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The Devil in the White City
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Splendid and the Vile comes the true tale of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and the cunning serial killer who used the magic and majesty of the fair to lure his victims to their death.
“As absorbing a piece of popular history as one will ever hope to find.” —San Francisco Chronicle
Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.
Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America’s rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair’s brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country’s most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C. The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his “World’s Fair Hotel” just west of the fairgrounds—a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium.
Burnham overcame tremendous obstacles and tragedies as he organized the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles McKim, Louis Sullivan, and others to transform swampy Jackson Park into the White City, while Holmes used the attraction of the great fair and his own satanic charms to lure scores of young women to their deaths. What makes the story all the more chilling is that Holmes really lived, walking the grounds of that dream city by the lake.
The Devil in the White City draws the reader into the enchantment of the Guilded Age, made all the more appealing by a supporting cast of real-life characters, including Buffalo Bill, Theodore Dreiser, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and others. Erik Larson’s gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both.
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Reviews
I was intrigued by the concept of this book, the building of the Chicago World’s Fair and how it was interwoven with the story of HH Holmes and the women he was involved with who mysteriously disappeared. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that. It was two books, both reading like a history book or a news article smashed together - one chapter alternating with another. It was frankly, devoid of characterization, and the stories not well integrated with one another. I got bored with it and didn’t finish it.
By jacksvalentine
Such an interesting story that is true and yet reads just like a novel. So much of this story I did not know until reading through what the author has found in his own research. Very good read!
By Heatherwilson8
A fascinating snapshot of late 19th century America and the Chicago Worlds Fair. But also a gruesome tale of HH Holmes, little known serial killer operating under cover of Fair hoopla.
By Whim1954
"The Devil in the White City" tells the fascinating story of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and a creepy serial killer who used the event to his advantage. The book does a great job of showing you how amazing the fair was while also scaring you with the true story of H.H. Holmes, who preyed on innocent people. It's a real page-turner that's perfect if you're into history, interesting buildings, or true crime.
By ryan_lanzendorf
Excellent book
By Bibi Cakes1