The Alienist

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Summary: Makes you feel as if you're there.
Review: I read this book when it was first published and it's one of my all time favorites. Completely engrossing, and at times horrific, this is one I couldn't put down. Carr is an enormously talented writer, who creates an atmospheric thriller so realistic you'll believe you've "time-warped" to turn-of-the-century NYC. I can't wait to read Carr's next work of art

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Summary: I used this paperback as a heatpad to protect my table
Review: Very pretending,dubious writing;slow dragging, constipating A.Christies ballony. Make you feel like getting lukemia if you try to get on this bestseller vanity. This book's only good for its recycle value

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Summary: A TAPESTRY OF BRILLIANCE
Review: I had this book for about a year before I read it on holiday. Quite simply it is the best novel I have ever read and it has since been given or lent to many friends and family. Without exception receiving rave reviews. Set in New York City 1896, Carr spins a story that is compelling and at times deeply fearsome. He captures the heart and soul of a New York City that allows anyone who has been there to truly feel the words come alive. There is a texture and richness to his words that is rare in a novel, enslaving the reader to all hours of the night. The story evolves with characters you passionately care about as they hunt the serial killer. I am sure that I will read this book many times more. I hear Paramount have been trying to make a feature of the book. Frankly it is impossible to adequatly translate the words to pictures and the story to film

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Summary: A historical fiction that tracks the first serial killer.
Review: Caleb Carr's "The Alienist" sets the reader back in New York City in the late 1800's, before forensic techiques were considered reliable and when a "quack" named Freud was just becoming a household name. The unlikely group assembled to solve a string of brutal murders have only their common sense, some unproven theories, and Teddy Roosevelt. The delicious plot drops clues just fast enough to keep the reader flipping pages until the heart-stopping finale. The only let down is that this engrossing tale has to end. This hefty meal is as succulent as any dinner at Delmonicos.

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Summary: Amazingly-crafted can't-put-it-down page-turner!
Review: My husband read this book and said, "Honey, you HAVE to read this - this guy's an amazing writer!" I finally started it, and couldn't put it down. I loved Carr's vivid descriptions of New York and other locales - I could "see" them as I read! I, too, found the ending slightly anti-climactic, but I was literally on the edge of my chair reading this book. Carr is arguably one of the best writers out there

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Summary: Hypnotizing
Review: Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. Definitly one of the best thrillers ever!!

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Summary: Gripping novel that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Review: The Alienist grabs you by the throat from the first and won't let go until the end. Set in the early 1900's, the characters try to solve a serial murder. Using the tools availble to them at the time, they go from the uptown to the low-life of the city tracking the murderer. The descriptions of the times are so realistic that you can see the city life clearly. Also, the tension building up to the end is wonderful. Unlike other books of this nature, the ending is not a let down or hurried to finish the book. It follows through and doesn't leave you wondering or guessing what happened. I loved this book and recommend it to anyone that loves a good mystery with a twist

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Summary: Majestic, luxurious tale
Review: Caleb Carr has crystallized the end of the 19th century to a "t" - you feel like you are a part of the investigation team in every sense, twisting and turning with each new revelation. I was apprehensive to read it at first, I am wary about bestsellers... but I was pleasantly surprised! This truly is a first rate novel - simply smashing!

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Summary: The best serial murderer book ever
Review: This novel was so intense that I read it non-stop for 3 hours before I forced myself to put it down. The book contains the most brilliant serial murderer and gruesome murders ever printed. Complete with the you-are-there descriptions of turn of the century Manhattan,witty and facinating characters and a simply can't put down unique syle of writing, The Alienist is sure to have you mesmerize

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Summary: Carr scores a sure home run
Review: Caleb Carr has surely succeeded where many others have failed miserably. He has combined the character twists reminiscent of the best Agatha Christie with the research of locale and historical accuracy that would make Grisham blush sophomorically. To this he has added more turns than the German autobahn. As the plot and characters develop, "The Alienist" races at breakneck speed toward an ending that even the craftiest of us could not expect. One of those books that will surely produce that dreaded,"...it's two in the morning and I have to get up in a few hours, but I can't put this book down" feelings. An excellent read