Although I found the story of the Alienist to be a bit ho-hum
(the first use of a pyschiatrist/alienest tracking down a
serial killer) the setting of late nineteenth century New
York is what made the book so fascinating to me. Has much in
common with Luc Sante's (non-fiction) Low Life, also an
excellent read.
Can anyone recommend any other pre-20th century HB or noir
fiction based in NYC?
Brad
Carrie wrote:
> Carr's
book does have a lot of elements of hard-boiled - violence,
corruption, a
> generally negative view of human nature, and a
somewhat lazy dissolute
> journalist narrator who fits well into the HB ethos.
On the other hand,
HB
> is about style as well as substance, and The
Alienist is written in a sort
> of faux-late-Victorian style with a lot of "if we
had but only known what
> dire fate awaited us. . ."
certainly a very
> compelling read, interesting characters, and a
completely convincing and
> eye-opening picture of urban life in the late 19th
century. I'd like to
see
> Carr try a Ripper book.
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