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

History buffs will love this book.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This book is 40% about HH Holmes, 50% about the World's Fair, 10% about American history. It should be billed as such. I wish it were 90% about HH Holmes, 10% about the World's Fair.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

It was very well researched and written. It places HH Holmes within his historical context extremely well. The frequent tangents get tiresome, though.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

Great voice, nice cadence.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes, and it soon will be!

Any additional comments?

Don' listen if you only want to hear about HH Holmes. If you love history, you'll love this book.

Starts slow

Starts slow, haunts you, then sort of fades... As a Chicago resident I love the city history and commentary! The narrator is good, but I also found my mind wandering. Not sure if that was the text or the narrator. Holmes was truly a madman, and the Fair people were equally fascinating in a completely different way. I wish there had been a conclusion to the suspicious female neighbor of Holmes, and I also thought the investigation at the end by Geyer was one of the more intriguing parts. I would have liked to hear more of that.

This was my first Larson book but won't be my last.

A bit long winded in some spots

But overall a very interesting story. Abridged version may be the better go chose from as it drug in more than one spot. Still worthy read.

Easy to follow in audio format.

Easy to follow what is going on. Has a lot of interesting historical information as well.

Title does not stand out, but the writing does

Would you listen to The Devil in the White City again? Why?

Yes. The first part introducing the time a players was a bit slow and the setup took a little while, so I think i missed some things that I would pickup the second time. The narrator is top-notch and makes the book that much better.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Devil in the White City?

All the common items/food that we have now that were introduced at the Chicago World's fair.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

Excellent reading pace and style. He doesn't attempt to play any characters, but his voice if perfect for the historical tales. He has just enough inflection at the right time to make key points stand out.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The big show, it's a gas.

Any additional comments?

The book really picks up after the first couple hours, which are needed to set the stage. Don't give up on it and it really pays off in the end.

Two gripping stories intertwined

There's something about the attempt to create something great, something beautiful that captivates us. Whether or not you have any interest in the 19th century or the world's fair, I think Erik Larson's story of men of passion and vision trying to do something truly special will draw you in. It is a great story, well told. The intertwining of another story, one of pure evil, makes the story sublime. This is not an easy book to read, but there's something tragically human about the endeavor to create something majestic and great juxtaposed next to a project dedicated to human suffering. The Devil in the White City is a good read, but it's also a book that sticks with you. I'm glad I read it and I would highly recommend it. Scott Brick's reading was excellent. He has a great ear for the ebullient and often hyperbolic tone of the 19th century speech and writing that is often quoted.

Stunning piece of history

Great concept and execution. maybe it ran just a little long, but I still got to give it 5 stars.

Much more about the fair, less about Holmes

Just different than I expected it to be. Solid book, but not overly thrilling or dramatic. Would’ve been better to have read this one, my personal preference is to read fiction, and although this isn’t really, the writing style does flow like a fiction novel.

Fantastic and mature story. Lovely prose.

I highly enjoyed this book. Picking it up, you'd think this was a work of historical fiction, since that's the style with which it is written. However, this book is actually historically accurate and painstakingly researched, with conjecture of thought and action kept to a minimum. More than anything, you really get a snapshot of America in the late 1800's.

If there are any themes in this book, I would argue the story is about human ambition, and how one can take it in very constructive and artful ways, or in very dark and destructive ways. Burnham and Holmes are two very confident, very talented men who accomplish things almost beyond our comprehension. The fact that they are able to do so is largely due to the setting they are in, Chicago in the 1890's, which serves as the real third protagonist.

Overall, I loved this book; and I can't wait to pick up more stories from Larson.

amazing and shaking

some parts are bogged down with details, but I was amazed how the fair came together and how fast from such odds! also alarming is the devil who seemed so trust worthy; really makes me question the trust I have in people😬