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

(Source: Wikipedia)

Anyone who knows me know that I like learning about serial killers. It might even be unhealthy. But they're interesting. So I decided it was time to read about America's first serial killer: H.H. Holmes.

Taking place during the first Worlds Fair, Holmes used his "Murder Castle" to lure, torture, kill, and dissect anywhere from nine to twenty-seven (some even say 200, but it's unlikely) people. He was even married or in relationships with a few of them. He constructed his hotel with secret chambers, extra doors, and an extremely large furnace in the basement; and to get away with it, he hired and fired contractors consistently. And because of the Worlds Fair, he had an ever plentiful hunting ground of women traveling alone, a long way from home, who needed a place to stay during their visit; and it didn't hurt that Holmes was attractive and charismatic. In the end, it wasn't even the murdering that caused him to be caught; it was insurance fraud. Confessing to twenty-seven murders, Holmes was convicted and sentenced to be hung.

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

The Devin in the White City focuses primarily on the fair: how it came to by, why it was in Chicago, all of the people involved, the first Ferris wheel, what would happen to the fair when it was over. I'd say that 80 percent of the book was about the fair. You read a few chapters talking about Burnham, the lead architect, and his troubles of finding others willing to work on the immense project, and then a chapter telling you about Holmes buying the building. Then a few more chapters of Burnham trying to find someone to build something better than the Eiffel tower, and then a chapter about Holmes pursuing a new woman. Holmes felt like a footnote in the story.

If I wanted to learn about the first Worlds Fair, this is a great book to read. But I wanted to read about Holmes. Because I've watched documentaries about Holmes, I felt like I had an advantage while reading, because I knew where the story was going. However, if a person didn't know the history on Holmes, I'm not sure if they would have understood his point in the novel until the last few chapters that finally tell you what Holmes was up to.

All of that being said, it is an interesting book if you like history, like I do. It just didn't serve the purpose that I wanted it to. However, it does mark off another book on my 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime list.

(Source: Giphy)

If you want to learn some more about Holmes, check out H.H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer on Netflix.

Rating: 4/10
Author: Erik Larson
Genres: Non-Fiction, History, True Crime