definitely knows his Arthur Conan Doyle - and it rewards those who read through it with a wonderful feeling of walking into the past. I thought the characters were extremely well written - especially Kriezler and Theodore Roosevelt - and, contrary to some reviews posted here, has a great ending. For true fans of the detective genre - I'm talking of those who actually know who Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe are - this is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating work of historical fiction
Review: Truthfully, I wasn't quite sure I was up to such a lengthy novel, but Carr did a superb job of developing and interrelating the characters and the plotlines. The details of the time period seemed quite authentic; my only criticism is that I could have done without Teddy Roosevelt actually written into the plot. Dr. Kriezler - the alienist - is a fascinating character nicely complemented by the supporting cast. I urge anyone who remotely liked this novel to give The Angel of Darkness a read. In my opinion, it equals if not surpasses The Alienist, featuring most of the same characters who take on the evil Libby Hatcher...
Rating: 
Summary: ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz
Review: I couldn't follow it. I tried really hard to stick with it, but found it terribly boring and very hard to follow. I am sure that it was a good book, and worth it if you read the whole thing. I just couldn't do it, I kept falling asleep. I normally really enjoy this type of story, and hate to leave a book unread. But I had to this time, I am sorry I missed out.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!! A novel to read again and love again.
Review: I have only three words to add: amazing, addicting, and enthralling. Read this!
Rating: 
Summary: Sometimes fascinating, sometimes slow as glacial ice
Review: This book, i.e., its author, succeeds in doing three things: transporting the reader vividly back to New York City just before the turn-of-the-century, revealing the fact that serial killers are nothing new and captivating the reader during the last 150 pages. It was a good read (not great), that provided rich detail of NYC during the 1890s, along with explicit descriptions of the cruel manner in which the book's killer treated the victims. The story moved slowly and I found myself having to re-trace pages frequently in order to re-connect one event with a previous piece of information. I enjoyed the book and was anxious to find out who the villian (understated)was. But, I won't run out the door to pick up Carr's next one. I may walk however.
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