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Book Review #23 - The Alienist
Jun. 11th, 2008 04:51 pmMy 23rd novel of the year is The Alienist, by Caleb Carr (1994). TA was recommended to me by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
melskunk, on the grounds that I would likely appreciate its setting (1896 New York City) and historical detail. She was quite correct. I found it a solid book, and quite engaging.
It was not a brilliant book, and the author is not especially poetic or emotive, but the story is capably told and moves along at a good pace. It is a mystery, about a serial killer preying on young male prostitutes, and the secret effort of a team of “scientific” investigators in the employ of police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt to apprehend the killer.
A couple of things bugged me – and consider this your spoiler alert.
There are several points where a character has a sudden inspiration or revelation. Instead of telling the other characters, he or she grabs them and pulls them into a carriage, or along several streets, before showing them what he or she has found. This bugs me, for some reason. So, you’ve suddenly realized the killer works for the US Census. Why not SAY so, instead of wordlessly grabbing the female lead and dragging her several streets to simply point at the building? It’s a very movie thing to do, if you know what I mean.
Secondly, the parade of historical figures gets a little intrusive at times, particularly as some of the characters are only onstage long enough to be painted in the shallowest of ways. Roosevelt’s family, for instance, are presented as a sort of carnival of eccentrics that constantly carry snakes and rats about in their pockets. And Roosevelt is mostly a bombastic, cheery caricature who shows up to have things explained to him.
Worse, the author is selective about the facts he provides, which gets a little jarring when dealing with things the characters should know. For example, at the climax of the novel the characters must apprehend the murderer by staking out the site of his next killing. They believe it will be a castle-like structure, associated somehow with water. They’ve found a map of the NYC waterworks in his apartment.
So, they choose a bridge with some castle-like turrets, even though it is well outside the murderer’s known range. It is the only logical choice; given the information the reader is given. However, in sudden twist the Alienist of the title shows up, and redirects the narrator to Croton Reservoir. This is an enormous and world-famous castle-like structure containing millions of gallons of water, in the heart of the murderer’s range, and walking distance from their headquarters.
The business with the bridge simply existed to split the party and make the ending more dramatic. But, really, given the size and fame of the Croton Reservoir, I think it could be compared to having a contemporary detective in Toronto puzzle over someone threatening to commit a murder at “the giant needle-shaped building,” only to it must mean the smoke stack at the old power plant.
Still – an overall good novel, and a worthwhile read!
Though, I can't help but wonder if the sequel is called "Alienists", following by Alienist3 and Alienist: Resurrection.
melskunk, on the grounds that I would likely appreciate its setting (1896 New York City) and historical detail. She was quite correct. I found it a solid book, and quite engaging.It was not a brilliant book, and the author is not especially poetic or emotive, but the story is capably told and moves along at a good pace. It is a mystery, about a serial killer preying on young male prostitutes, and the secret effort of a team of “scientific” investigators in the employ of police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt to apprehend the killer.
A couple of things bugged me – and consider this your spoiler alert.
There are several points where a character has a sudden inspiration or revelation. Instead of telling the other characters, he or she grabs them and pulls them into a carriage, or along several streets, before showing them what he or she has found. This bugs me, for some reason. So, you’ve suddenly realized the killer works for the US Census. Why not SAY so, instead of wordlessly grabbing the female lead and dragging her several streets to simply point at the building? It’s a very movie thing to do, if you know what I mean.
Secondly, the parade of historical figures gets a little intrusive at times, particularly as some of the characters are only onstage long enough to be painted in the shallowest of ways. Roosevelt’s family, for instance, are presented as a sort of carnival of eccentrics that constantly carry snakes and rats about in their pockets. And Roosevelt is mostly a bombastic, cheery caricature who shows up to have things explained to him.
Worse, the author is selective about the facts he provides, which gets a little jarring when dealing with things the characters should know. For example, at the climax of the novel the characters must apprehend the murderer by staking out the site of his next killing. They believe it will be a castle-like structure, associated somehow with water. They’ve found a map of the NYC waterworks in his apartment.
So, they choose a bridge with some castle-like turrets, even though it is well outside the murderer’s known range. It is the only logical choice; given the information the reader is given. However, in sudden twist the Alienist of the title shows up, and redirects the narrator to Croton Reservoir. This is an enormous and world-famous castle-like structure containing millions of gallons of water, in the heart of the murderer’s range, and walking distance from their headquarters.
The business with the bridge simply existed to split the party and make the ending more dramatic. But, really, given the size and fame of the Croton Reservoir, I think it could be compared to having a contemporary detective in Toronto puzzle over someone threatening to commit a murder at “the giant needle-shaped building,” only to it must mean the smoke stack at the old power plant.
Still – an overall good novel, and a worthwhile read!
Though, I can't help but wonder if the sequel is called "Alienists", following by Alienist3 and Alienist: Resurrection.
