Super Short Summary

Set in 1896 New York City, Caleb Carr's historical thriller The Alienist follows Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a psychologist, as he leads a covert investigation into the brutal murders of commercially sexually exploited children. Assisted by New York Times reporter John Schuyler Moore, aspiring detective Sara Howard, and the forensic-minded Isaacson brothers, Kreizler builds a psychological profile of the killer amidst opposition from the city's powerful elite, supported clandestinely by Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt. The book includes graphic depictions of violence and discussions of the commercial sexual exploitation of children.