Books Like The Alienist

Loved The Alienist by Caleb Carr? If its historical fiction, new york city and crime hooked you, these 20 books hit the same notes — starting with The Butterfly House, Long Bright River and The Girl Who Played with Fire. Every pick is matched by what’s actually inside the book, not just its genre, and we skip other books by the same author so you find someone new.

What’s inside The Alienist: Historical Fiction · New York City · Crime · Mystery · Serial Killer

The Butterfly House
Katrine Engberg

Serial Killer · Crime · Forensic Investigation · Childhood Trauma · Mystery

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Long Bright River
Liz Moore

Corrupt Police · Crime · Childhood Trauma · Big City · Mystery

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The Girl Who Played with Fire
Stieg Larsson

Crime · Corrupt Police · Childhood Trauma · Child Abuse · Mystery

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The Naturals Collection
Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Serial Killer · Forensic Investigation · Thriller · Mystery · Crime

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The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Erik Larson

Serial Killer · Crime · Big City · Tense and Suspenseful · Atmospheric

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A Flicker in the Dark
Stacy Willingham

Serial Killer · Crime · Childhood Trauma · Mystery · Thriller

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Shutter
Ramona Emerson

Forensic Investigation · Crime · Corrupt Police · Mystery · Thriller

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The Coffin Maker’s Garden
Stuart MacBride

Serial Killer · Crime · Thriller · Corrupt Police · Mystery

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The Wrong Side of Goodbye
Michael Connelly

Forensic Investigation · Crime · Mystery · Serial Killer · Thriller

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The Body Reader
Anne Frasier

Serial Killer · Crime · Mystery · Thriller · Tense and Suspenseful

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My Sister, the Serial Killer
Oyinkan Braithwaite

Serial Killer · Crime · Childhood Trauma · Child Abuse · Big City

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Some Choose Darkness
Charlie Donlea

Serial Killer · Forensic Investigation · Crime · Mystery · Thriller

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A Book of Bones
John Connolly

Crime · Serial Killer · Thriller · Atmospheric · Mystery

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Curious Toys
Elizabeth Hand

Serial Killer · Big City · Historical Fiction · Mystery · Child Abuse

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Chasing the Boogeyman
Richard Chizmar

Serial Killer · Crime · Thriller · Tense and Suspenseful · First Person Narrator

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Shrines of Gaiety
Kate Atkinson

Historical Fiction · Big City · Corrupt Police · Atmospheric · Crime

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The Rumor Game
Thomas Mullen

Historical Fiction · Thriller · Corrupt Police · Crime · Big City

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The Border
Don Winslow

Crime · Corrupt Police · Thriller · New York City · Tense and Suspenseful

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Perfume
Patrick Süskind

Serial Killer · Crime · Historical Fiction · Childhood Trauma · Atmospheric

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The Nothing Man
Catherine Ryan Howard

Serial Killer · Crime · Childhood Trauma · Thriller · Mystery

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