The Devil in the White City

Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

By: Erik Larson

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 14 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 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.

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 a time of magic and majesty, 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.

©2003 Erik Larson (P)2003 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

National Book Awards, Short-listed

Edgar Allan Poe Award Winner, Fact Crime, 2004

"Engrossing . . . exceedingly well documented . . . utterly fascinating.” —Chicago Tribune

“A dynamic, enveloping book. . . . Relentlessly fuses history and entertainment to give this nonfiction book the dramatic effect of a novel. . . . It doesn’t hurt that this truth is stranger than fiction.” —The New York Times

“A wonderfully unexpected book. . . Larson is a historian . . . with a novelist’s soul.” —Chicago Sun-Times

The Devil in the White City

I found the inter-related facts of the Worlds Fair, very interesting. It was long but enjoyable, a must for all Chicago area people.

Outstanding!

This story - these stories, more accurately - were mesmerizing from beginning to end. The Chicago World's Fair story was surprisingly just as compelling and interesting as the story of HH Holmes, one of America's first serial killers. The narrator was perfectly matched to the content and character of the era in which the stories occurred.

Beautiful Story

Beautifully written from beginning to end. Narrative brought to life a bit of history I might never have uncovered if not for this book. Its also a book you can leave in your library and pick up again and again and learn something new.

Non-fiction for the fiction lover

The subject was very interesting so I recommend on that alone. The writing form is sort of half way between a novel and a non-fiction history. This makes the really interesting history more palatable for those that don't care for non-fiction but may feel like there is a lack of rigor for non-fiction folks who like their facts to line up and trace back to reliable sources. Larson is no David McCoullough. I may have enjoyed more if he has just picked Team Novel or Team NonFiction and stuck with it.

For example, I did find it a little jarring to go from a novelistic description of the thoughts and feelings of specific people at specific moments (clearly speculation) to incongruously specific statements about people arriving "at 7:30 pm at Bla Bla station at 123 Main Street". Random facty bits thrown in to lend historical credibility broke the novelistic flow of people experiencing events in their time.

Narration is fine...neither stands out nor detracts from the book.

I listened to this on the ride home from a long weekend in Chicago. I spent a lot of time on architecture tours so many of the names and places were fresh in my mind. It was an interesting book that evoked what it must have been like in the city during the period. I do wonder if the printed book had some pictures of the fair and the people that I was missing, but I googled the places and people on my phone as I listened so I had all the photos I needed.

25% Holmes, 75% World's Fair

It's obvious not much is known about Holmes as most of the book follows the bureaucracy surrounding the World's Fair.

Stick with it

Where does The Devil in the White City rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

About the middle. It was good and the more distance I get from it the more I think about it.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

It is very dense listening. There are a lot of characters to keep up with.

Which scene was your favorite?

I preferred the history of the fair to the story of the killer. I enjoyed very much guessing what the big draw for the fair was going to be.

If you could give The Devil in the White City a new subtitle, what would it be?

The amazing effort to bring the fair to life.

Any additional comments?

I did eventually get a hold of all the different players in the story. But it takes a while. It is amazing all that happened at the fair and all that happened as a result of the fair. I have become interested in reading more and seeing what the fair looked like.

Excellent story

Being from Chicago this book had a lot of meaning. The history, both good and bad.

very good

the material is rather dense but very well written. i enjoyed the story telling and how the author was able to talk about historical events like they were happening for the first time.
the performance by the reader was one of the the best ive heard. i am a big fan of audio books being read with a deep, strong voice.

Almost a 4-star but not quite

I am uncertain whether the author is using the Chicago World's Fair (Columbian Exposition) as a backdrop for murders or whether the fair represents another "character." What might turn you off to this book? Grisly murders, descriptions of plans and parties or a horribly mean person. What I like about this book: the intermingling of history throughout. The fair/expos was a jumping off point for 19/20th century innovation. Well narrated but a little long at times. Would have been interesting to see photos of the event but that's audio for you!

Immersion in Another Time

Incredibly well researched, skillfully written, with enough historical detail and interesting facts to keep the brain engaged and the right amount of drama to feed the voyeur. I also loved Isaac's Storm by same author about the Galveston hurricane.