To catch a killer.

Author's Rating:

Pros: Brilliant account of a hunt for a serial killer

Cons: none

Author's Review
Who the heck is Caleb Carr? That of course was the first question out of my mouth when my father handed me this book. He had received it as a gift, but although he enjoys historically themed books, he never reads fiction. I of course, devour it like a hungry animal. I myself rarely delve into the detective/mystery genre, but something about this book said read me, read me, you won't be sorry. And of course like anyone else, I rarely ignore an inanimate object that takes time out to address me. <ouch>

To answer my initial question, Caleb Carr is the brilliant, articulate author of The Alienist. He was born in Manhattan, and now resides on the Lower East Side. He attended Kenyon College and New York University where he attained a degree in history. Why is all this important you ask? It helps when you're composing a story based in New York in the latter part of the 19th century.

Our story takes place in 1896 at a time when Theodore Roosevelt was New York's police commissioner. On the scene of a particularly grisly mutilation murder, Roosevelt decides that due to the usual nature of the crime, some rather unconventional steps would need to be taken to catch the killer. So, he puts together a team that would operate outside the confines of a rather corrupt NYPD.

His first recruit is the brilliant Dr Lazlo Kriezler, our resident Alienist, which is what psychologists were called back then. Dr Kriezler was a believer in the new school of thought that suggested criminal behavior could be traced back to an individual's upbringing. This way of thinking was frowned upon by the so-called moral majority of the day, because they considered it an attack on traditional family values. His expertise made him an obvious choice to lead the team.

Next was John Shyular Moore, a police reporter for the Times. Moore attended Harvard with both Kriezler and Roosevelt His area of expertise is the street. His familiarity with the seedier parts of the city, as well as New York's underworld would come in handy during this investigation. The story is seen through his eyes.

Because Roosevelt couldn't involve himself directly with an investigation that included civilians, he needed a liaison to keep him apprised of all developments. He chose secretary Sara Howard was among the first women hired by the PD. He needed someone he could trust, and Sara fit the bill quite nicely.

Rounding out the team were Marcus and Lucius Issacson. Both Detective Sergeants in the department, hand picked by Roosevelt because they were fairly new to the precinct, and weren't corrupted by the old guard, and for their willingness to employ more modern techniques of crime solving. Areas of expertise included such radical ideas as forensics, fingerprinting and other methods thought to be ridiculous at the time.

With the team now assembled, they set out to try and stop a new kind of criminal. A serial killer. What's unique about this book is, it takes us step by through the investigation, as the team works feverishly to first, establish a profile of the killer, find a pattern that links the killings, try to guess where he'll strike next, and hopefully apprehend him before he kills again. Been done before you say? Probably so, but I doubt if it's been done in this kind of detail.

This book was an exciting ride back to a different era when modern crime solving techniques were virtually unheard of. Anyone who is fascinated by forensic science, and a step by step account of a murder investigation, will absolutely love this book. Carr writes intelligently and lends a real touch of class to this story, while giving a genuine feel and atmosphere of what life was like in New York a century ago. A must read.