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

Summary (from the publisher): Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with such drama that readers may find themselves checking the book's categorization to be sure that The Devil in the White City is not, in fact, a highly imaginative novel. Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor.

Burnham's challenge was immense. In a short period of time, he was forced to overcome the death of his partner and numerous other obstacles to construct the famous "White City" around which the fair was built. His efforts to complete the project, and the fair's incredible success, are skillfully related along with entertaining appearances by such notables as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Edison.

The activities of the sinister Dr. Holmes, who is believed to be responsible for scores of murders around the time of the fair, are equally remarkable. He devised and erected the World's Fair Hotel, complete with crematorium and gas chamber, near the fairgrounds and used the event as well as his own charismatic personality to lure victims.

Combining the stories of an architect and a killer in one book, mostly in alternating chapters, seems like an odd choice but it works. The magical appeal and horrifying dark side of 19th-century Chicago are both revealed through Larson's skillful writing.

Review: This is the type of non-fiction that I love to read. It tells an interesting and true story in a narrative, lyrical style that reads like a novel. Larson interlaces the stories of Chicago's World Fair and architect Daniel Burnham with sinister Chicago resident and serial killer H.H. Holmes. I'd never heard/read a lot about the World Fair of 1893 or Holmes but after reading this I found myself shocked that I had not. The World Fair was a staggering achievement that saw the beginnings of consumer items from Shredded Wheat and a beer that won the blue ribbon at the fair and is still known by that achievement as Pabst Blue Ribbon. Additionally, numerous well known figures including the world's first Ferris wheel, designed by a man by the same name and Walt Disney's father were involved in the Fair.

I do have to confess though, as interesting as the description of the fair and Burnham's efforts toward it were, I found myself racing ahead, anxious to read the chapters about Holmes. From Larson's account, he was truly a psychopath and had the ability to charm virtually everyone. Holmes constructed a "hotel" that covered as a place for him to happily gas his victims to death before disposing of their bodies. He charmed the pants and life out of so many beautiful young women that I couldn't even keep them distinct in my mind. Holmes had numerous aliases, was a pro at insurance fruad, and wasn't above murdering whole families, including little children. I found Larson's description of this charismatic devil irrestible and terribly fascinating.

The storylike quality of this book was unlike anything I have ever encountered in a non-fiction book and while I loved it, I found myself wondering at the artistic liberties taken by Larson. For instance, Larson describes Holmes' arrival in Chicago saying, "As he moved through the station, the glances of young women fell around him like wind-blown petals." Larson also describes the emotions and thoughts of victims in the moments before their death. None of these descriptions can be verified as strict fact. While he describes his reasoning behind these choices in the conclusion of the book, those are still fiction-like liberties that are not in keeping with traditional non-fiction writing. However, despite my surprise at his form, I can't really take true issue with it, since it was this very lyrical and narrative style that made me love this book.

If every non-fiction book I read was this good, I would find myself hard pressed to find reasons to ever read fiction again.

Stars: 4