The Alienist - Caleb Carr

The Alienist (Caleb Carr, 1994)

Starting with a midnight call to a grisly crime scene, The Alienist mixes history, psychology, and suspense to tell the story of a serial killer loose on the streets of New York City in 1896. The historical details are interesting - it's wild to imagine a world where fingerprinting isn't admissible court evidence - but they don't get in the way of the story, which is well plotted and well paced.

Since this serial killer preys on immigrant male child prostitutes, and since there is no immediately obvious way to tie anyone to the killings, the corrupt police department is not particularly keen on investigating. Undaunted, Commissioner of Police Theodore Roosevelt (yes, that Theodore Roosevelt) authorizes an alternative investigation led by eminent alienist (a.k.a. psychologist) Laszlo Kreizler, which tries to identify the killer by creating a full physical and psychological profile, based on the known facts surrounding the gruesome, yet consistent, killings. The closer they get to the truth, the more they court danger, not only from the killer but from New York gangs, the upper crust, and even the established police force, who resent Roosevelt.

The action is bracing when it hits, and the character development in between the action is well done. Probably the most exciting part is the investigation itself: we get the same thrill of affirmation as Kreizler's team when their careful, studied, yet ultimately tenuous deductions turn up solid clues. The intellectual exercise and the thrill of the hunt combine to make this a great read. Its pleasures are solid and composed: there is no outrageous plot twist, no surprise ending, just a well-told story of people working against time to prevent the atrocities of a deeply disturbed soul.

Arbitrary rating: 4 out of 5 tenuous deductions