Reviews with content warning for Sexism - The Alienist

a fairly slow-paced and dense read, but kept me interested throughout. felt like an 1800s version of mindhunter. i found the main character to be one of the least likeable characters (besides the obvious criminals/bad guys) as he often came across as whiny and narrow-minded and i grew tired of his constant need of approval and inclusion by the others. there were also some weird undertones of homophobia and perhaps even transphobia and just general bigotry mainly from him that i didn't enjoy either. i suppose one could argue that "times were different then," but i still wasn't a fan. the writing could often times be pretty dense and over-explanatory, but i become used to the writing style as the story progressed and i ultimately was interested enough in the plot to keep reading. i didn't expect teddy roosevelt to be a character at all, much less play a fairly prominent role, and the book at times just felt like a weird teddy roosevelt fan fiction. which, i guess it could actually be considered one...

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aileena99's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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benfkz's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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clemencepct's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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braynard's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I am a huge fan of science-based murder mysteries. I am also a huge fan of period piece. Naturally, this book gave me the best of both world. It was a crime thriller that avoided the cheesiness and stereotypes sometimes encountered in the genre. It also kept a good pace throughout the novel, meaning there were never spots where I got stuck or bored.

In fact, I managed to finish this book in less than a week.

There are some content issues within the book. It obviously focuses heavily on death, police corruption, and violence. It also features some of that classic 1890s racism, classism, and sexism. As long as you are prepared for all of those, it's a great read.

The only plotline I was not a huge fan of was the story of Mary Palmer, Kreizler's maid.

She struggles with speech, so her character in the novel is already ostracized from the main plot. Two thirds of the way in, we fine out Laszlo is in love with her, only for her to die a chapter later. I get that there needed to be some consequences to remind Kreizler of the stakes, but it seemed unfair to me that Mary had to be the one who suffered them.

This is an wonderful book. If you like murder, history, psychology, or all three, please consider checking it out. Or, check out the television adaptation under the same name.

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