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

This is one of the most engrossing books I have ever read. Amazingly, it is not a novel, but is based on historical fact. To call the 1893 Chicago World's Fair a/k/a the Columbia Exhibition built to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus's voyage to America the backdrop of this saga would be a huge disservice to Chicago and the masterpiece that was the exhibition. The fair, not nearly completed when it opened to the public, was a marvel, a work of great beauty. It boasted the designership from, among others, Frederick Olmsted, the creative genius behind New York's Central Park. The fair introduced the Ferris Wheel, created by George Ferris, to the world. The centerpiece, the Court of Honor, was lit up by white electric lights at night, and drew raves from the public and the critics alike for its magnificence. Although the fair opened late and did not draw the number of visitors predicted at the beginning, by the end it was a huge financial success.

Lurking in the background, was Chicago's own "Phantom of the Opera," its very own Jack the Ripper of English infamy. One Herman Webster Mudgett reinvented himself into Dr. H.H. Holmes. Holmes was very charming and clever; women loved him and he loved them back, but in a very twisted way. The least of Holmes's sins was insurance fraud. He also reputedly murdered about 200 people; unlike Mr. Ripper, Dr. Holmes also engaged in kidnapping and killing men and children. Holmes practiced his art in the most grisly ways possible for money and just for the thrill of it. He was one of the first individuals to whom the term "psychopath" was utilized. The hunt for this killer was on. _The Devil..._ is an absolutely marvelous book, and I dare anyone who starts reading it to put it down. One simply cannot.

I didn't know much about this book prior to reading it - I tried it based on the high reviews. The book deserves the high praise. It details two events that happened in Chicago in the 1890's - one was the Chicago World's Fair the other was a killing spree by a psychopathic killer. The story of the world's fair alone is incredible, it is amazing what they could do in the short time from when the fair was awarded to its' opening. Although this wasn't that long ago it is amazing how dangerous construction work was in those days - let alone walking down the street.

I found the more amazing story was the story of H.H. Holmes. Here is the story of a psychopath who would charm his way into women's hearts & charm his way out of paying debts that would be in the millions in todays $. He ends up building a hotel with almost 100 rooms designed with soundproofing & numerous ways to end a person's life as well as having built in systems to dispose of the bodies. He is a good looking , very smooth psychopath (similar to Ted Bundy in many ways) who was surely on of the worst serial killers the US has ever seen. And to think all of this took place back in the good old days.

There's not too much left of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair any more. We are introduced to some products by author Erik Larson in his book "The Devil In The White City," that were first shown at the fair, a beer that won the blue ribbon at the fair (Pabst), architectural marvels, and enough drama in Larson's story to overshadow it all.

A classic story of two men, one good, one bad, form the outline for the book. The good, Daniel Burnham, is in charge of creating and overseeing the creation of the fair's buildings. That he was able to do so successfully within the restraints of time, money and meddling is remarkable. That he was able to do so with the loss of his business partner in the planning stage adds to his legacy. Despite infighting between architects and their firms, bank administrators and outside distractions, the Fair was a great success, a worthy successor to the 1889 Paris World's Fair, to which Chicago strived to surpass in comparison.

The bad, Herman Webster Mudgett, a.k.a. H.H. Holmes, was the "Devil," both in book title and in deed. In the few years after the fair, no one knows how many people failed to return to their homes after the fair, but it is accurate to say that Holmes played a part in not returning some to where they belonged. In fact, from the time that Holmes came to Chicago in 1886, the death toll in the city had a new source of increases. This culminated in a building that Holmes designed and had built that contained the facilities of a killing lab. His business dealings were similarly sinister and underhanded - non-payment of goods and services was standard operating procedure. Yet he was able to perform his deeds by easily gaining the trust and empathy of almost everyone he dealt with: a look, a touch, a sympathetic ear, false identities and more in his bag of tricks proved fatal for many, both economically and literally.

At close to 400 pages, it is still a compact book, full of architectural talk of plans and murders, and has a kind of novel-type read to it - but it is history, not fiction. That's what makes it a compelling story, that these men were able to pull off what they did, even though the end for both was not what they had planned or foreseen. Larson is a very fine writer, able to draw you in to the world at that point of time, and keep you interested until the end.

I had to put this book down because it was too gory. I enjoyed the accurate, historical description of 19th century Chicago architecture and building schemes, but the equally descriptive graphic nature (how the murdered disposed of bodies... etc) could have been left out. If you didn't like Silence of the Lambs on account of the gore, this book's not for you.

`Devil in The White City' by Erik Larson

Mr. Larson weaves a remarkable narrative that is magnificent in its grandeur and remarkably disturbing - the tale of Chicago in the last years of the 19th century. The story of H.H. Holmes - perhaps, America's first highly publicized serial killer - is intertwined with that of Daniel Burnham, the brilliant architect and driving force behind the design & construction of the "The Second City's" World's Columbian Exposition (Chicago World's Fair) of 1893.

This story - which is almost too unbelievable to be true - explores the madness of late 19th century Chicago striving to prove to the world it had overcome the devastation of the Great Chicago Fire and was ready to take its place as a great, if not the greatest, American metropolis. An industrial and architectural feat was what it took to accomplish this goal, and herein lays the amazement of the story. Within, what even today would be considered a short period of time, the famed architect Daniel Burnham, erects a "White City" containing such magnificent structures as had never before been seen making the fair a national sensation and exceeding any of Chicago's societies expectations.

Within the madness and rush to urban rejuvenation lurks a twisted serial killer, preying on the innocent and naïve young women lured by unlimited opportunity this new city will offer. The often twisted, and occasionally gory, story of H.H. Holmes is revealed to the reader in stark contrast to the birth of this new and glamorous city taking place all around him. Mr. Larson is remarkably detailed, yet never gratuitous in the telling of the villain Holmes' tale.

You'll also be introduced to names easily recognized in the pantheon of design and architecture: Charles McKim, George B. Post & Frederick Law Olmstead (landscape). Additionally, names such as Buffalo Bill Cody, Nikola Tesla & George Westinghouse appear. You'll be astounded at the debut of inventions and attractions that revolutionized America - it's simply remarkable.

This is a book that is almost impossible to put down and that you'll want to reread upon completion. An absolutely excellent piece of non-fiction that I could not more highly recommend.