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The Alienist  By  cover art

The Alienist

By: Caleb Carr
Narrated by: George Guidall
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Publisher's summary

The year is 1896, the place, New York City. On a cold March night New York Times reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned to the East River by his friend and former Harvard classmate Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a psychologist, or "alienist." On the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge, they view the horribly mutilated body of an adolescent boy, a prostitute from one of Manhattan's infamous brothels.

The newly appointed police commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt, in a highly unorthodox move, enlists the two men in the murder investigation, counting on the reserved Kreizler's intellect and Moore's knowledge of New York's vast criminal underworld. They are joined by Sara Howard, a brave and determined woman who works as a secretary in the police department. Laboring in secret (for alienists, and the emerging discipline of psychology, are viewed by the public with skepticism at best), the unlikely team embarks on what is a revolutionary effort in criminology-- amassing a psychological profile of the man they're looking for based on the details of his crimes. Their dangerous quest 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.

Fast-paced and gripping, infused with a historian's exactitude, The Alienist conjures up the Gilded Age and its untarnished underside: verminous tenements and opulent mansions, corrupt cops and flamboyant gangsters, shining opera houses and seamy gin mills. Here is a New York during an age when questioning society's belief that all killers are born, not made, could have unexpected and mortal consequences.

©1994 Caleb Carr (P)2012 Simon & Schuster Audio

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What listeners say about The Alienist

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Excellent!

I highly recommend this audiobook. Incredible story, and I truly enjoyed Guidall's reading of it.

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I thought I knew the ending . . . Until the ending!

I was hooked early on and stayed that way. Excellent book, with everything tied up cleverly at the end. Very satisfying.

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Good book

Great book good narration can’t wait to see how the series stacks up. Good listen.

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Excellent story and narration!

This is an excellent, well written story. The narration is top notch! I highly recommend this book in the audio version!

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Phenomenal

inciteful, psychological thriller. Absolutely bone chilling. I hated for it to end and can't wait to embark upon the author's next book.

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#dark #suspenseful

The Alienist drew my attention due to the fact that I had watched the tv show. The book, as always, is better than the show. I got caught up in the story, wanting to find out what would happen next.

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Great story!

This was well worth the credit. I highly recommend this one. Writing and narration awesome.

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Creepy!

I wasn't sure exactly what the book was going to entail and this isn't the type of story I generally read, but it was well written and you keeps you on the edge of your seat.

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wonderful book

I loved the story thoroughly. I enjoyed every moment of the book. I'm looking forward to reading another book from Caleb Carr.

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Questionable logic

Some “logic” in the story seems highly questionable, and the “scientific” basis of decisions often seems lacking.

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