Janelle's Reviews > The Alienist

A historical serial killer mystery novel set in New York in 1896. The writing is deeply descriptive and initially I found it very interesting and deeply immersive but it just went on and on. Early police investigations (fingerprinting, psychological profiling of the subject) are discussed in great detail, all of it is done in great detail! But I didn’t feel any closeness to the characters except maybe Sara Howard, a secretary in the police force hoping to further her career. There are real people interspersed in the story, Theodore Roosevelt who was police commissioner at the time, and JP Morgan has a cameo which adds to the realistic feel.
So a thorough historical novel that was just not my thing.