The Alienist (Audio) - Caleb Carr, Edward Herrmann

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook of The Alienist, a story about a serial killer in New York of the year 1896. Essentially this novel combines historical facts, forensics, psychology and good old plain detective work and for the most part it is a compelling read.

 

I´m pretty sure that I would have struggled with reading the book instead of listening to it, though. There were some dragging parts to the narrative and usually it is easier for me to power through these passages while listening to it. And yet I even struggled with the passages while doing exactly that.

 

Another thing that bothered me about this book was the lack of character developement. I haven´t gotten the impression that anyones behaviour has changed one bit throughout the story. This could be because the story is told in retrospect by one of the main characters, but still, the lack of character growth didn´t sit well with me. I´m just expecting a bit more from a book with 500 pages. And I have to admit that I really disliked Lazlo Kreizler, the alienist, towards the end of the novel.

 

I´ve listened to the audiobook, narrated by George Guidall, and I really enjoyed listening to his narration. I think I have made the right choice by listening to this book instead of reading it.

 

I´ve read this book for the Serial / Spree Killer square for the halloween bingo.