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

White Guy Writing About White Guys

But at least they were interesting and talented white guys- except for the murdery one who- could also be considered talented but in a negative sense.

I enjoyed learning about the history of architecture but I couldn’t help but hear his worship of classical architecture as some counterpoint to the Fountainhead. Not that I care about Ayn Rand.

Anywho. Solid beach read for me.

Phenomenal

This book captures your attention and doesn’t have a single dull moment. The narrator Scott Brick is, in my opinion, the best I have had the pleasure of listening to.

Outstanding.

One of my all time favorite books. Fantastic performance and fantastic writing. My third time listening and it gets better every time!

Not what I was expecting, but glad I didn’t stop.

I was expecting a facts only discovery of the HH Holmes murder in the setting of the Chicago Worlds Fair—-what I got was a rich history lesson of the fair overall with the interwoven story of Holmes. Admittedly, I was disappointed at first, but as I continued the I found the surprising nuggets of history pleasing. I feel I learned a lot I didn’t know and enjoyed the setting of lesson. So if you’re expecting a page turning ride of the tale of murder first and foremost, this may not be for you. But if you enjoy a history of a renowned event in the USA, you should give it a try. Keep in mind this is based on facts only, not a fictional interpretation of the mind of a killer.

Disappointing

Great story idea but so much detail on the planning , politics and arguing of getting the huge fair built and running it seemed the murders were just another irrelevant happening on the side.

Worth the listen

There are a lot of details about the building of the fair but the overall story was fascinating.

Narration overly dramatic

Erik Larsen is a master historical raconteur and this book is no exception, but the narration was not very good. Every sentence was read with great drama and foreboding, as if he were a camp counselor telling horror stories at a children’s camp.

Loved it

This is the first Erik Larson book I read (well,listened to). I am hooked. Such good writing and research. (Scott Brick is also one of my favorite narrators). I can't wait to read more of Larson's work.

interesting combination

at first I was perturbed by the story line as I thought it was more about Holmes. I learned so much history about the White City that it is becoming a fascination. I highly recommend this to all my Chicago area friends!

Excellent!

Word of warning, however. Do not start this book if you do not have time to read. It will  reel you in and hold you.  The research and presentation are amazing. You from time to time may forget that you are reading fact and not some juicy novel.