The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
Author:
Genres: History, Politics & Social Sciences
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: History, Politics & Social Sciences
Book Type: Paperback
Helpful Score: 2
This novel parallels the stories of two men: Daniel Burnham, the architect who brought the dream of the World Fair to life in Chicago, and H.H. Holmes, the charming serial killer who uses the Fair to reel in a number of victims to rival nearly any other murderer in history. The chapters alternate so naturally between Holmes and Burnham that I never felt myself growing bored with one character and yearning to move on to the other, as often happens with a book that has multiple narrators or points of view. Burnhams passion for his buildings and his dreams of the Fair are just as gripping and fascinating as reading about Holmes desire to manipulate and dominate the people around him until he has no further need of them. The balance between the architect and the serial killer is horrifyingly perfect; the two men are matched in their passions and their drives to see their dreams accomplished.
The real talent of this book is that it keeps you enthralled even when you already know what is going to happen. It is stated at the beginning that the Chicago World's Fair pulls through in the end and Holmes is a killer who gets away with countless murders for years. Even with this knowledge known from the start, you still can't help but cringe with each new blow to the development of the Fair and wonder how they can possibly overcome this new impossible obstacle; you can't stop yourself from gasping at each new horrific act Holmes carries out on his victims and pray for someone to catch him in the act.
The detail of the writing is incredible, especially for the scenes of Holmes and his victims. When he is described in his normal charming way, it is hard to imagine that he could possibly be a serial killer. But the horrifying details Larson commits to the pages of his novel about the various victims find new ways to make the reader cringe and call Jack the Ripper tame by comparison.
A fantastic book. I can't recommend it enough!
The real talent of this book is that it keeps you enthralled even when you already know what is going to happen. It is stated at the beginning that the Chicago World's Fair pulls through in the end and Holmes is a killer who gets away with countless murders for years. Even with this knowledge known from the start, you still can't help but cringe with each new blow to the development of the Fair and wonder how they can possibly overcome this new impossible obstacle; you can't stop yourself from gasping at each new horrific act Holmes carries out on his victims and pray for someone to catch him in the act.
The detail of the writing is incredible, especially for the scenes of Holmes and his victims. When he is described in his normal charming way, it is hard to imagine that he could possibly be a serial killer. But the horrifying details Larson commits to the pages of his novel about the various victims find new ways to make the reader cringe and call Jack the Ripper tame by comparison.
A fantastic book. I can't recommend it enough!
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