Thomas F. (hardtack) - , reviewed on 4/2/2023 + 2559 more book reviews

A very interesting book about the Columbian Exposition which was made more interesting by the numerous connections to many people who later became noteworthy, either by themselves or their effect on others.

The author also weaves in the story of H.H. Holmes, who murdered many people, either to satisfy his own need to kill or to hide his scams. I say this, as the Wikipedia page on Holmes disagrees with much of the author's telling of his crimes. And, at the end of the book, the author seems to say the same. Apparently, the newspapers at the time---the "Yellow Press" was at its best during this period of American history---expanded on their writing about Holmes' crimes to increase circulation.

There were a couple of times in the book when I had to close it and take a pause with a sigh, as the author describes the killing of children by Holmes. While the Wikipedia page is listed under "H.H. Holmes," this was not his real name, as he used many aliases. It was interesting how he could get women to call him by another name ---supposedly to hide his financial dealings---without their suspecting something was amiss. Apparently he was a real charmer, as he even charmed the prison guards who knew of his horrific crimes. I guess he was the Ted Bundy of his time.

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