Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City is a fascinating and incredibly well researched account of the construction of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, but is so much more than that. Larson tells the story of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, architect behind the fair’s construction and H.H. Holmes, serial killer masquerading as charming doctor who lured victims to their death.
The Devil in the White City is the astonishing story of how one man created the modern city and came to be known as America’s first “golden boy.” It’s also the tale of his nemesis, a brilliant but evil murderer who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. The crime that shaped America—its technology, architecture, and fascination with death—is on full display. This is Erik Larson’s highly anticipated follow up to his best-seller The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America.
In the late 1800s, Chicago was a city on the rise, and host to the greatest World’s Fair in history. It was also home to H.H. Holmes, a killer whose experiments with murder were fueled by an unparalleled passion for innovation. Erik 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.
After leading the team that planned the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, celebrated architect Daniel H. Burnham was consumed with his next big project: The White City. With his own press and an army of contract workers, Burnham turned barren swampland into a stunning city of marble and steel. But when his vision for the fair goes beyond question, a young clerk is found brutally murdered on the grounds. And just as the murder becomes a festering wound in town, two other men are about to be judged for their own crimes.”
About The Devil in the White City Book
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. – John Moe.
