The Alienist

By: Caleb Carr

Narrated by: George Guidall

A new breed of evil in Old New York

New York, 1886: Lower Manhattan's underworld is ruled by a new generation of cold-blooded criminals...Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt battles widespread corruption within the department's ranks...and a shockingly brutal murder sets off an investigation that could change crime-fighting forever.

In the middle of a wintry March night, New York Times reporter John Moore is summoned to the East River by his friend Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a brilliant pioneer in the new and much-maligned discipline of psychology, the emerging study of society's "alienated" mentally ill. There they view the horribly mutilated body of a young boy, a prostitute from one of Manhattan's infamous brothels. Supervised by Commissioner Roosevelt, the newsman and his "alienist" mentor embark on a revolutionary attempt to identify the killer by assembling his psychological profile -- a dangerous quest that takes them into the tortured past and twisted mind of a murderer who has killed before...and will kill again before the hunt is over.

As rich in vivid period ambience as Ragtime and Time and Again, and as relentlessly suspenseful as Red Dragon or The Silence of the Lambs, The Alienist will take you to a New York that no longer exists -- to confront an evil of timeless savagery.

Excellent Story, Great Characters and narration

Having read this book when it first was published, I knew I was in for a good story and wasn't disappointed. The characters are just as interesting as the first time around and George Guidall is an excellent narrator, with great distinction of characters' voices. I've enjoyed his performance in several other books. Excellent murder/mayhem psychological thriller!

Interesting period piece

Taking place at the same time as Sherlock Holmes, though written 100 years later, the book sets up a Holmes-and-Watson relationship between a psychiatrist ("alienist") and a reporter, the story's narrator in true Watson fashion. The story is fairly good, though not as clever as the Holmes stories. What weakens the book is the author's harangue that evil is brought about solely by poor nurturing (bad parenting) and does not exist by nature. But I suppose if we take the book as a 19th century story, it would be 50 years before DNA would be discovered. Medicine still is so amazingly unscientific sometimes.

Couldn’t put it down.

This book brought an insight into the earliest uses of profiling. It held my attention in every aspect. George Guidall’s narration was spot on. His intonation was perfect.

Excellent.

The narrator did an excellent job. The story is very interesting, I couldn’t put it down. Finished it in a week and could’ve have finished it in a couple of days if I had the time.

Awesome

Loved it, very colorful, detailed and engaging! I will definitely check out Caleb Carr's other books!