Alienist author Caleb Carr returns to series

After 20 years away from his Alienist series, author Caleb Carr will return to the historical mystery with two new books, EW can announce exclusively.

“The Alienist and its sequel were classics of their day, and audiences will thrill to the return of Dr. Kreizler and his turn-of-the-century New York City compatriots, set against a stage of risign nationalist violence and the early spy state,” said Josh Kendall, VP, Executive Editor, and Editorial Director of Mulholland Books, in a release.

The first of the two books in the new deal is set 20 years after The Angel of Darkness, in 1915 New York City, and is “centered on nativist violence and terrorism during America’s involvement in World War I,” the publisher notes. The second book will be called The Strange Case of Miss Sarah X, and will be a prequel to the Alienist series. In this novel, the publisher explains, “A youthful Kreizler, after finishing his psychology training at Harvard, falls under the spell of William James, has his first run-in with Roosevelt, and delves into the secret life of Sara Howard, heroine of the first books.”

A television adaptation of the original Alienist is in the works at TNT, with Beasts of No Nation and former True Detective director Cary Fukanaga at the helm.