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

Devilishly Intriguing!

I had no idea what this book was about when I bought it ... in fact, I only bought it because I think I would even buy and enjoy listening to Scott Brick narrating the entire NYC telephone directory!

It took me a couple of hours to "get into" the book ... as much as I enjoy histories, this seemed a little bit dry ... but then I got into the rhythm ... and it came to life.

If you've ever been to Newport, Rhode Island, and you've seen the incredible cottages of the "Gilded Age" or been to the mountains of North Carolina to visit the Biltmore, or even if your only "taste" of the history of the era was the movie "Titanic" you'll appreciate this masterwork docu-drama-mystery!

I've spent some time in Chicago, so the areas, buildings, and names were familiar. I've spent time there in brutal summer heat, and in agonizing winter's cold, which gives even more understanding to the environment. I remember attending the New York World's Fair way, way back in the 1960's and thinking about the amazing feat of putting that together ... and to interpolate that task back to the 1890's was wonderful fun!

I heartily recommend it!

Excellent in every way

Audibles are three legged stools that can crash easily. The story, the presentation by the reader, and the length of the reading must be executed flawlessly to win public acceptance. This work is audibly the best example of a trifecta triumph.

Very Interesting!

Overall, I liked this book. Where I found myself drifting/getting bored was the background of all of the engineering/architectural details for the fair. It's informative, just not my lingo. The HH Holmes piece was fascinating and I liked how the author weaved it into the timeframe of the fair. I would be shocked if they didn't make this into a movie!

Step back in time

I didn't realize this book was non-fiction. To listen to the planning of the Chicago World's Fair from the moment Chicago won the honor... to its frution and the stunning creation of all the buildings and the landscape architecture. The immense amount of work thar made it all come to be. During this time a psychopath was using his charm and the fair to attract and freely kill. Going unnoticed. so chilling... These two stories interwoven. It was a good book. Sometimes down side the minutiae of detail at times could be a bit boring.

Enlightening

A magical time traveling trip through Old Chicago. Not only into the grandness that was the worlds fair but a delve into the mind of a monster as well.

A summary of documents from Chicago Worlds Fair

I finished it to finish it. This book is about the Chicago Worlds Fair with chapters about HH Holmes to keep it moving. It feels like a report about a major historic event. The Fair and its challenges are the focus. The interlaced chapters about Holmes and his castle just felt like they were there to make it more enticing for people who are more interested in true crime than the history of architecture. It was not bad. In fact the pieces about the Fair are exceptionally detailed. It just never peaked my interest.

interesting stories

This is a very interesting book weaving in various stories. I like the history in learning about this era.

A life's work.

This is the best True Crime Story I have read since In Cold Blood. T author has put so much effort into detail and narrative, it can only be described as a masterpiece. The book is a unimaginable weeping of 2 extremely compelling stories.

Addictive

Found myself so engrossed that I listened while in the car, at the park with my toddler, at the gym and whenever I could manage it. Well written and fascinating!

Fascinating

Fascinating account of the landmark Chicago World's fair and one of the world's 1st known serial killers!