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

Very slow start, but it picked up about half way through, last few chapters were the best. Cool historical info!

This book was very interesting. Everyone has heard of H.H. Holmes at this point in history but to know the story as it coincided with the world's fair was very interesting. The book is written well and does not feel like a textbook though there are some dry parts that could have done with less direct quotes.

Barbara's pick. 👍🏻 Historical fiction/true crime. About one of the earliest serial killers, H.H. Holmes and how he used the World's Fairs to hide his reign of terror.

Larson has researched the world's fair in Chicago with great detail and brings to life the massive undertaking that brought together the greatest architects, artists and prominent figures of the gilded age. Fascinating history that illuminates how much of how we function in the modern world was tested at this fair. That said, Larson's attempt to weave together the story of the fair with the maniacal serial killings of H.H. Holmes falls short of achieving a cohesive narrative. The two story lines never manage to feed off of one another in a satisfying way and leaves the reader thinking perhaps Larson should have written two separate books. Overall a very interesting read and well worth getting through some of its tediousness.

Picked up this one on the recommendation of a family member - and I'd mostly enjoyed another of Larson's books - In the Garden of Beasts. Much like my take on that one, this book reads more like a history lesson than a compelling story. And, other than the two themes of this book (the Chicago World's Fair and Holmes's story) taking place during the same time period in the same location, I don't seen why they were combined into one book. I was expecting victims to be found throughout the fair or key players in the fair to become victims, but that was not to be (or was not what happened). Each story, on its own, is compelling, but the combination seems unrelated and odd. One thing I wish there were more of were photos of the people and places referenced in the book. Great descriptions of buildings and the grounds were made, but since this was an actual place, photos would have been fascinating.