The Devil In The White City by Erik Larson
The Devil In The White City - Historical account of the Chicago World's Fair.
The Devil In The White City is a non-fiction account of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, that at times reads like fiction. There are two stories interwoven in this book: the building of the magnificent World's Fair, and the actions of a malicious serial killer who lurks behind the scenes. There are several chapters dedicated to the lives of the architects and artists who contributed to the success of the fair, including Daniel Burnham, the primary architect, and George Ferris, the inventor of the Ferris Wheel. Interspersed throughout the story, is the tale of an evil doctor, H. H. Holmes, who lured unsuspecting women into his lair, killed them, and sold their bones for profit. Holmes got away with his crimes for years, until the families of some of the victims demanded he be investigated. In the end, a persistent detective uncovered Holmes' secrets and had him prosecuted, although it's possible that additional bodies were never discovered. The Devil In The White City was published in 2003, however, I've seen the book on bestseller lists as recently as today. The book is very well written and engaging, however, some of the sections related to the engineering of buildings became too technical for me. I was much more interested in the human aspects of the fair, and the mystery surrounding H. H. Holmes. If you like historical books with a bit of mystery thrown in, you may enjoy The Devil In The White City.
The Devil In The White City is a non-fiction account of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, that at times reads like fiction. There are two stories interwoven in this book: the building of the magnificent World's Fair, and the actions of a malicious serial killer who lurks behind the scenes. There are several chapters dedicated to the lives of the architects and artists who contributed to the success of the fair, including Daniel Burnham, the primary architect, and George Ferris, the inventor of the Ferris Wheel. Interspersed throughout the story, is the tale of an evil doctor, H. H. Holmes, who lured unsuspecting women into his lair, killed them, and sold their bones for profit. Holmes got away with his crimes for years, until the families of some of the victims demanded he be investigated. In the end, a persistent detective uncovered Holmes' secrets and had him prosecuted, although it's possible that additional bodies were never discovered. The Devil In The White City was published in 2003, however, I've seen the book on bestseller lists as recently as today. The book is very well written and engaging, however, some of the sections related to the engineering of buildings became too technical for me. I was much more interested in the human aspects of the fair, and the mystery surrounding H. H. Holmes. If you like historical books with a bit of mystery thrown in, you may enjoy The Devil In The White City.
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