The Alienist - Caleb Carr

Set in the early 20th century New York, its a Holmsian style novel with its primary characters blatantly similar to the Holmes/Watson investigation Duo. This book was a great page turner, with the mystery of the serial killer keeping you engaged all the way till the end. If the investigation slowed down, the 1900 backdrop of Manhattan with hansom cabs instead of sardar taxi's always kept it interesting. The author likes to introduce investigation techniques which are ahead of their time, and taken for granted today, such as fingerprinting.



A little slow on the action, a little heavy on the weird but the author keeps it interesting and explains everything you would need to know about the 100 year old context. This book is a great murder mystery that will keep you guessing and investigating right along with the famous alienist, Dr. Lazlo Kreizler.