Devil in the White City : : Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

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Evils imminent -- Prologue, aboard the Olympic (1912) -- Frozen music (Chicago, 1890-1891) -- An awful fight -- In the white city -- Cruelty revealed (1894-5) Property of H.H. Holmes -- Epilogue, the last crossing.
A compelling account of the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 brings together the divergent stories of two very different men who played a key role in shaping the history of the event--visionary architect Daniel H. Burnham, who coordinated its construction, and Dr. Henry H. Holmes, an insatiable and charming serial killer who lured women to their deaths.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Fear and fascination submitted by MikeS on March 27, 2007, 10:31am Combines the gaity of a pivotal World's Fair with the horror of a lurking serial murderer. A bit disappointing for the lack of conclusive evidence. But a page-turner nonetheless. Toronto makes a cameo appearance.

History buffs celebrate submitted by anonymous on May 21, 2007, 2:17pm This is truly an eye opener about a fascinating time in our history, in particular the Midwest and it's influence... Next time I'm in Chigago I will be visiting some new/old sites.

Great Popular History submitted by Meginator on July 5, 2011, 8:38pm Writers of history often succumb to many evils of the genre, and despite his own missteps I think Erik Larson has created a truly wonderful book that will be accessible to both serious and casual students of history. His major fault is in alluding to upcoming events or revelations and then changing course entirely, but this can be forgiven for his lucid explanations and novelist's ability to weave a compelling narrative. That he does this through chapters alternating between the point of view of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition's chief architect and a prolific serial killer (who attended Ann Arbor's own UM back in the day) is particularly impressive. Larson has a gift for interweaving contextual background information into the main narrative and avoids a prolonged scene-setting introduction, instead illuminating 1890s Chicago throughout the story. Some scenes involving murderer H. H. Holmes may be disturbing to some readers, but "The Devil in the White City" is an excellent choice for those interested in Chicago history, the World's Fair, or who just want a gripping true crime story. Highly recommended.

I don't understand the love this book gets. submitted by eknapp on November 9, 2011, 3:11pm Didn't finish it. 2/3 through I ran out of time on my library copy and didn't like it enough to get back in the queue.

How do you take a story about an actual serial killer who constructed an actual murder castle--complete with secret passages and rooms and chutes--and make it BORING?

The Chicago World's Fair stuff was more interesting by far than the H.H. Holmes chapters. But the lists and menus he included made it feel like he was stuffing a term paper to get it up to the minimum required page count.

Larson apparently tried to take a historical narrative and spice it up by talking about how people felt or what they thought, and to me it often didn't ring true. I think I'd have enjoyed this immensely if the author had picked a style--biography/historical account or novelization--and stuck with it.

Switching chapters submitted by onpaper24 on July 31, 2013, 3:06pm I really liked the way one chapter described the building of the fair and the next described H.H. Holmes. It kept me interested.

narrative history submitted by airgood on June 27, 2014, 9:12am Devil in the White City is a nonfiction narrative history, providing an account of the planning process for the Columbian Exposition interspersed with the story of a murderer. The two story lines complement each other surprisingly well. The book is dramatic and riveting, and it is interesting to learn of the sheer number of famous people and new inventions that were part of the Exposition. It's a quick and fascinating read.

Accessible Non Fiction submitted by emjane on June 17, 2016, 3:22pm There are a lot of entry points for readers with this book-- for some it may be the serial killer, some the World's Fair, some the Chicago architecture. Personally the architecture sections were a bit dry, and occasionally the descriptions were too long-winded. However, an excellent book club discussion.

Great! submitted by EJZ on July 23, 2018, 8:33pm Two good books in one that together make it nearly great. It's not profoundly moving, and it may not change your life, but it's informative and fun at the same time. Larson does a really good job getting inside the heads and feelings of the characters and the times. After reading the book I had an intense desire to go see Chicago again, and investigate a little more about Burnham's and Olmsted's works.

Creepy submitted by slugwhisperer on July 25, 2018, 9:56pm The mind of a serial killer and his audacity to pursue his desires left me reeling. Interesting history of the world's fair.

Gripping Read about Murder, Chicago and Design submitted by Jillmscully on June 28, 2019, 7:11am This is a great historical fiction read. The story bounces back and forth between the creation of the Worlds Fair and a murderer designing a playground all his own. It is beautifully written paralleling the timeline of the creation of Fair by the best designers of the time with the progression of H.H. Holmes into a serial killer.

Great to read in October submitted by crp on August 5, 2019, 8:13pm Great read! I enjoyed it a lot, esp while in Chicago!

Skipped the true crime - still good submitted by teri on August 7, 2019, 11:15pm The stories behind the World's fair were fascinating, and Larson's book made visiting Chicago come alive in a new way. Burnham's architecture, Olmstead's landscaping, the Ferris Wheel, exotic menus - all these come together to make a most interesting read.
But - I don't like reading true crime stories, and ended up either skimming or skipping the chapters that dealt with the murder.
The book was still good!

Interesting submitted by AGAPHD on July 5, 2020, 8:07pm I didn't love this as much as many seem to, but it's an interesting read nevertheless.

Engaging history submitted by hiker15 on August 23, 2020, 12:40pm I didn't know anything about either the Chicago World's Fair or H H Holmes, but after watching the Timeless TV show that featured an episode with him I decided to get this book. The part of the book about him was really creepy (of course it's kind of redundant to call a serial killer creepy) but also trainwreck fascinating. The part of the book about the World's Fair was something new for me and therefore interesting. I recommend this book.

Interesting historical tale on Chicago in the late 19th century submitted by heapah on August 23, 2020, 9:11pm Two interesting tales about the architect Daniel Burnham and the serial killer H. H. Holmes in the last part of the 19th century. The builder and the destroyer, all centered around Chicago and the World's Fair. I didn't know anything about the Chicago World's Fair before this book, so the historical information was quite fascinating. Not much is left today, but I'll definitely be checking out Jackson Park the next time I'm in Chicago.

Chicago submitted by adr0202 on June 11, 2021, 7:24pm It’s good because you can learn about Chicago gilded age in 1893

Leaves you Wanting More submitted by laurenmccarthya2 on July 17, 2021, 8:50am After both reading and listening to this book, I am seeking out illustrated books specifically about the Columbian Exhibition. The way it is described seems impossible to accomplish. What a feat! And, just this month we visited Chicago and the Wooded Island. The Japanese Garden and Yoko Ono Sculpture are highly recommended!

History submitted by bjkoch on July 15, 2022, 8:40pm Love the historical aspects of the book

One of Larson's Best submitted by k8bullen on July 23, 2022, 1:35pm Nothing is ever as simple as it seems, and Erik Larson has made a career of writing nonfiction that is as compelling as a novel, and informative about aspects of history that I certainly never learned in history class. The Devil in the White City details the world of Chicago in 1893, when the World's Columbian Exhibition came to town. It also details the infamous H.H. Holmes, regarded as America's first serial killer. How these two widely disparate facts are connected Larson explains with detail and clarity. Strongly recommended.

faer and fascination submitted by sandri on July 25, 2022, 2:26pm veyr good telling of the story

Cannot put it down submitted by courtneyhooper on August 15, 2022, 10:09pm I would jump if anything made noise in the night while reading it! A thrilling and very dark story.

Couldn’t put it down submitted by lucydelo on June 14, 2023, 5:38pm This provides a different look at history and the Worlds Fair. A creepy story while a great world event happening