Dr. H.H. Holmes used the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago to lure women to their death in his fantastic "World's Fair Hote,l" later known as "Murder Castle." Larson melds the story of the fair's construction by chief architect, Daniel Burnham with that of the horrifying serial killer, Holmes.
This true story is masterfully woven and subtly captures the extremes of the Victorian age: the White City and the Black City, the etiquette and the lies, the very rich and the destitute. Holmes as the devil is shocking, terrifying, and charming, while Burnham magnifies the ambition of powerful men at the turn of the century. The women felt foreign, their vulnerability and naiveté disturbing when compared to the women I know today, yet some of those very qualities endanger women even now. Perhaps the topic for another Erik Larson book. Until then, The Devil in the White City is a most suspenseful read.
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