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

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is probably more of a 2.5 stars than a solid 2. I tried this book a few years ago and couldn't get into it. This time around, I got it as an audiobook and had a much better experience. The writing was very descriptive and I loved the parts about HH Holmes's depravity.

However, the book just felt like two disjointed novellas that didn't really mesh together. There was the story of the Chicago World's Fair and the tale of HH Holmes. Aside from sharing a setting, they really had no major influence on each other; or the book didn't make it clear how they were related.

Also, I'm surprised Forrest Gump didn't show up at the Fair since a ton of American historical figures were there.

It's an ok read, but be prepared to learn more about the Fair than Holmes.

View all my reviews

Comments

Review: A Christmas Carol Murder

A Christmas Carol Murder by Heather Redmond on Tour November 1 - December 31, 2020 Synopsis: The latest novel from Heather Redmond’s acclaimed mystery series finds young Charles Dickens suspecting a miser of pushing his partner out a window, but his fiancée Kate Hogarth takes a more charitable view of the old man's innocence . . . London, December 1835: Charles and Kate are out with friends and family for a chilly night of caroling and good cheer. But their blood truly runs cold when their singing is interrupted by a body plummeting from an upper window of a house. They soon learn the dead man at their feet, his neck strangely wrapped in chains, is Jacob Harley, the business partner of the resident of the house, an unpleasant codger who owns a counting house, one Emmanuel Screws. Ever the journalist, Charles dedicates himself to discovering who's behind the diabolical defenestration. But before he can investigate further, Harley's corpse is stolen. Followi...

Review: Mercy Creek

Mercy Creek by M.E. Browning October 11 - November 5, 2021 Tour Synopsis: In an idyllic Colorado town, a young girl goes missing—and the trail leads into the heart and mind of a remorseless killer. The late summer heat in Echo Valley, Colorado turns lush greenery into a tinder dry landscape. When a young girl mysteriously disappears, long buried grudges rekindle. Of the two Flores girls, Marisa was the one people pegged for trouble. Her younger sister, Lena, was the quiet daughter, dutiful and diligent—right until the moment she vanished. Detective Jo Wyatt is convinced the eleven-year-old girl didn’t run away and that a more sinister reason lurks behind her disappearance. For Jo, the case is personal, reaching far back into her past. But as she mines Lena’s fractured family life, she unearths a cache of secrets and half-lies that paints a darker picture. As the evidence mounts, so do the suspects, and when a witness steps forward with a shocking new revelation, Jo...

Review: Killing Johnny Miracle

Killing Johnny Miracle by JK Franko October 16 - November 10, 2023 Virtual Book Tour Synopsis: Johnny Miracle thinks he’s got it all… and he’s in love, just not with his wife, Mary. He wants a divorce and he’s got leverage. Johnny knows her deepest, darkest secret. He’s going to use that to take everything: her vineyard, her money, and her priceless family heirloom. He’ll do whatever it takes to get it all. But, as Grandma Nellie used to say, “No man, no matter how smart or strong, can compete with a motivated woman.” Mary is a motivated woman, she’s got her own agenda, and it doesn’t include losing. She’s going to kill Johnny. To get away with it, she needs a plan and an alibi. And she thinks she has both. Book Details: Genre: Crime Thriller Publication Date: May 2023 Number of Pages: 350 Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads Published by: Rum House Publishing My Review: I loved the Talion/Roy Cruise saga and have been not so patiently waiting for JK Franko to releas...