The Alienist: A Novel
By Caleb Carr
Carr had been the author of several
historic works of non-fiction prior to embarking on this his
first novel. So it is not curious that he would fill his novel
with rich historic detail and characters who leap out as we know
them from news of the past had painted them to us explicitly.
One such character is
Teddy
Roosevelt, Commissioner of the New York police department.
Portrayed in his full bully persona, Roosevelt plays a
part in allowing his old Harvard
college buddies his support in capturing a serial killer
using cutting edge techniques of the day including profiling and
fingerprinting, in their earliest stages of acceptance by the
legal system of the day.
The Alienist , refers to a common term for a
psychologist, here known
as Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a specialist in children of tragic
circumstances who become victims and perpetrators of crime. A
series of murders with horribly mutilated adolescent boys, all
prostitutes from New York brothels, pulls the doctor and his
team including New York Times reporter John Schuyler Moore, Sara
Howard, who works as a secretary in the police department,
two Jewish detectives trained in the strange new science of
'forensics', a black man in service to the doctor after being
tried for murder and Stevie, a young boy the doctor has
befriended, into a bizarre series of investigations.
Colorful people and places known to New York City’s past play
minor parts in coloring this adventure with sights, sounds and
tastes that transport you into a different era. Carr holds your
attention and leaves you wanting more.
