No. 23 - The Alienist

by Caleb Carr

Started: July 5

Finished: July 12

Notes: This book was a big seller a dozen or so years ago. I'd seen it plenty of times, but not picked it up until recently when I got it used for a dollar. What drew me to the book? Well, the cover, at first, which is unusual for me nowadays. I rarely pick up a book because the cover looks interesting. But the photo on the cover had that late 19th centery, big city, serial killer look to it (I'm sometimes an amateur Ripperologist). So that made me pick up the book. I read the blurb on the back, and sure enough, it's about a serial killer in NYC in 1896. Teddy Roosevelt, and others, are historical figures, and I found that also of interest.

Mini review: It took a couple of hundred pages for me to get into this book, but it did pick up my interest. It felt a bit like "Silence of the Lambs" in the late 19th century, which means I liked it.