Review of the Alienist

The Alienist

By: Caleb Carr

A good historical detective story should be able to transport you to another time and place. It gets you into the mystery of the case and should make the reader want to keep reading. Carr’s story has done that with The Alienist.

The Alienist is set in New York City of 1896 and Theodore Roosevelt is the commissioner of the New York police department.  Boy prostitutes that dress up like girls are being murdered and no one seems to care, because what these boys are doing is sinful and going against God.  Roosevelt wants to put the murderer behind bars, so he hires Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, an Alienist, to gather a team to solve the case.  Alienists were doctors that could scientifically diagnosis if a criminal was insane or not, and Kreizler is considered the best.  He is not widely excepted by New York society, though.  Kreizler seeks the help of our narrator, crime reporter John Schuyler Moore, the first female inspector Sarah Howard, and two Jewish brothers in the police force that are not taken as seriously in the police department due to controversial ideas.  The group studies the crime scenes using that to narrow it down, and then study the background of the man they have determined to be the murderer. Of course, this turns into a case that receives much criticism and becomes incredibly dangerous having put the lives of people close to the crime solvers at great risk.

This particular novel would probably be preferred more by those who love historical fiction and detective stories. The writing style is easy to read, but the novel is quite long with 47 chapters.  Some of the chapters are a bit long, as well.  The narrator Moore breaks the fourth wall throughout the novel reminding the reader how some of the things referenced in novel will change in the next year.  It is interesting to see a future president in his previous position before he became the president, play a role in the story.  As for the character Laszlo Kreizler, if you have read Sherlock Holmes stories, Dr. Kreizler is very much like Holmes, but is better with people than Holmes.  The character John Moore is representing the reader, like how in science fiction television shows they have the character that represents the audience, in the story. This makes Moore’s character one of the more relatable characters to the average reader, adding a more appealing aspect to the story. There is also the character Sarah Howard, who has the intention of being a detective, but because she is a woman during a time when it was not acceptable for woman, this is a crucial plot point.  It illustrates how woman are capable, but how back then it was not believed they were.  Sarah is a strong-willed, independent female character as well, appealing to female readers. Learning about the concept of an Alienist was interesting and gives a compelling viewpoint on the criminal’s behavior. I rate The Alienist an A-.