The Alienist is a crime novel by Caleb Carr first published in 1994 and is the first book in the Kreizler series. It takes place in New York City in 1896, and includes appearances by many famous figures of New York society in that era, including Theodore Roosevelt and J. P. Morgan. The story follows Roosevelt, then New York City police commissioner, and Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, as their investigative team attempts to solve gruesome murders through new methods including fingerprinting and psychology. The first murder victim investigated is a 13-year-old immigrant who has had his eyes removed, his genitals removed and stuffed in his mouth, and other injuries. The investigators deal with various interest groups that wish to maintain the status quo regarding the poor immigrant population in New York City. The sequel to the novel is The Angel of Darkness.
The book made best-sellers lists of Publishers Weekly and The New York Times the month it was published, and film rights to the story were purchased by producer Scott Rudin and Paramount Pictures. The film studio has since moved the rights over to its television division, where a 10-part event TV series adaptation began its run on January 22, 2018, on TNT. The Alienist received generally positive reception. Booklist described it as "superbly atmospheric and compelling",
At Roosevelt's request, Moore, Kreizler, and he meet the following morning in Roosevelt's office to discuss the case. Kreizler has examined the body and disagrees with the official coroner's report. He connects the Santorelli killing to that of a second case in which two children, Benjamin and Sofia Zweig, were killed and had their eyes gouged out. Roosevelt announces that there are two more murders that match the pattern. Roosevelt decides to investigate, but because Kreizler has such a dubious reputation as an alienist, and because the investigation will become politically difficult, he establishes a base of operations for them outside the police precinct. Politically, Roosevelt cannot afford to be associated with the investigation and is not involved with the day-to-day operations.
Kreizler asks for some young detectives who are open to new methods and receives the help of Marcus and Lucius Isaacson, two Jewish brothers who were hired when Roosevelt began removing corrupt police officers from the force. The Isaacsons bring sophisticated methods, such as the Bertillon system and fingerprinting, to the investigation, although these were not popular in New York City police departments at the time nor accepted in courts of law.
The group begins to investigate the victims, hoping to understand the mind of the murderer by understanding his victims. They interview Georgio Santorelli's mother and discover, for example, that there was discord in his family. Georgio's parents had learned of his being manipulated into performing sexual acts for older boys in school, and the father's response was to try to beat it out of the boy. Georgio eventually left home and lived on the streets as a male-for-male prostitute. They also read the emerging science of psychology, such as the works of William James. Another body is discovered, and the evidence suggests that the victim knew his attacker. The team also deduces that the killer's agility on rooftops suggests that he is familiar with mountain- or rock-climbing.
Kreizler, Roosevelt, Moore, and detective Sara Howard must deal with various interest groups during their investigation who wish to maintain society's status quo, including a corrupt police force, which takes bribes from owners of the brothels whose prostitutes include poor immigrants; the Catholic Church, which is wary of the potential power of an organized immigrant population; the Episcopal Church; and J. P. Morgan.
Characters
;John Moore: a New York Times reporter and the narrator of the novel;
;Dr. Laszlo Kreizler: the titular alienist of the novel;
;Stevie Taggert: Kreizler's teenage groom and carriage driver;
;Cyrus Montrose: Kreizler's valet and bodyguard;
;Mary Palmer: Kreizler's housemaid;
;Marcus and Lucius Isaacson: brothers and Detective Sergeants with the NYPD
;Sara Howard: police secretary, friends with John Moore
Historical figures
- Thomas F. Byrnes
- Anthony Comstock
- Michael Corrigan
- James "Biff" Ellison
- H. H. Holmes (mentioned only)
- William James
- Paul Kelly
- Jack McManus
- Adolf Meyer
- J. P. Morgan
- Jesse Pomeroy
- Henry C. Potter
- Jacob Riis
- Theodore Roosevelt
- Lincoln Steffens
- Franz Boas
Composition and biographical background
thumb|Ambulance standing outside [[Bellevue Hospital|Bellevue, a psychiatric hospital, in New York City in 1895]]
The Alienist is set in the neighborhood where Carr lived, and he has spent hours wandering around it. He also spent a lot of time researching his book at the J. P. Morgan Library.
The novel "allowed him to exorcise some of his demons, mostly centered on his relationship with his father, which was stormy and sometimes violent." Like E. L. Doctorow's 'Ragtime', the novel combines fact with fiction. Carr includes period details, such as descriptions of "sumptuous meals of turtle soup au clair, Creole eggs, broiled squab, saddle of lamb a la Colbert and 'a liter of smooth, dark Wurzburger (beer) that had a head as thick as whipped cream'".
Another theme is destiny, and the novel investigates New York City's destiny, "saying its basic character and problems have endured over history". Paperback rights were sold at auction to Bantam for $1,001,000. and during the summer of 1994 reached between no. 4 and no. 7 on The New York Times Best Seller list.